Someone is always the first.
It was Mrs. Hubbard's intention that income from her monetary bequest would permit the Library to add to this important collection known as the Gardiner Greene Hubbard Collection of Engravings . This presented a dilemma for the Library, however, since it had not been authorized by Congress to accept monetary gifts. The money was used to create the Library's first endowment fund, the Gardiner Greene Hubbard Collection Fund. Herbert Putnam, who was the Librarian of Congress from 1899-1939, realized that the above process would become unwieldy if the Library were to obtain the volume of donations that he anticipated. Therefore, Putnam requested Congressional authority to create a Trust Fund Board that would have the authority to accept monetary gifts and would serve as the trustee of these funds.