Smithsonian Institution. Assistant Secretary for Administration Search this
Extent:
26 cu. ft. (26 record storage boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Transcripts
Manuscripts
Date:
1972-1982
Descriptive Entry:
These records document the creation and work of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration, the Secretary's chief deputy and operations officer of the
Institution. Some records from the Office's administrative predecessor, the Office of the Under Secretary, are included as well. Researchers should note that the Assistant
Secretary's functions passed to the Office of the Under Secretary, recreated in 1982.
The records document the work of the Assistant Secretary as chief operating officer of the Institution, with special responsibility for budgetary and planning issues. The
records also document early developmental stages of offices and programs which later became permanent administrative entities, such as the Museum Support Center, the Cooper-Hewitt
Museum, the National Air and Space Museum, and the Quadrangle project, or which were later terminated, like the National Armed Forces Museum Advisory Board. Some records from
Robert A. Brooks's tenure as Under Secretary are also included.
Historical Note:
On August 15, 1976, Secretary S. Dillon Ripley appointed John F. Jameson Assistant Secretary for Administration. The title itself has been used in different ways at
different times in the Institution's history. For a fuller understanding of its use, researchers should consult Record Units 137 and 175. In this instance the incumbent was
the successor to the Under Secretary as the Secretary's principal lieutenant.
