Government Support of Science 



Of the four major estates of science — Government, industry, uni- 

 versities, and private foundations — the Federal Government had 

 the longest tradition of funding science. This tradition was rooted 

 in the Constitution, and was expressed in the continuous, if at 

 times modest, public support of research. Over the years, Congress 

 endowed several Federal agencies and departments with the au- 

 thority to conduct and sponsor research in order that they fulfill 

 their particular missions. As a result, most Government-sponsored 

 research was targeted to promote the national welfare. Public 

 funding of science was justified on utilitarian grounds — that basic 

 research would eventually prove useful for the solution of practical 

 problems. 4 Little or no attention was paid to overall coordination. 

 This fragmented approach to the Government sponsorship of sci- 

 ence was a source of both strengths and weaknesses: providing a 

 great deal of flexibility and sources of support, while at the same 

 time resulting in extensive duplication of effort and a lack of effec- 

 tive coordination. 



By the early twentieth century, a Federal research establishment 

 was in place which included such agencies and departments as the 

 Weather Service, the Naval Observatory, the Coast and Geodetic 

 Survey, the Geological Survey, the Department of Agriculture, the 

 Bureau of Fisheries, and the Bureau of the Census. The National 

 Bureau of Standards, which was created within the Department of 

 Commerce and Labor in 1901 to meet the Constitutional demand 

 for standards of weights and measures, gained international ac- 

 claim for the quality of research conducted at its in-house laborato- 

 ries. Scientists of various backgrounds were employed throughout 

 these Federal agencies to assist in the carrying out of missions. 5 



SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 



Unlike the other Federal agencies that supported science, the 

 Smithsonian Institution was one of the few organizations during 

 the nineteenth century to pursue science for its own sake. Founded 

 in 1846 by the bequest of an Englishman, James Smithson, the In- 

 stitution's charter called for the "increase and diffusion of knowl- 

 edge." Headed by eminent scientist-administrators, the Institution 

 played a leading role during the nineteenth century in various as- 

 pects of scientific research, including anthropology, biology, geolo- 

 gy, and astronomy. Despite the fact that it received Federal appro- 

 priations, the Smithsonian was not a Government agency in the 

 strict sense of the word. Rather, it was a private institution under 

 the guardianship of the Government, supplementing its original en- 

 dowment and annual Federal appropriations with private be- 

 quests. 6 



4 See George H. Daniels, "The Pure-Science Ideal and Democratic Culture," Science, 156 (June 

 30, 1967), 1699-1705. 



5 For a general discussion of the scientific activities within these various agencies, see Dupree, 

 Science in the Federal Government, passim. For an official history of the National Bureau of 

 Standards, see Rexmond C. Cochrane, Measures for Progress: A History of the National Bureau 

 of Standards (Washington: GPO, 1966). 



6 See Paul H. Oehser, The Smithsonian Institution (New York: Praeger Publishers, 1970). 



