Samuel Pierpont Langley

Trained as a civil engineer, Samuel Pierpont Langley’s work in astrophysics and education brought him to the Smithsonian Institution in 1886. Arriving as assistant secretary, he became secretary the following year. In that role, he established the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and the National Zoo. Importantly, he lobbied for and negotiated the bequests of art that served as the foundational collections of the National Art Gallery (today’s Smithsonian American Art Museum) and the Freer Gallery of Art (now part of the National Museum of Asian Art).