The Executive Committee of the Board of Regents is the administrative body designated to act for the Regents when the full Board is not in session, and to carry out special assignments made by the Board from time to time.
The Committee was provided by the Act of August 10, 1846, creating the Smithsonian Institution. In the early years this body discharged many responsibilities for the Board, which met only twice a year and could scarcely be assembled with any speed, given the state of transportation. Thus, many of the early members were Regents already residing or stationed in Washington. While some of the Executive Committee's more routine duties, such as auditing Smithsonian accounts, have been delegated to professional administrators, the Committee remains a central agenda body for the Regents.
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Agency History. Record 223019
