Today in Smithsonian History: December 2, 1887

George Brown Goode, ca. 1880s

December 2, 1887 Under provision of the law, Chancellor of the Smithsonian’s Board of Regents, Chief Justice Morrison R. Waite, designates Assistant Secretary George Brown Goode (1851-1896) as Acting Secretary of the Smithsonian during the absence of the Secretary Samuel P. Langley.  An ichthyologist by training, Goode joined the staff of the Smithsonian to assist with preparations for exhibits at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia and eventually became one of the leading figures in American museum theory and practice

Courtesy of Smithsonian Institution Archives

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