1995 U.S. Code
Title 36 - PATRIOTIC SOCIETIES AND OBSERVANCES
CHAPTER 1B - AMERICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION
Sec. 20 - Corporation created; purposes; right to hold property; constitution, by-laws, and seal; principal office; reports; historical material

Andrew D. White, of Ithaca, in the State of New York; George Bancroft, of Washington, in the District of Columbia; Justin Winsor, of Cambridge, in the State of Massachusetts; William F. Poole, of Chicago, in the State of Illinois; Herbert B. Adams, of Baltimore, in the State of Maryland; Clarence W. Bowen, of Brooklyn, in the State of New York, their associates and successors, are created in the District of Columbia a body corporate and politic, by the name of the American Historical Association, for the promotion of historical studies, the collection and preservation of historical manuscripts, and for kindred purposes in the interest of American history and of history in America. Said association is authorized to hold real and personal estate in the District of Columbia so far only as may be necessary to its lawful ends, to adopt a constitution, and to make by-laws not inconsistent with law. Said association shall have its principal office at Washington, in the District of Columbia, and may hold its annual meetings in such places as the said incorporators shall determine. Said association shall report annually to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution concerning its proceedings and the condition of historical study in America. Said Secretary shall communicate to Congress the whole of such reports, or such portion thereof as he shall see fit. The Regents of the Smithsonian Institution are authorized to permit said association to deposit its collections, manuscripts, books, pamphlets, and other material for history in the Smithsonian Institution or in the National Museum; at their discretion, upon such conditions and under such rules as they shall prescribe.

(Jan. 4, 1889, ch. 20, 25 Stat. 640; July 3, 1957, Pub. L. 85–83, §1, 71 Stat. 276.)

1957—Pub. L. 85–83 substituted “as may be necessary to its lawful ends” for “only as may be necessary to its lawful ends to an amount not exceeding five hundred thousand dollars”.

Section 2 of Pub. L. 85–83 provided that: “The real property situated in Square 817, in the city of Washington, District of Columbia, described as lot 23, owned, occupied, and used by the American Historical Association, is exempt from all taxation so long as the same is so owned and occupied, and not used for commercial purposes, subject to the provisions of sections 2, 3, and 5 of the Act entitled ‘An Act to define the real property exempt from taxation in the District of Columbia’, approved December 24, 1942 (56 Stat. 1089; D.C. Code, secs. 47–801b, 47–801c, and 47–801e) [47–1005, 47–1007, and 47–1009].”

Smithsonian Institution—

Distribution of reports, see section 1341 of Title 44, Public Printing and Documents.

Duties of Secretary, see sections 44 and 46 of Title 20, Education.

Regents, see sections 42 to 44 of Title 20.