National Institute for the Promotion of Science

Founded 1841 as National Institution for the Promotion of Science by a group of prominent private citizens who hoped to be entrusted with the management of the Smithsonian bequest; inc. 1842 as National Institute for the Promotion of Science; collections turned over to the newly formed Smithsonian Institution in 1846.

The National Institute for the Promotion of Sciences was organized in May 1840 by Joel Poinsett, in an attempt to secure the bequest of James Smithson and create a National Museum in Washington. The Institute absorbed the collection of the Columbian Institution for the Promotion of the Arts and Sciences and purchased the collection of John Varden, the proprietor of the Washington City Museum. In 1841, the Institution, housed in the Patent Office Building, was named the repository of for the American Exploring Expedition collections. In 1842, it was chartered by Congress. In 1862, upon expiration of the chapter, the collections of the National Institute were absorbed by the Smithsonian Institution.