Seal of the President of the United States

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Seal of President of the United States
Details
Armiger	President of the United States
Adopted	unknown (current definition from 1945)
Crest	Behind and above the eagle a radiating glory Or, on which appears an arc of thirteen cloud puffs proper, and a constellation of thirteen mullets argent
Escutcheon	Paleways of thirteen pieces argent and gules, a chief azure
Supporters	An American eagle displayed holding in his dexter talon an olive branch and in his sinister a bundle of thirteen arrows all proper, and in his beak a white scroll inscribed E PLURIBUS UNUM sable
Motto	E pluribus unum
Other elements	The whole surrounded by white stars arranged in the form of an annulet with one point of each star outward on the imaginary radiating center lines, the number of stars conforming to the number of stars in the union of the Flag of the United States
Use	On documents from the president to Congress, and as a symbol on presidential vehicles, podiums, and other places

The Seal of the President of the United States is used to mark correspondence from the U.S. president to the United States Congress, and is also used as a symbol of the presidency. The central design, based on the Great Seal of the United States, is the official coat of arms of the U.S. presidency and also appears on the presidential flag.

The presidential seal developed by custom over a long period before being defined in law, and its early history remains obscure.^[1] The basic design of today's seal originated with Rutherford B. Hayes, who was the first to use the coat of arms on White House invitations in 1877. The precise design dates from 1945, when President Truman specified it by an executive order. The only changes since were in 1959 and 1960, which added 49th and 50th stars to the circle following the admissions of Alaska and Hawaii as states.

Contents 1 Design and symbolism 2 Uses of the seal 2.1 Official use 2.2 Regulated use 2.3 Use in popular culture 3 History 3.1 Seal of the President of the Congress of the Confederation 3.2 Dorsett seal 3.3 Early presidential seals 3.4 Lincoln's seal 3.5 Hayes design 3.6 Martiny plaque 3.7 Bailey Banks & Biddle representation 3.8 1945 seal 3.9 1959 and 1960 changes 4 Flag of the President 4.1 Early presidential flags 4.2 1882 Navy flag 4.3 1898 Army flag 4.4 1902 flag 4.5 1912 Army color 4.6 1916 flag 4.7 Current flag 4.8 Gallery 5 Misconceptions 6 See also 7 References 8 External links

[edit] Design and symbolism

The current seal is defined in Executive Order 10860, made by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on February 5, 1960, and effective since July 4, 1960. It states:^[2]

The Coat of Arms of the President of the United States shall be of the following design:

SHIELD: Paleways of thirteen pieces argent and gules, a chief azure; upon the breast of an American eagle displayed holding in his dexter talon an olive branch and in his sinister a bundle of thirteen arrows all proper, and in his beak a white scroll inscribed "E PLURIBUS UNUM" sable.

CREST: Behind and above the eagle a radiating glory Or, on which appears an arc of thirteen cloud puffs proper, and a constellation of thirteen mullets argent.

The whole surrounded by white stars arranged in the form of an annulet with one point of each star outward on the imaginary radiating center lines, the number of stars conforming to the number of stars in the union of the Flag of the United States as established by chapter 1 of title 4 of the United States Code.

The Seal of the President of the United States shall consist of the Coat of Arms encircled by the words "Seal of the President of the United States."

The blazon (design) is essentially the same as the obverse of the Great Seal of the United States as defined in 1782, although with some extra colors specified, and a different arrangement of the stars, clouds, and glory than is typically seen in modern versions of the Great Seal. The only purely distinct element is the ring of 50 stars, representing the 50 states. Likewise, the symbolism follows that of the Great Seal:

• The stripes on the shield represent the 13 original states, unified under and supporting the chief. The motto (meaning "Out of many, one") alludes to the same concept.
• The arc of thirteen clouds, and the thirteen stars, also refer to the original 13 states.
• The olive branch and arrows denote the powers of peace and war. The eagle faces towards the right to show a preference to peace over war.

[edit] Uses of the seal

[edit] Official use

The actual seal die is only used on correspondence from the President to the United States Congress, closing the envelopes with wax seals. This has been the primary use throughout the seal's history, though isolated uses have been made for correspondence with other members of government. Documents signed by the President when representing the nation are instead sealed with the Great Seal of the United States.^[3]

Strictly speaking, the brass die used at the White House is the only actual seal of the president — other versions are technically "facsimiles". The Bureau of Engraving and Printing has other dies, used to produce such facsimiles on documents, stationery, and invitations as requested by the White House.^[4] Other versions of the seal are often used as a visual symbol to represent the president, and are most often seen:

• on the lectern at presidential press conferences
• on the sides of presidential transports Air Force One, Marine One, and the presidential limousine
• at the center of the ceiling in the Oval Office of the White House
• affixed to the balcony of the South Portico during a State Arrival Ceremony

The presidential coat of arms (the central device on the seal, i.e. without the encircling "SEAL OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES" legend) has even wider usage. It appears:

• on the presidential flag

• on the reverse of the Kennedy half dollar (encircled with "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" on the top and "HALF DOLLAR" on the bottom). For the United States Bicentennial, a depiction of Independence Hall was used on the reverse of the coin. The seal returned to the reverse starting in 1977.
• at the center of the iconic oval rug in the Oval Office of the White House (each president typically designs his own, but most rugs since President Truman have used the arms^[5]).
• The coat of arms is incorporated into the Presidential Service Badge issued to US Military personnel.
• on many versions of presidential china, such as the Wilson or Reagan china, which is often used at state dinners at the White House.

[edit] Regulated use

In general, commercial use of the seal is prohibited by 18 USC 713^[6] of the United States Code, and further defined by Executive Orders 11916 and 11649. The United States Secret Service is authorized to use the seal in conjunction to fund raising sales for its charitable benefit fund. Currently the 1600 for Men line of toiletries bears a modified version of the seal (modified in that: the words "THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES" instead of "SEAL OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES" ring the stars, eagle, and shield; dark blue pervades as the base color throughout; and the eagle's feathers are silver) and includes items such as antibacterial wash, shaving cream, aftershave and soap.

Unofficial use of the seal is regulated by the White House Graphics and Calligraphy Office and monitored by the office of the White House Counsel. On September 28, 2005, Grant M. Dixton, associate counsel to George W. Bush, requested that the satirical newspaper The Onion remove the presidential seal from its website.^[7][8] The Graphic and Calligraphy Office will approve of the seal's use in application of official gifts, an example being its application to a silver cigarette box presented as a gift to Franklin Roosevelt.

[edit] Use in popular culture

The seal is sometimes used in modified form as a marketing tool, or to make a political statement. The punk rock group the Ramones used a personal variation of the seal as their logo, replacing the arrows with a baseball bat and the inscription around it with the members' names, and also changing the motto and the design on the shield. Blink-182 and other bands have also used the logo on T-shirts. Some fashion brands (mainly for teenagers) have also used the logo as an added design for accessories like bags. In addition, the animated menu sequence on all DVDs of The West Wing contains a slightly altered version of the seal. In the backing video for Skinny Puppy's "VX Gas Attack," featured on the Greater Wrong of the Right LIVE DVD, another altered version of the seal is shown (the olive and arrows replaced with bleeding gas nozzles, and the eagle replaced with a skull). It is also used by rap group The Diplomats as their trademark logo, except that the olive branch and arrows are usually replaced by two guns and the word "Diplomats" is across the center of the eagle.

[edit] History

The early history of the president's seal remains obscure, as there is essentially no record on early usage, nor when its use started.^[1] It appears that the primary use was to seal the envelopes on correspondence from the President to Congress, and the envelopes were presumably discarded even if the correspondence was kept, so there is little record remaining.^[9] The first documented seal was in 1850 (which almost certainly was not the first one), and the design used on today's seal had its origins in a coat of arms used on invitations by President Hayes in 1877. It was not defined in law until an executive order by President Truman in 1945.

[edit] Seal of the President of the Congress of the Confederation

During the period of the Congress of the Confederation, prior to the creation of the U.S. federal government and thus the presidency, the President of the Continental Congress (a mostly ceremonial position, elected to preside over meetings) had a seal. It was a small oval, with the crest from the recently-adopted Great Seal (the radiant constellation of thirteen stars surrounded by clouds) in the center, with the motto E Pluribus Unum above it. Much like today's presidential seal, the primary purpose was apparently to seal envelopes on correspondence sent to the Congress. Benson Lossing (writing in 1856) claimed it was used by all the Presidents of the Congress after 1782, though only two examples from Thomas Mifflin are documented today: Lossing described a 1784 letter,^[10] and Commodore Byron McCandless (while doing research for the 1945 seal redesign) photographed a seal on a Mifflin letter from November 17, 1783 to the Governor of Rhode Island. An 1885 article from the Daily Graphic included an original engraving of the seal supposedly from a 1784 letter; it is not known if this was just based on Lossing's version or if they had a separate impression. None of these impressions are known to still exist, and no confirmation of an order for this seal (proving an official status) has been found in Continental Congress records.^[11]

This seal's use apparently did not pass over to the new government in 1789.

[edit] Dorsett seal

In 1894, Palemon Howard Dorsett (a lifelong Department of Agriculture employee) turned up with a metal die very similar to the original die of the Great Seal, except that the arrows and the olive branch were switched, indicating an intentional "difference" to distinguish it from the actual Great Seal. The die had apparently been owned by George Washington, though there are no known uses of this die, and there even is no indication it could actually be used as a seal. The origins and purpose of this die remain unknown, though the authors of a 1978 book on the Great Seal speculated it was a gift to Washington and possibly an early version (or forerunner) of a presidential seal.^[12]

[edit] Early presidential seals

There is little extant evidence of any seals actually used by early U.S. presidents. One possibility is a letter from 1835, sent from Paris to President Jackson and then forwarded to the Department of State. The envelope has a small circular red wax seal, with the upper portion appearing to to have a circle of cloud puffs similar to the Great Seal, with rays of a glory. However, the rest of the design has been obliterated, so nothing further can be determined, and no other uses of this seal have been found.^[13]

The documented history begins in 1850, when a seal was made after a crude drawing submitted by President Fillmore. It depicted an eagle "displayed with wings inverted", i.e. with its wingtips down, holding an olive branch and three arrows in its talons. The shield is essentially the same as the Great Seal, with a blue chief and red and white stripes and the eagle facing to its right, though there were nineteen stripes and the outermost stripes were red, both unlike the Great Seal. Thirty-one stars were distributed above and around the eagle, indicating that the seal dates from after when California became the 31st state in September 1850. It was made by Edward Stabler, a farmer and postmaster in Sandy Spring, Maryland, who had earlier made seals for the Senate, House of Representatives, and several government departments.^[14] Stabler had also made a seal for the Vice President in 1846, and the correspondence surrounding it indicated that even earlier vice presidential seals existed, so presumably earlier presidential seals existed as well.^[15] The president's seal was described by Benson Lossing in 1856 as "round, with an eagle upon it" (contrasting it to the seal used during the Continental Congress).^[10]

The information on Fillmore's seal is from an 1885 article in the Daily Graphic, and (according to Daniel S. Lamont, the private secretary to President Cleveland and one of the article's sources) the 1850 seal was still in use at that time and was used to seal envelopes sent to either house of Congress. The article claims that Stabler made two seals, the other being a smaller one for use on letters, and stated that both were illustrated in the article. While the large seal was illustrated, the rendering of a smaller seal was labeled the "Old Seal" and had only twenty-seven stars, seeming to indicate it would date from 1845 during James K. Polk's administration rather than being a smaller 1850 seal. While Fillmore did use a personal seal (a simple script F in a circular border) it does not appear that this was the smaller seal mentioned. The design on the "Old Seal" was quite similar to the large version, though it was a different rendering of the eagle with small differences in positioning. The inscriptions were also slightly different; the large seal had THE SEAL OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, while the smaller one (like the present-day version) omitted the word "The" at the beginning.^[14]

[edit] Lincoln's seal

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum owns a small seal used by Abraham Lincoln, which was previously a part of the Taper Collection. It is about the size of a penny, has an ivory handle, and is still encrusted with red wax.^[16][17] The design is exactly the same as the one labeled the "Old Seal" in the Daily Graphic article, except it has 36 stars (Nevada became the 36th state in October 1864).^[18][21] A 1927 book also describes a red wax presidential seal on a letter from Lincoln to Hiram Barney.^[22]

In September 1864, an engraver named J. Baumgarten from Baltimore, Maryland made and sent Lincoln an unsolicited seal, marked with "A Lincoln" on its side, meant for personal use. Baumgarten also claimed to have made seals of the "same plan" for both Presidents Fillmore and Buchanan.^[23] This was just prior to Nevada becoming the 36th state, but as the design of this seal is not described, and no reply from Lincoln is known and no payment is recorded,^[24] it is not possible to know if it was the aforementioned 36-star seal, something similar to the simple F seal used by Fillmore, an entirely different seal, or if it was used at all. Baumgarten may well have been related to Selig Baumgarten, an engraver who emigrated from Hanover with eight children to Baltimore in 1852. One of Selig's sons, Herman Baumgarten, later engraved the 1877 version of the Great Seal.^[25][28]

[edit] Hayes design

President Hayes was the first to use the presidential coat of arms on White House invitations, and the design used was the direct precursor to the modern version. Its first appearance was in April 1877, about six weeks after his inauguration. The eagle's wings were shown "displayed" (wingtips up), with an arc of cloud puffs between the wings, and thirteen stars scattered below the arc and surrounding a scroll reading E Pluribus Unum. The eagle's head was turned to its left toward the arrows for the first time, a feature which would last until 1945. The eagle itself was similar to the Great Seal rendering at the time (prior to the more robust eagle used in the 1885 redesign of the Great Seal). The designer of this embossing is not known, and with minor variations was used on invitations until the early years of President Wilson's administration.^[29]

The design using the arc of clouds is reminiscent of an early rendering of the Great Seal made by James Trenchard in 1786, which was then later used on Indian Peace Medals handed out by President Washington. It is also very similar to a design seen on the letterhead of a proclamation by President Polk in 1846, which also had the eagle facing its left but additionally switched the olive branch and arrows so the head was still looking towards the branch. (Earlier proclamation letterheads, and even the Andrew Jackson White House china, also switched the arrows and branch and had the eagle facing to its left, though they were completely different designs otherwise.^[30]) Other influences may have been some U.S. coins and President Grant's china, which used the general design of an arc of clouds though the rest of the details were different.^[31]

The actual seal used by the president was changed to have a similar design, though apparently not at the time. The Daily Graphic article reported the 1850 seal was still in use in 1885, but the change had been made by 1894, as an impression of this new seal was obtained from Henry T. Thurber (President Cleveland's private secretary) for use in a book on heraldry. This version moved closer to the modern design, with the words OF THE in smaller capital letters than the other words (a feature which is still used), and the layout of stars being slightly changed into essentially the arrangement still used today.^[32] This seal remained in use until 1945, as Gaillard Hunt confirmed the design was still current as of 1916, and it also matches actual impressions taken from the presidential seal in 1936 during Franklin Roosevelt's administration.^[33] The design continued to evolve in other places in the meantime, particularly the presidential flag, and these evolved designs were used when the seal was changed again in 1945.

[edit] Martiny plaque

During renovations in early 1903, a bronze inlaid version of the seal was placed in the floor of the north entranceway of the White House, directly under the lantern. It was made from a model by the sculptor Philip Martiny, who followed the general arrangement of the Hayes arms but used considerable artistic license with the details. The eagle is substantially altered, with differently-shaped wings and thickly feathered legs. The shape of the shield was different, and the stars were arranged differently, with all stars appearing above the scroll using an arc of 10 stars with three more directly underneath. The scroll's inscription was E·PLVRIBVS·VNVM.^[34]

President Truman later felt that it was not right for people to walk over it,^[35] so when the White House was renovated again in 1948 he had the seal removed and placed over the door to the Diplomatic Reception Room, where it still is today.^[36] The plaster seal in the Oval Office ceiling (originally installed in 1934 and at some point changed so the eagle faces to its right) is also based on this design,^[37][38] and a version is in the floor next to Wilson's tomb in the Washington National Cathedral.

[edit] Bailey Banks & Biddle representation

In 1916 President Wilson decided to make a change in the presidential flag, the Navy version of which used the Great Seal on a blue background (there was a competing design from the Army, which was different but also used the Great Seal). The Aide to the Secretary of the Navy, Commander Byron McCandless, suggested adding four stars to the Navy version. Wilson however wanted the "president's eagle" used on the flag instead, showing McCandless the Martiny plaque as an example.^[39] Wilson at some point obtained a color print of the president's seal, probably from the Philadelphia firm of Bailey Banks & Biddle, which was also used in the discussions. The eagle in this version was more based on the 1885 Great Seal, and is essentially the design used in the modern seal — the style and details of the eagle, the rays of the glory, the arrangement of the thirteen stars, and the cloud puffs have all been carried over into the current version.^[40]

This design was used for the 1916 flag, and also on subsequent presidential invitations and Wilson's presidential china, meaning the coat of arms was effectively changed as well. The actual presidential seal die was not changed at the time, though a 1917 McCandless publication on flags did show the new design as its depiction the seal.^[41]

[edit] 1945 seal

In March 1945, President Roosevelt (who had been Assistant Secretary of the Navy during Wilson's administration and was involved in the four-star 1916 presidential flag design^[39]) noted that the flags for the new ranks of Fleet Admiral and General of the Army both had five stars, and asked the Army and Navy Departments for suggestions. The Secretary of the Navy (whose flag also had four stars) replied that there was no issue, as the eagle emblem was indicative of rank rather than the stars.^[37]

Roosevelt persisted though, and in March sent a query to Commodore Byron McCandless, then commanding the Naval Repair Base in San Diego, California. Roosevelt died on April 12, before McCandless could reply, but President Truman expressed a continuing interest in the matter and eventually a long reply was sent. McCandless recommended changing the four stars such that they were each made of 12 small stars, arranged in the shape of a larger six-pointed star; the four large stars would represent Roosevelt's Four Freedoms, the 48 total stars would represent the states, and the six-pointed star would be representative of the president's rank above five-star generals and admirals. Truman however disliked the idea of representing relative rank, and instead decided on a simple circle of 48 stars.^[42]

The proposed design was sent to the War and Navy Departments for comment. On August 22 Arthur E. DuBois, the chief of the Heraldic Section of the Army's Office of the Quartermaster General (forerunner to the Army Institute of Heraldry), made several suggestions. He recommended making the eagle in full color per heraldic tradition (the presidential flag of the time depicted the eagle as entirely white), and recommended against using 48 stars, believing that flags and seals should not be subject to external changes such as adding additional states and instead suggested a ring of 13 stars. DuBois also noted that the seal had never had an official definition, meaning there was also no explanation for the eagle facing to its left instead of the typical heraldic custom of having such figures face to their right ("dexter"), which is considered the honorable side. Therefore, he recommended changing the direction the eagle faced, and provided an illustration along with a suggested blazon to be used in an official description.^[43] Truman agreed with most of these suggestions, additionally liking that the eagle would now face towards the olive branches (which he felt was symbolic of a nation on the march and dedicated to peace^[44]), but decided to keep the 48 stars. Truman also considered adding a lightning effect to the arrows as a reference to the atomic bomb, but later decided against it. On August 28 Truman had DuBois make a model containing all the final decisions, which was then approved.^[45]

On October 25, 1945, President Truman issued Executive Order 9646, which officially defined the presidential coat of arms and seal for the first time, and unified the design between the seal and the flag. The only changes since have been to add stars to the outer circle.

The actual die of the new seal was first used on December 5, 1945.^[46]

[edit] 1959 and 1960 changes

Alaska was admitted as the 49th state on January 3, 1959, which caused the 49th star to be added to the United States flag on the following July 4th. On May 26, President Eisenhower issued Executive Order 10823, which added a 49th star to the outer ring on the presidential coat of arms (and therefore the seal and flag as well), also effective on July 4. The order was otherwise identical to Truman's order, which it replaced. Hawaii was admitted as the 50th state on August 21, 1959, and Eisenhower duly issued Executive Order 10860 on February 5, 1960 (effective July 4, 1960) to add the 50th star to the coat of arms. Once again, it was identical to the previous orders other than the number of stars. This remains the official definition today.^[47]

Because the upcoming admission of Hawaii would cause a further change the following year, no seal dies were made in 1959 with 49 stars, and the 1945 dies continued in use. New dies with 50 stars were made by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing only after the 1960 executive order came into effect.^[48]

[edit] Flag of the President

The Flag of the President of the United States consists of the presidential coat of arms on a dark blue background. While having the same design as the seal since 1945, the flag has a separate history, and the designs on the flag and seal have at different times influenced each other. The current flag is also defined in Executive Order 10860:

The Color and Flag of the President of the United States shall consist of a dark blue rectangular background of sizes and proportions to conform to military and naval custom, on which shall appear the Coat of Arms of the President in proper colors. The proportions of the elements of the Coat of Arms shall be in direct relation to the hoist, and the fly shall vary according to the customs of the military and naval services.

Attached to the order were illustrations of the seal and flag, and also a set of "specifications" for the flag, which defines more precise colors for the elements than does the blazon of the coat of arms:^[49]

Flag base—blue.
Stars, large and small—white.
Shield:

Chief—light blue.

Stripes—white and red.

Eagle:

Wings, body, upper legs—shades of brown.

Head, neck, tail—white, shaded gray.

Beak, feet, lower legs—yellow.

Talons—dark gray, white high lights.

Arrows—white, shaded gray.
Olive branch:

Leaves, stem—shades of green.

Olives—light green.

Rays—yellow.
Clouds—white, shaded gray.
Scroll—white with gray shadows.
Letters—black.

All dimensions are exclusive of heading and hems. Device to appear on both sides of flag but will appear reversed on reverse side of flag, except that the motto shall read from left to right on both sides.

[edit] Early presidential flags

During the committee discussions which eventually led to the Flag Act of 1818, an additional flag was proposed which was to indicate the President's presence at places he visited. The design divided the flag into four quarters: the upper left was the white stars on a blue background (same as the national flag); the lower left had a Goddess of Liberty on a white background; the upper right had an eagle emblem on a white background, and the lower right had the thirteen red and white stripes. This flag was not seriously considered and was not adopted.^[50][51][52] Samuel Chester Reid, who proposed this design, made a drawing of it years later which showed the eagle and Liberty in switched positions, and had the stars arranged in a larger star.^[53]

It is possible that distinctive flags were occasionally used to represent the President on individual occasions; there are claims that a special flag was used during a trip by President Jackson to New York City in 1832.^[54][55]

In the 1853 British book The Illustrated London Geography by Joseph Guy, the United States section is led off with an illustration labeled "Flag of the President of the United States".^[56] The book does not reveal any further information about this flag, and such a flag is not mentioned in the Army Institute of Heraldry's detailed page on presidential flags nor other books on the flag's history. The design is simply a version of the national coat of arms (i.e. the obverse of the Great Seal), which was a common motif for flags representing heads of state^[50] and also the same basic concept used in the later presidential flag of the Navy. The depiction also uses an arc of clouds for the crest, a style which was later (and still is) used on the presidential seal. Later in the article the 30-star U.S. flag is depicted, which was in use from 1848 to 1851.

As the President is Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy, each service developed its own tradition of honoring the President, which eventually led each to design their own presidential flag. This did not happen until the late 19th century however, and the Navy at first used existing flags for their ceremonies.

The first record in regulations to prescribe a flag for the President was the 1858 Signals for the Use of the United States Navy, which specified that the union jack (the canton of the national flag by itself, i.e. blue with white stars for all the states) should be flown at the mainmast to signify the presence of the commander-in-chief. In 1863, this was changed to use the national flag instead, but in 1864 was reverted so that once again the jack was used. The Naval Regulations of April 18, 1865, switched back to use the national flag, specifying it should be flown both from the mainmast while the President is aboard a ship, and also on the bow of boats on which he embarks. The 1866 Naval Signal Code (possibly not in effect until 1867) changed back to use the union flag, and on December 31, 1869, the change was reverted yet again, with the national ensign being flown on a ship while the President was aboard. This practice continued until 1882.^[57][50][58]

[edit] 1882 Navy flag

In the spring of 1882, Chester Arthur noted that the heads of state of many other countries have their own flag, but the President of the United States did not. His cabinet agreed, and Arthur himself apparently decided on the final design.^[59] On August 9, 1882, the Navy issued the order: "The flag of the President of the United States shall consist of a blue ground with arms of the United States in the center, and shall be of the dimensions prescribed for the admiral's flag [10.2 by 14.4 feet (3.1 m × 4.4 m)]. The flag shall be hoisted at the main of vessels of war while the President is on board, and shall be carried in the bow of his boat."^[50]

An illustration of the flag was published in the 1882 Flags of Maritime Nations, a Navy publication. As this was before the 1885 redesign of the Great Seal, this flag showed an eagle with bent legs, somewhat like the Great Seal design at the time. The crest of the coat of arms was omitted however, and instead an arc of thirteen stars was used, above the eagle and on either side of the wings. The eagle, arrows, and olive branch were all in white.^[60]

The flag was first used by Arthur on a trip to Florida in 1883.^[59] It was used primarily aboard boats, such as on the presidential yacht USS Dolphin in 1893 for a naval fleet review during celebrations related to the 400th anniversary of Columbus.^[61] There were some exceptions though, such as during the centennial of Washington's inauguration in 1889,^[62] and by a hotel proprietor during a presidential trip to New York City in 1897.^[54][55]

At some point before the turn of the century (possibly in 1897^[63]; the 1899 Flags of Maritime Nations showed the new version^[64]), the design on the flag was changed to match the Tiffany design of the Great Seal and be in full color. The text of the naval orders did not change, as this was a change in the coat of arms itself. This design was used by the Navy until 1916.^[60]

[edit] 1898 Army flag

In early 1898, during the lead-up to the Spanish-American War and following its first flag for an individual (the Secretary of War) in 1897, it was noted that the Army did not have its own flag for the president, the commander-in-chief. The Navy flag was too similar to the Army infantry flag (which was also primarily the Great Seal on a blue background), so a different design was needed.^[65]

Frederick D. Owen, a civilian engineer working in the War Department, came up with a flag which met the approval of Secretary of War Alger and President McKinley, and was officially announced by General Orders No. 13 on March 28, 1898. The order specified both a presidential flag, and a presidential color of the same design. The color was more meant for ceremonial purposes, was smaller than the flag, made of silk, and had a gold and silver fringed border. The dimensions of the flag were 8 by 13 feet (2.4 m × 4.0 m), and the dimensions of the color were 4 by 6.5 feet (1.2 m × 2.0 m).^[50][66][67]

The flag was scarlet, with a large blue star in the middle outlined in white which contained the Great Seal. There were four white stars in each corner, and scattered between the angles of the large central star were 45 small white stars, representing the 45 states.^[50] This flag was placed in the cabinet room in the White House during the war, and was first shown in public during peace jubilee celebrations in Chicago and Philadelphia in October, 1898.^[66][68][69]

In 1908, following the admission of Oklahoma as a state, a 46th star was added at the bottom. One of these flags was given to Theodore Roosevelt as a gift,^[70] and one hangs today in Roosevelt's home at Sagamore Hill.

[edit] 1902 flag

In March 1901, the German naval attache in Washington inquired as to the proper use of the flags when rendering honors abroad, as having two flags to represent a head of state was a unique situation. After discussions, and perhaps influenced by Secretary of State John Hay who noted that the Navy flag had come first and claimed that McKinley had never approved the Army version,^[71] President Roosevelt decided that there should only be one official flag for the president and chose the Navy's version. On November 12, 1901, Roosevelt's secretary sent out a letter with the decision, saying it was primarily because the Navy flag was older.^[50] While the Army later updated its regulations to use the Navy design for its flag, they retained their own definition of the presidential color, so its design lived on and was still used in many situations.^[72]

Subsequently, a third flag was designed and introduced in May 1902. This flag also showed the Great Seal on a blue background, like the Navy flag, but the eagle, scroll, and arrows were depicted in pure white outlined in black. The crest above the eagle's head was also different; instead of a ring of clouds the constellation of stars was only surrounded by a circular set of rays. This flag was supposedly to be used in times of peace only, with the original two flags still being used by their respective services in times of war.^[69][73] Several photos show this design was in fact used, such as at a Columbus Day celebration in 1912,^[74] on the presidential yacht Mayflower during a naval review in New York Harbor on October 14, 1912,^[75] and in a 1914 magazine article about the flag-making operation at the New York Navy Yard, where the flag is described as taking a full month to make (the longest of any of their flags).^[76] However, the Navy flag with the full-color eagle was also used during this period, as seen in photographs during the July 1911 groundbreaking for the Panama-California Exposition.^[77]

The full-color Navy version as used in 1911

The third, 1902 flag flying on the USS Mayflower in 1912

A 1902 type flag being made in 1914

[edit] 1912 Army color

In 1912, President Taft appointed a Flag Board to discuss aspects of the upcoming 48-star flag. As part of their recommendations, they noted that there were two official flags used for the president, though incorrectly stating the designs were identical except for the background color (red for the Army flag and blue for the Navy), and recommended that a single presidential flag be adopted. Taft subsequently issued Executive Order 1556 on June 24, 1912, and an updated Executive Order 1637 on October 29, which defined the precise dimensions of the 48-star flag. Both orders additionally state that "the color of the field of the President's Flag shall be blue".^{[50][72][78][79]} This left the Navy flag unchanged, but did force a change in the Army version, and so on February 20, 1913 an order was duly issued which switched the background of the Army presidential color to blue and the color of the star in the middle to scarlet.^[50] A 46th star had previously been added to the Army color in 1908, and the blue version was also updated to have 48 stars.^[57]

[edit] 1916 flag

On September 29, 1915, President Wilson watched a march by the Grand Army of the Republic where the reviewing stand displayed both the presidential flag and the Army's presidential color. Afterwards, this led to discussions on the situation which (among others) included Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Aide to the Secretary of the Navy Byron McCandless. According to McCandless, when asked for suggestions on a design for a single presidential flag, he suggested adding four white stars in the corners of the Navy flag, which would differentiate the flag enough from the infantry colors to make it acceptable for use by the Army. Wilson liked the idea, but wanted the president's eagle (from the presidential seal, which faced to its left) on the flag instead of the Great Seal. To demonstrate this, Wilson showed McCandless the Martiny plaque of the presidential seal then in the floor of the north entranceway of the White House, and also a full-color print of the seal he had likely obtained from the Philadelphia firm of Bailey Banks & Biddle. This print was used as the basis for the official drawings of the new flag.^[80]

On May 29, 1916, President Wilson issued Executive Order 2390, which officially changed to the new design. The eagle was almost entirely white with black stitching, except for the beak, legs and feet which were in yellow. The arrows were also white, though the olive branch was in color (green leaves and light green olives). There were thirteen, clearly-defined white cloud puffs in an arc, with the rays of the glory in gold. There were four large stars, one in each corner. The dimensions were 10.2 by 16 feet (3.1 m × 4.9 m).^[81]

The next revisions of the Navy and Army regulations changed their definitions of the flag (and in the Army's case, the color as well) to conform to the new design, meaning there finally was just one presidential flag, and it was used until 1945.

[edit] Current flag

The flag was changed by President Truman in 1945, a process which began with inquiries by President Roosevelt (who had been involved with the creation of the 1916 flag) shortly before his death. The new flag used the same basic design for the eagle, except (in response to some heraldic criticisms) changed the eagle to face towards its right (dexter, the direction of honor) and thus towards the olive branch, and the eagle was changed to be in full color. Instead of the four stars, a circular ring of 48 stars was added around the eagle.

Truman issued Executive Order 9646 on October 25, 1945, which unified the coat of arms, flag, and seal to use the new design. The flag was first flown at the commissioning of the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt two days later.^[82] The only changes have been to add more stars for new states; President Eisenhower issued Executive Order 10823 on May 26, 1959 (effective July 4) to add a star for Alaska, and later issued Executive Order 10860 on February 5, 1960 (again effective the following July 4) to add a 50th star for Hawaii. The design has not been changed since.

[edit] Gallery

Edward C. Kuhn, a designer of many early U.S. Army insignia and coats of arms, made a series of watercolors of older presidential flags.

1882 Flag (Navy)	1898 Color (Army)	1902 Flag (Navy)	1902 Flag
1912 Color (Army)	1916 Flag

[edit] Misconceptions

Many people erroneously believe that the seal is changed during times of war, so that the eagle faces the arrows in its left talon. This belief may have arisen because major changes to the seal have coincidentally been made before or after wars — specifically, the 1945 change in the seal, and also the 1916 change in the flag (though not the seal) from the right-facing Great Seal to the left-facing presidential seal.^[44] This misconception could also have arisen through the comments of Winston Churchill who, jokingly, commented on Truman's redesign of the seal stating that "Mr. President, with the greatest respect, I would prefer the American eagle's neck to be on a swivel so that it could face the olive branches or the arrows, as the occasion might demand".^[83]

[edit] See also

Great Seal of the United States

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Seal of the President of the United States

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Flag of the President of the United States

• U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry's President of the United States Information Sheet
• Flags Of The World's U.S. presidential flag page
• History of the President's Flag on Sea Flags