Jul
05

Today in Smithsonian History: July 5, 1850

Spencer Fullerton Baird (1823-1887), naturalist and second Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution (1878-1887), as a young man. This image was taken from a daguerreotype, ca. 1850.

Spencer Fullerton Baird (1823-1887), naturalist and second Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution (1878-1887), as a young man. This image was taken from a daguerreotype, ca. 1850.

July 5, 1850 The Board of Regents approves Secretary Joseph Henry’s nomination of Spencer Fullerton Baird as Assistant Secretary in the Department of Natural History to take charge of the Museum as “Keeper of the Cabinet” and to assist with publications. Baird, a naturalist, previously taught at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The initial salary for his position is $1,500 per annum.

Courtesy of Smithsonian Institution Archives

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Posted: 5 July 2019
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