The Executive Flags of the
United States are official
flags designated to
represent particular offices
in the executive branch,
most notably, the President
of the United States.
1882. Although
discussions about a
President's Flag occurred
during the deliberations for
the Flag Act of 1818, a
President's Flag was not
officially adopted until the
administration of President
Chester Arthur in 1882.
Initially, the flag was
issued by the Navy and
primarily used for maritime
use. The Navy order of
August 9, 1882, reads: "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 × 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."
The earliest flags featured
the pre-1885 Great Seal,
with eagles in white with
bent legs and white olive
branches and arrows.
In 1885, the Great Seal was
redesigned, and at some
point before the turn of
the century, the eagle was
updated to the full color
1885 Great Seal design.
1898. By 1898,
during the Spanish American
War, the Army determined
that it too required a flag
to represent the
commander-in-chief, though
the Navy's flag of the
heraldic eagle on blue
ground too closely resembled
the Army regimental colors.
General Orders No. 13 on
March 28, 1898, prescribed a
scarlet silk flag 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.
1902. In 1902,
President Theodore Roosevelt
selected the Navy flag which
was older and had been
selected by a former
President, as the official
peacetime flag to avoid
confusion and determine a
single flag to represent the
Presidency. The 1902
flag introduced minor
modifications to the Navy
flag of 1882, most notably
the eagle, scroll and arrows
being depicted in pure white
with black outline, and the
ring of clouds surrounding
the six-pointed star
constellation being replaced
by a ring of rays.
Both services retained their
original Presidential flags
as wartime flags, though the
Army redesigned their
wartime President's colors
in 1912 from its original
scarlet to a blue ground.
1916. In 1916,
President Woodrow Wilson
noted the two military
Presidential flags being
carried in a parade. With
input from Secretary of the
Navy Byron McCandless and
Assistant Secretary of
the Navy (and future
President) Franklin
Roosevelt, President
Wilson decided to combine
aspects of the Navy and Army
flag into a single flag.
The four white corner stars
of the Army flag were
retained, and added to the
Navy flag's design.
The 13 stars surrounded by a
ring of rays was replaced by
white cloud puffs in an arc
above an arc of 13 stars.
1918.
During World War I, Army
orders were issued for flags
for the Secretary of War,
Assistant Secretary of War,
Chief of the General Staff
and full General. The
Secretary of War and
Assistant Secretary of War
flags followed a similar
design to the President's
flag, though in white on
scarlet (Secretary of War)
and scarlet on white
(Assistant Secretary of
War).
1946. The 1916
President's Flag remained
official through World War I
and World War II, until 1946
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when President Truman
adjusted the flag due to
some criticism that the
eagle's head on the 1916
flag faced toward the
clutched arrows (to many,
signifying war) and toward
the left (known in heraldry
as the sinister side). The
eagle was turned to the
right (the olive branches)
and was once again depicted
in full color, rather than
in white, and the four
corner stars were replaced
by a ring of 48 stars.
This design has essentially
remained unchanged, with the
exception of President
Eisenhower approving 49
stars in 1959, and 50 stars
in 1960. The design
has been adopted not only as
the President's Flag design,
but also for the Seal of the
President of the United
States.
Today. Today
there are several other
Executive Branch flags in
use, to include our
Secretary of State and
Ambassadorial flags, our
Secretary of Defense and
Defense Senior Officials
flags, and others that
represent U.S. Presidential
appointees to the highest
offices in the nation.
These flags and their
history trace an important
lineage through American
heraldic symbolism, and
collectively they represent
the power of the Presidency,
the highest
American executive office
bestowed by the American
people.
For more
information, and sources for
this article:
Flag of the President of the
United States, Wikipedia
Great Seal of the United
States, Wikipedia
Seal of the President of the
United States, Wikipedia |
