Eminent domain: the Institution's Regents include the vice president, the chief justice and other national leaders.(FROM THE SECRETARY)(Smithsonian Institution)(Agency overview)

JUST ABOUT EVERYBODY has a boss. At the Smithsonian Institution, where the chief executive officer is known as the Secretary, the ultimate authority has been vested by law in its Board of Regents since the Institution's establishment 160 years ago.

There's obvious uniqueness to the Smithsonian. It was established by Congress in 1846 as a trust for the American people in response to a large bequest from an obscure British scientist named James Smithson. The Smithsonian, to be located in Washington, D.C., was not to be a part of any branch of the federal government; rather, it was to be guided by an independent Board of Regents, or trustees, composed of the chief …