The Price of Ambition: from the beginning, the cost of increasing and diffusing knowledge exceeded even Smithson's generosity.(From the SECRETARY)

Publication: Smithsonian

Publication Date: 01-AUG-05

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COPYRIGHT 2005 Smithsonian Institution

Joseph henry, the Smithsonian Institution's first secretary (1846-1878), had a problem. Before coming to Washington, D.C., he had taught physics at Princeton University and achieved international renown for discovering scientific principles that led eventually to the development of the telegraph, electric motor and transformer. But managing the operation of the Smithsonian would require much more than scientific insight; to succeed, Henry would need to be a consummate diplomat and negotiator.

The problem was money. In 1829, James Smithson, a wealthy British scientist, died. He had made...

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