United States heraldry
Encyclopedia
Heraldry
in the United States of America was first established by Europe
an settlers who brought with them the heraldic customs of their respective countries of origin. As the use of coats of arms may be seen as a custom of royals and nobility, it has been debated whether the use of arms is reconcilable with American republican traditions. However, George Washington had said that "heraldry is not incompatible with the purest ideals of republicanism". Several of the "founding fathers
" also employed personal arms and a great number of Americans continue to do so.
is the official emblem of the Nation. The U.S. constitution prohibits federal and state governments from conferring or recognizing titles of nobility, and there are few noble coats of arms in the country. However private persons, including several past presidents, employ traditional coats of arms either personal or family related. Since there is no official regulation on arms, except for the official seals, badges, insignia, decorations and medals of the country and the states, many private individuals have assumed arms. There is one anomalous exception to this lack of regulation: the coat of arms of the Swiss Confederation, is specifically protected from unauthorized use within the USA, under penalty of a fine and/or imprisonment for up to six months.
The Institute of Heraldry was established in 1960 at Cameron Station in Alexandria, Virginia
. Within the Institute, functions formerly performed within the Office of The Quartermaster General and several field activities were consolidated. Upon reorganization of the Army in 1962, responsibility for the Heraldic Program was assigned to The Adjutant General’s Office. In 1987, with the realignment of certain Army Staff agency functions, the Institute was transferred to the United States Army Human Resources Command. In April 1994, The Institute of Heraldry was relocated from Cameron Station to Fort Belvoir
, Virginia
. As a result of a realignment in October 2004, responsibility for the Heraldic Program was assigned to The Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Army, Resources and Programs Agency.
The US Army Institute of Heraldry consists of a staff of thirty-two civilians. The mission of the Institute is to furnish heraldic services to the Armed Forces and other United States government organizations, including the Executive Office of the President. The activities of the Institute encompass research, design, development, standardization, quality control, and other services relating to official symbolic items—seals, decorations, medals, insignia, badges, flags, and other items awarded to or authorized for official wear or display by government personnel and agencies. Limited research and information services concerning official symbolic items are also provided to the general public.
Puerto Rico
has a coat of arms as well, originally granted by the Spanish Crown in 1512, which also influenced the design of that territory's seal.
For a fee, the English College of Arms
will devise arms for persons of English or Welsh descent, as the Scottish Court of the Lord Lyon
will for persons of Scottish descent. The Chief Herald of Ireland has granted arms to Americans of Irish
descent. The Spanish Cronista Rey de Armas
(Chronicler King of Arms) grants arms to descendants of Spanish citizens, and to residents of territories formerly part of the Spanish empire
, regardless of ancestry. Some American recipients of foreign orders of knighthood in which arms are expected to be borne have received arms from the relevant foreign authorities.
Heraldry
Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
in the United States of America was first established by Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an settlers who brought with them the heraldic customs of their respective countries of origin. As the use of coats of arms may be seen as a custom of royals and nobility, it has been debated whether the use of arms is reconcilable with American republican traditions. However, George Washington had said that "heraldry is not incompatible with the purest ideals of republicanism". Several of the "founding fathers
Founding Fathers of the United States
The Founding Fathers of the United States of America were political leaders and statesmen who participated in the American Revolution by signing the United States Declaration of Independence, taking part in the American Revolutionary War, establishing the United States Constitution, or by some...
" also employed personal arms and a great number of Americans continue to do so.
Usage of arms
Most states do not employ coats of arms, but have chosen to use seals as their official emblems, and while the United States has a coat of arms, which is the basis of most governmental seals, the Great Seal of the United StatesGreat Seal of the United States
The Great Seal of the United States is used to authenticate certain documents issued by the United States federal government. The phrase is used both for the physical seal itself , and more generally for the design impressed upon it...
is the official emblem of the Nation. The U.S. constitution prohibits federal and state governments from conferring or recognizing titles of nobility, and there are few noble coats of arms in the country. However private persons, including several past presidents, employ traditional coats of arms either personal or family related. Since there is no official regulation on arms, except for the official seals, badges, insignia, decorations and medals of the country and the states, many private individuals have assumed arms. There is one anomalous exception to this lack of regulation: the coat of arms of the Swiss Confederation, is specifically protected from unauthorized use within the USA, under penalty of a fine and/or imprisonment for up to six months.
US Army Institute of Heraldry
Heraldic and other military symbols have been used by the military forces as well as other organizational elements of the government since the beginning of the Revolution. However, until 1919, there was no coordinated, overall military symbolism program. In that year, within the War Department General Staff, an office was delegated the responsibility for the coordination and approval of coats of arms and insignia of certain Army organizations. In 1924, formal staff responsibility for specific military designs was delegated to The Quartermaster General. As the needs for symbolism by the military services and the national government expanded, the scope of the services furnished by The Quartermaster General’s Office evolved into a sizable heraldic program. The acceleration of activities brought about by World War II, the expansion of the Army, and subsequent increase of interest in symbolism, contributed to the growth of the program. In 1949, the Munitions Board, acting for the Army, Navy and Air Force, directed the Army to provide heraldic services to all military departments. The program was expanded further as a result of the enactment of Public Law 85-263, approved September 1957, 71 Stat. 589, which delineates the authority of the Secretary of the Army to furnish heraldic services to the military departments and other branches of the federal government.The Institute of Heraldry was established in 1960 at Cameron Station in Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
. Within the Institute, functions formerly performed within the Office of The Quartermaster General and several field activities were consolidated. Upon reorganization of the Army in 1962, responsibility for the Heraldic Program was assigned to The Adjutant General’s Office. In 1987, with the realignment of certain Army Staff agency functions, the Institute was transferred to the United States Army Human Resources Command. In April 1994, The Institute of Heraldry was relocated from Cameron Station to Fort Belvoir
Fort Belvoir
Fort Belvoir is a United States Army installation and a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Originally, it was the site of the Belvoir plantation. Today, Fort Belvoir is home to a number of important United States military organizations...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. As a result of a realignment in October 2004, responsibility for the Heraldic Program was assigned to The Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Army, Resources and Programs Agency.
State heraldry
Eighteen States have officially adopted a coat of arms. The former independent Republic of Texas and Kingdom of Hawaii each had a separate national coat of arms, which are no longer used.Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
has a coat of arms as well, originally granted by the Spanish Crown in 1512, which also influenced the design of that territory's seal.
Private heraldry
There are several private organizations working to advance heraldic traditions in the United States. These organizations keep registers of arms and give advice on designing coats of arms.For a fee, the English College of Arms
College of Arms
The College of Arms, or Heralds’ College, is an office regulating heraldry and granting new armorial bearings for England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
will devise arms for persons of English or Welsh descent, as the Scottish Court of the Lord Lyon
Court of the Lord Lyon
The Court of the Lord Lyon, also known as the Lyon Court, is a standing court of law which regulates heraldry in Scotland. Like the College of Arms in England it maintains the register of grants of arms, known as the Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland, as well as records of...
will for persons of Scottish descent. The Chief Herald of Ireland has granted arms to Americans of Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
descent. The Spanish Cronista Rey de Armas
Cronista Rey de Armas
The Chronicler King of Arms in the Kingdoms of Spain was a civil servant who had the authority to grant armorial bearings. The office of the King of Arms in Spain originated from those of the heralds . In the early days of heraldry, anyone could bear arms and as is normal where human beings are...
(Chronicler King of Arms) grants arms to descendants of Spanish citizens, and to residents of territories formerly part of the Spanish empire
Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....
, regardless of ancestry. Some American recipients of foreign orders of knighthood in which arms are expected to be borne have received arms from the relevant foreign authorities.
16th century
- The English settlement of Ralegh, in Virginia, applies for a grant of civic arms from the College of ArmsCollege of ArmsThe College of Arms, or Heralds’ College, is an office regulating heraldry and granting new armorial bearings for England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
in 1586 - it's uncertain if the grant was made.
17th century
- The Dutch New Netherlands company establishes the New Netherlands (Nieuw Nederland) settlement in 1614 - it assumes official arms in 1630.
- Lord Baltimore assigns his personal arms to the MarylandMarylandMaryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
colony in 1634 - they remain in use to this day. - Harvard CollegeHarvard CollegeHarvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
in Massachusetts assumes arms in 1643. - Rhode IslandRhode IslandThe state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
assumes official arms in 1661. - New York (city) assumes civic arms in 1686.
- The first English grant of arms to an American colonist: Francis Nicholson, of Maryland, in 1694.
- The College of William and MaryCollege of William and MaryThe College of William & Mary in Virginia is a public research university located in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States...
in Virginia obtains a grant of arms in 1694.
18th century
- Queen Anne establishes a Carolina Herald, and a local aristocracy of landgraves and cassiques, for the Carolina colony in 1705 - Lawrence Crump (at the College of Arms) is Carolina Herald but doesn't appear to have granted any arms.
- ConnecticutConnecticutConnecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
assumes official arms in 1711. - The first Scottish grant of arms: to Rhode Island governor Samuel Cranston, in 1724.
- Yale CollegeYale CollegeYale College was the official name of Yale University from 1718 to 1887. The name now refers to the undergraduate part of the university. Each undergraduate student is assigned to one of 12 residential colleges.-Residential colleges:...
in Connecticut assumes arms in 1736. - Princeton UniversityPrinceton UniversityPrinceton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
in New Jersey assumes arms in 1746. - The thirteen British colonies declare independence, as the United States of America, in 1776 - at least 35 of the signatories of the Declaration of Independence, including John Hancock and Benjamin Franklin, are armigerous.
- Five states assume official arms during or shortly after the War of Independence: New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
in 1776, DelawareDelawareDelaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
and New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1777, and MassachusettsMassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
in 1780. - The US Congress assumes official arms in 1782.
- Congress president George WashingtonGeorge WashingtonGeorge Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
states in 1788 that heraldry is not "unfriendly to the purest spirit of republicanism". - The US Treasury assumes official arms c1789.
- President Thomas JeffersonThomas JeffersonThomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
bears a coat of arms.
19th century
- President John AdamsJohn AdamsJohn Adams was an American lawyer, statesman, diplomat and political theorist. A leading champion of independence in 1776, he was the second President of the United States...
bears a coat of arms. - MaineMaineMaine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
assumes state arms in 1820; VermontVermontVermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
does so in 1821; MissouriMissouriMissouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
in 1822; and MichiganMichiganMichigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
in 1836. - The Mexican province of Texas, which has a large American settler population, becomes a republic 1836 - it later assumes official arms depicting a 'lone star'.
- WisconsinWisconsinWisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
assumes state arms c1848. - Philadelphia assumes civic arms in 1874.
- ColoradoColoradoColorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
assumes state arms in 1877. - President James A. Garfield bears arms.
- President Chester A. ArthurChester A. ArthurChester Alan Arthur was the 21st President of the United States . Becoming President after the assassination of President James A. Garfield, Arthur struggled to overcome suspicions of his beginnings as a politician from the New York City Republican machine, succeeding at that task by embracing...
bears arms. - Publications include Edgar de V. Vermont's America Heraldica in 1886; and Eugene Zieber's Heraldry in America in 1895.
- IdahoIdahoIdaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
assumes state arms in 1891. - The USA annexes the Pacific island state of HawaiiHawaiiHawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
in 1898 - it retains its existing official arms, dating from c1845. - The USA takes over the former Spanish colony of Puerto RicoPuerto RicoPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
in 1898 - it already has official arms, dating from 1511. - The Army assigns arms to the US Military Academy at West Point in 1898.
20th century
- President Theodore RooseveltTheodore RooseveltTheodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
bears ancestral Dutch arms - they are also borne by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. - Publications include William A. Crozier's Crozier's General Armory in 1904 and John Matthews' A Complete American Armory in 1905.
- Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
assumes civic arms in 1905. - The US Army establishes a heraldry office and a system of unit coats of arms in 1919.
- An early example of an English honorary grant of arms to a US citizen descended from a pre-1783 colonist: Alain C. White, in 1920.
- The 51st Artillery Regiment is the first army unit to adopt a coat of arms, in 1922.
- President Calvin CoolidgeCalvin CoolidgeJohn Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...
has a coat of arms. - Publications include Charles K. Bolton's Bolton's American Armory in 1927; the first volume of the New England Historic Genealogical Society's A Roll of Arms in 1928; and Eugene Spofford's Armorial Families of America in 1939.
- Rhode IslandRhode IslandThe state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
has civic arms devised for all its towns in the 1920s. - AlabamaAlabamaAlabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
assumes state arms in 1939. - The Federal Bureau of InvestigationFederal Bureau of InvestigationThe Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
assumes arms in 1940. - The US Army Air Force establishes a system of unit emblems and coats of arms in 1945 - when it becomes the US Air Force in 1947, President Truman assigns it official arms.
- President Truman assigns official arms to the Central Intelligence AgencyCentral Intelligence AgencyThe Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
in 1950. - Film star Douglas Fairbranks Junior obtains an English grant of arms in 1951.
- President Dwight D. EisenhowerDwight D. EisenhowerDwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
assumes arms in 1955. - North DakotaNorth DakotaNorth Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
assumes state arms in 1957. - The Army's heraldry section is reorganised as The Institute of Heraldry in 1960.
- The Irish government presents President John F. KennedyJohn F. KennedyJohn Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
with a coat of arms 1961. - A private American College of Heraldry & Arms is established in 1966 - it closes in 1970.
- The ACH&A devises arms for Presidents Lyndon B. JohnsonLyndon B. JohnsonLyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
in 1968, and Richard M. Nixon in 1970. - A new, private, American College of Heraldry is established in 1972.
- John Brooke-LittleJohn Brooke-LittleJohn Philip Rudolph Dominic Derek Aloysius Mary Brooke-Little, CVO, KStJ, FSA, FSG, FHS, FHG , FRHSC , FHSNZ, KM, GCGCO was an influential and popular British writer on heraldic subjects and a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London...
, Richmond HeraldRichmond HeraldRichmond Herald of Arms in Ordinary is an officer of arms of the College of Arms in England. From 1421 to 1485 Richmond was a herald to John, Duke of Bedford, George, Duke of Clarence, and Henry, Earl of Richmond, all of whom held the Honour of Richmond...
, presents a coat of arms to Hampden-Sydney CollegeHampden-Sydney CollegeHampden–Sydney College is a liberal arts college for men located in Hampden Sydney, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1775, Hampden–Sydney is the oldest private charter college in the Southern U.S., the last college founded before the American Revolution, and one of only three four-year,...
on October 19, 1976. - VirginiaVirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
assumes state arms devised by the English College of Arms in 1976. - President Ronald W. Reagan bears self-assumed arms, registered in Spain and Switzerland.
- The College of Arms Foundation is established in 1984, to make donations to the College of Arms in England.
- The Mescalero Apache Tribe obtains a devisal of arms from the English College of Arms in 1986.
- The Irish government presents President Bill ClintonBill ClintonWilliam Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
with a coat of arms in 1995.
21st century
- The Society of Scottish Armigers is founded in 2001 - it obtains a grant of arms from Lord Lyon in 2004.
- The American Heraldry Society is founded in 2003 - it launches a journal, The American Herald, in 2006.