Today in Smithsonian History: December 3, 1846

Carte de visite. Joseph Henry’s signature is in ink at bottom. (Photo by Thomas William Smillie, 1843-1917)

December 3, 1846 Professor Joseph Henry of Princeton University receives seven out of 12 votes cast by the Smithsonian Board of Regents for the position of Secretary (the executive officer of the Smithsonian Institution). The Board then unanimously passes a resolution approving the election of Henry, who went on to serve a 32-year term from 1846 to 1878. The 49-year-old Henry is well known in the scientific world as a “natural philosopher” and physicist because of his basic discoveries in the field of electromagnetism.

Courtesy of Smithsonian Institution Archives

Related posts:

ICYMI: Highlights from the week of Jan. 24 – Jan. 27, 2022 Today in Smithsonian History: April 18, 1951 Object of the Day: Perky Little Skeletons Backroom Stories: The graphic (art) tale of the U.S. Exploring Expedition’s report