Sep
08

Today in Smithsonian History: September 8, 1846

Portrait of George Mifflin Dallas, Vice President of the United States and first Chancellor of the Smithsonian Board of Regents

Portrait of George Mifflin Dallas (1792 – 1864), Vice President of the United States and first Chancellor of the Smithsonian Board of Regents

September 8, 1846  Vice President of the United States George M. Dallas is officially elected the first Chancellor of the Smithsonian Board of Regents. He became a member of the Board of Regents ex officio on August 10,1846 when the Institution was created. Ex officio means “by virtue or because of an office” and subsequent vice presidents have also been Smithsonian Regents.

Courtesy of Smithsonian Institution Archives

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Posted: 8 September 2019
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