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He was a British mineralologist and chemist who left a bequest in his will to the United States of America. The gift was used to start the Smitsonian Institution.

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What is James Smithson famous for?

James Smithson was an Englishman who researched geology, chemistry, and mineralogy. He is most known as the founding donor of the Smithsonian Institute.


When was James Smithson born?

James Smithson was born in 1764.


Who is the Smithsonian Institution named after?

James Smithson started with all of the money then in his will gave it to his nephew (Henry James Hungerford) and said that if Henry did not have any heirs to give his money to, then Henry's money would go to the United States government for some sort of increasing of knowledge of people. However, James Smithson never set foot in the United States! The sum of money that was given to the governent was $500,000 but today would be worth $10,100,977!


What country was James smithson a citizen of?

london


Did James Smithson visit the US?

44 times


Who is Smithsonian institute named for?

A guy named James Smithson (who actually never set foot in the U.S; he lived in France) wrote in a will that his nephew was to have 500,000 with the idea that he would pass it on to his children and so forth. If the nephew never had children the U.S. got the money. James Smithson died three years later, and his nephew died six years later without any children. Then the U.S. got the money and built a museum named after Smithson. No one knows why James Smithson wrote the money to the U.S.


How many times did James Smithson visit the US?

4000000


What did James smithson's philanthropy result?

the Smithsonian Institution, our national museum


In what did James smithson's philanthropy results?

The Smithsonian Museum


Who made the smithsoneon?

James Smithson's nephew is the one who founded the Smithsonian Institution. James Smithson died in 1829 and left his money to his nephew. The nephew died in 1935 and willed the money to the US to found the Smithsonian.


Where is James Smithson buried?

James Smithson is buried in the Smithsonian Institution Building, commonly known as the Castle, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. His remains were interred there in 1905, more than 170 years after his death in 1829. The location was chosen to honor his significant contributions to education and science through the establishment of the Smithsonian Institution.


Who is James Smithson?

James Smithson, Scientist / PhilanthropistBorn: 1765Birthplace: Paris, FranceDied: 27 June 1829Best Known As: The man whose money founded the Smithsonian InstitutionName at birth: James Lewis Macie James Smithson was an English chemist and mineralogist who left his fortune to the United States to found what became the Smithsonian Institution. Smithson was born James Lewis (or Louis) Macie, the son of Elizabeth Macie and Hugh Smithson, Duke of Northumberland. He was educated in England and established himself in the fields of mineralogy and geology. A member of the Royal Society of London, Smithson published dozens of scientific papers, including new work on zinc ores that ultimately led to zinc carbonate being named smithsonite. Smithson had an inherited fortune, and in 1826 he drew up a will that stipulated that if his heir, nephew Henry James Hungerford, died without any heirs, the estate would go to the U.S. to establish an institution in Washington, D.C. dedicated to "the increase and diffusion of knowledge." Smithson died three years later in Genoa, Italy; Hungerford died without heirs in 1835. After a decade of legal entanglements and congressional arguments, the Smithsonian Institution was established in 1846.