Installation Ceremony for Lonnie G. Bunch III

“We will be the place Americans look to understand themselves, their history, and their world. We must be the glue that helps to hold the country together.” — ⁦‪Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III on the future of the Smithsonian.

Lonnie G. Bunch III was installed as the Fourteenth Secretary of the Smithsonian
on November 1, 2019 in the historic Arts and Industries Building.

Secretaries of the Smithsonian

Secretary Bunch is the first African American and the first historian to hold the Smithsonian’s highest office. Read about the fourteen individuals who have led the Institution since 1846.

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Chief Justice John Roberts presents Secretary Lonnie Bunch with the ceremonial key to the Smithsonian Castle.

Welcoming the Secretaries

During the ceremony, the Secretary is presented with a ceremonial brass key that once opened one of the massive oak doors of the Smithsonian Castle. To celebrate the installation of our new Secretary, a look at installations past.

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Ceremonial Symbols

Smithsonian Mace

Commissioned in 1964 to celebrate the bicentennial of the birth of the Smithsonian’s benefactor, James Smithson, the mace is constructed of gold and silver and includes Smithsonite, a mineral Smithson identified.

Smithsonian Badge of Office

Made of 18-carat gold, the medallion features the owl of Athena, a symbol of wisdom, and an olive branch, a symbol of peace and goodwill.

Ceremonial Key

The tradition of passing the Smithsonian key to the incoming Secretary originated with the 1964 induction of S. Dillon Ripley as the eighth Secretary of the Smithsonian. The large brass key dates to the mid-19th century.

Secretary Bunch at a podium with the Smithsonian flag to his left.

@SmithsonianSec

Follow Secretary Bunch on Twitter.

National Book Tour

Lonnie G. Bunch III embarks on a national tour to discuss his new memoir A Fool’s Errand: Creating the National Museum of African American History and Culture in the Age of Bush, Obama, and Trump.

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