WASHINGTON, D.C. — Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch announced his resignation on September 8, 2026. Bunch, 73, said in a statement that it had been stressful regarding his tenure.

Bunch is the first African American to lead the Smithsonian Institution. He served the institution for nearly four decades, beginning as a historian and rising to lead the organization.

The resignation followed months of federal scrutiny and political pressure over museum content. President Donald Trump signed an executive order in March 2025 declaring that the Smithsonian had succumbed to divisive, race-centered ideology. Tensions escalated in July 2026 when the White House released a 162-page report arguing that the National Museum of American History had fallen victim to ideological capture. The report argued that the museum’s mission moved "away from straightforward historical education and scholarship toward an extreme political activism that seeks to transform our country."

President Trump signed an executive order in July 2026 instructing the Department of the Interior to erect signs outside the National Museum of American History warning visitors about ideological capture. The Executive Office of the President published the presidential document titled "Restoring Trust in the Smithsonian Institution" on July 29, 2026. Two House committees held hearings in July 2026 on the White House report regarding the Smithsonian. Republican members of House committees questioned National Museum of American History Director Anthea Hartig about exhibit items including a chrome and rubber crotch harness designed for sadomasochistic sex.

Hartig faced intense questioning from lawmakers during two Capitol Hill hearings in 2026 over an exhibit on Benjamin Franklin. The controversy centered on The Electric Dr. Franklin exhibit, which opened in November 2021 and stated that Benjamin Franklin enslaved people in his household prior to becoming an abolitionist. The exhibit declared that "Benjamin Franklin’s remarkable scientific accomplishments were, in part, enabled by slavery." It also speculated that Franklin may have used enslaved people in his electrical research. The exhibit stated that "Franklin wrote about experiments in which he took shocks and used family and friends in these ways, although he seldom identified who in particular assisted him." Further, the exhibit stated that indentured servants and enslaved people in his household could also have been used, although we may never know for certain. The exhibit closed in 2025.

Pressure from the executive branch intensified in late August 2026. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum sent a letter to the Smithsonian’s Board of Regents stating that other federal agencies "cannot in good conscience continue to support the Smithsonian under current leadership." Demonstrators protested the Trump administration's executive actions aimed at the Smithsonian Institution by marching to the National Museum of African American History and Culture on May 3, 2025.

The Smithsonian Institution receives more than $1 billion per year from the federal government, which accounts for 62% of its funding. The institution comprises 21 museums and draws approximately 15 million visitors every year.

Why It Matters

The Smithsonian Institution was established on August 10, 1846, by an act of Congress, which created it as a trust to be administered by a Board of Regents and a Secretary of the Smithsonian. The institution is governed by a 17-member Board of Regents led by the chief justice of the Supreme Court. The Smithsonian Board of Regents includes six members of Congress, three from each party, nine private citizens, and the vice president.

The resignation of the first African American secretary occurs during a period of federal intervention in the institution's historical narratives. The scale of federal funding, accounting for 62% of the budget, creates a direct leverage point for political pressure. The next step involves the Board of Regents responding to the Interior Secretary's letter regarding continued federal support.

Timeline

November 2021: The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History opened an exhibit called “The Electric Dr. Franklin.” May 3, 2025: Demonstrators protested the Trump administration's executive actions aimed at the Smithsonian Institution by marching to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. March 2025: President Donald Trump signed an executive order declaring that the Smithsonian had succumbed to divisive, race-centered ideology. 2025: The “The Electric Dr. Franklin” exhibit closed. July 2026: The White House released a 162-page report arguing that the National Museum of American History had fallen victim to ideological capture. July 2026: Two House committees held hearings on the White House report regarding the Smithsonian.

July 2026: President Donald Trump signed an executive order instructing the Department of the Interior to erect signs outside the National Museum of American History warning visitors about ideological capture.

Late August 2026: Interior Secretary Doug Burgum sent a letter to the Smithsonian’s Board of Regents stating that other federal agencies cannot in good conscience continue to support the Smithsonian under current leadership.

What's New

Research titled "Welcome from Lonnie G. Bunch III, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution" was published in 2024 in Smithsonian Trees of North America. Research titled "Ripley, (Sidney) Dillon, (20 Sept. 1913–12 March 2001), PhD; Secretary, Smithsonian Institution, 1964–84, then Secretary Emeritus" was published in 2007 in Who Was Who.

The 'The Electric Dr. Franklin' exhibit at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History closed in 2025, after opening in November 2021, as part of the institution’s broader controversies over historical narratives.

The Smithsonian Institution was established in 1846 as a trust administered by a Board of Regents and a Secretary of the Smithsonian, according to its official history. The Smithsonian National Museum of American History Director Anthea Hartig faced intense questioning from lawmakers during two Capitol Hill hearings in 2026 over an exhibit on Benjamin Franklin that was criticized for suggesting he conducted electrical experiments on indentured servants or slaves without evidence.

Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch III served the institution for nearly four decades, beginning as a historian and rising to lead the organization, as detailed in his career narrative. The Executive Office of the President published presidential document titled Restoring Trust in the Smithsonian Institution on 2026-07-29.

How Sources Differ

Sources differ on details regarding the Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian Trees of North America published research titled Welcome from Lonnie G. Bunch III, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution in 2024. Who Was Who published research titled Ripley, (Sidney) Dillon, (20 Sept. 1913–12 March 2001), PhD; Secretary, Smithsonian Institution, 1964–84, then Secretary Emeritus in 2007.

Other sources present different details regarding the institution.