This is an agency history. It does not describe actual records. The Smithsonian Institution Archives uses these histories as brief accounts of the origin, development, and functions of an office or administrative unit to set that unit in its historical context. To find information on record holdings, please double-click the highlighted field, Creator/Author, which will open a brief description of relevant records.
Guide to the Smithsonian Archives, 1996
SI Annals, 1976-1996
Irwin I. Shapiro, Interim Under Secretary for Science, e-mail announcement, June 11, 2002
Webster Prentiss True, who had previously served the Institution as editor, 1919-1939, was given the title of Chief of the Editorial Division in 1940. A separate Publications Division was responsible for the actual reproduction of manuscripts. On True's retirement, Paul Henry Oehser, who had been editor for the United States National Museum since 1931, was appointed chief and served from 1951 to 1953. In 1954 the two divisions were combined as the Editorial and Publications Division, with Oehser as chief. He held this post through 1965.
In 1966 the Division was renamed the Smithsonian Institution Press, with Anders Richter as director. Richter held the position through 1970, followed by Gordon Hubel, 1970-1975, Edward F. Rivinus, 1976-1982, Felix C. Lowe, 1982-1994, and Daniel H. Goodwin, 1995-1996. The Smithsonian Institution Press and the Office of Telecommunications were consolidated in 1996 to form Smithsonian Press/Smithsonian Productions, and the following year Peter F. Cannell was appointed director. When Smithsonian Productions assumed independent status in 1998, the Smithsonian Institution Press was reestablished and Cannell continued as director until 2002, when he was succeeded by Donald Fehr. In January 2005, Fehr stepped down as director to become publisher of Smithsonian Books, and the Smithsonian Institution Press was reorganized as Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press. Ginger (Strader) Minkiewicz was appointed director of Scholarly Press in June 2006.
For a history of the larger creating unit, refer to "Forms part of" above.
Repository Loc.:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Capital Gallery, Suite 3000, MRC 507; 600 Maryland Avenue, SW; Washington, DC 20024-2520
