Later Life and Death
Smithson died in Genoa, Italy on June 27, 1829. He was buried in Sampierdarena in a Protestant cemetery. In his will, Smithson left his fortune to his nephew, Henry James Hungerford. In the will, which was written in 1826, Smithson stated that Hungerford or Hungerford's children would receive his inheritance, and if Hungerford did not live, and had no children to receive the fortune, he would donate it to the United States to have an educational institution called the Smithsonian Institution founded. Hungerford died on June 5, 1835, unmarried and leaving behind no children, and the United States was the recipient. In his will Smithson stated what would be formed into the Smithsonian mission:
"I then bequeath the whole of my property, . . . to the United States of America, to found at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an Establishment for the increase & diffusion of knowledge among men."
Read more about this topic: James Smithson
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