The Stranger and the Statesman: James Smithson, John Quincy Adams, and the Making of America's Greatest Museum: The Smithsonian

Burleigh discloses how Smithson's bequest was nearly lost due to fierce battles among many clashing Americans -- Southern slavers, state's rights advocates, nation-builders, corrupt frontiersmen, and Anglophobes who argued over whether a gift from an Englishman should even be accepted. In her illuminating and dramatic biography The Stranger and the Statesman, Nina Burleigh reveals a little-known slice of social and intellectual history in the life and times of the man responsible for the creation of the United States' principal cultural institution, the Smithsonian.It was one of the nineteenth century's greatest philanthropic gifts -- and one of its most puzzling mysteries. In 1829, a wealthy English naturalist

Burleigh lives in New York and Paris with her husband, Erik Freeland, a photographer, and their children. Burleigh's journalism career covers twenty years of local and national politics, law, crime, and popular culture. Her articles have appeared in Time, People, US Weekly, the Washington Post, Elle, and New York magazi

He was fortunate in his choice of scientific mentors, too, having studied with intellectual giants such as James Hutton and Henry Cavendish. Those welcoming the gift were led by Congressman John Quincy Adams, who worked tirelessly to enact the legislation founding the Smithsonian Institution, which was finally passed in 1846. Smithson, born in 1765, was the illegitimate son of the Duke of Northumberland, and Burleigh meticulously examines the legal and cultural restrictions placed on illegitimate sons in England. . But Smithson, though a serious scientist, was a "not terribly original or brilliant" one, stresses Burleigh. His mother was wealthy enough to put him through Oxford, where he studied geology, and in 1787, he became the youngest member of the prestigious Royal Society. While Burleigh tak

Disappointing Michael E. Fitzgerald People want to like this book. I definitely had it on a "to do" list for quite a while. Could there be anything more interesting than John Quincy Adams, James Smithson and the founding of America's greatest scientific institution, the Smithsonian?James Smithson was a reclusive figure and to be fair little was known about him so the author did not have much to go on. But why fill this work with innocuous filler? The author should have concentrated this work on the embarrassing shenanigans surrounding Smithson's bequest once the money reached America an. "GREAT READ!" according to D Moritz. Very interesting book! The history of this man, a real benefactor of the people of the US, is remarkable and surprising. There was perhaps a little more detail than I really needed, but it was helpful in making his background and motivation more understandable. One never knows what is really behind the actions of other people, and I for one am very grateful that he made such a generous and far-reaching gift to this country. It was also interesting to see how little the US leadership at the time understood what they had, and it is wonderful that it was. Kindle Customer said Long but interesting. This book is hard to describe. While I enjoyed reading the book, the author gives long detailed accounts of the 18th century life and I felt that I never really got a good take on the gentleman who left his money to America to create the Smithsonian. I started skipping entire paragraphs, which is a sure sign I was getting tired of all the long drawn out narratives of everyone BUT the main character. I did enjoy learning about 18th Century life, though.