WISCONSIN STATE SYMBOLS


959


      (d) The word "WISCONSIN" in white, capital, condensed Gothic
letters, one-
    eighth of the hoist in height, centered above the coat of arms, midway
between the
    uppermost part of the coat of arms and the top edge of the flag.
      (e) The year "1848" in white, condensed Gothic numbers, one-eighth
of the hoist in
    height, centered below the coat of arms, midway between the lowermost
part of the
    coat of arms and the bottom edge of the flag.
      (f) Optional trim on the edges consisting of yellow knotted fringe.
      (2) The department of administration shall ensure that all official
state flags that are
    manufactured on or after May 1, 1981 conform to the requirements of this
section.
    State flags manufactured before May 1, 1981 may continue to be used as
state flags."
  Coat of arms. The coat of arms, now provided in statute Section 1.07, is
an integral part of the
state seal and also appears on the state flag. Its history parallels that
of the seal.
  On the coat of arms is a sailor with a coil of rope and a "yeoman"'-
usually considered a
miner - with a pick, representing labor by water and land. They are supporting
a quartered
shield with symbols representing agriculture (plow), mining (pick and shovel),
manufacturing
(arm and hammer), and navigation (anchor). Centered on the shield is a small
U.S. coat of arms
and motto ("E Pluribus Unum" or "One out of many") symbolizing
Wisconsin's loyalty to the
Union. At the base, a cornucopia, or horn of plenty, stands for prosperity
and abundance, while
a pyramid of lead ingots represents mineral wealth. Centered over the shield
at the crest is a
badger, the state animal, and on a banner above, the state motto, "Forward".
     "1.07 State coat of arms. The coat of arms of the state of Wisconsin
is declared to be as
     follows:
        ARMS. - Or, quartered, the quarters bearing respectively a plow,
a crossed shovel
     and pick, an arm and held hammer, and an anchor, all proper; the base
of shield resting
     upon a horn of plenty and pyramid of pig lead, all proper; over all
on fesse point, the
     arms and motto of the United States, namely: Arms, palewise of 13 pieces
argent and
     gules; a chief azure; motto (on garter surrounding inescutcheon), 'E
pluribus unum'.
         CREST. - A badger, passant, proper.
         SUPPORTERS. - Dexter, a sailor holding a coil of rope, proper; sinister,
a yeoman
     resting on a pick proper.
         Morro. - Over crest, 'Forward'."
   Motto: "Forward". The motto, "Forward", which is part
of the coat of arms, is provided in
 statute Section 1.07 (see above). It was introduced in the 1851 revision
of the state seal and coat
 of arms. Governor Nelson Dewey had asked the chancellor of the university,
John H. Lathrop,
 to design a new seal. It is alleged that during a chance meeting on a trip
to New York City the
 Governor and the subsequent Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court,
Edward Ryan,
 evolved a new seal from the Lathrop design. Ryan objected to the proposed
Latin motto. As an
 alternative, they first thought of "Excelsior", which suggested
the words "Forward", "Upward"
 and "Onward"; "Forward" was chosen.
   Seal. Section 4, Article XIII, of the Wisconsin Constitution requires
the legislature to provide
 a "great seal", to be kept by the Secretary of State and used
to authenticate all official acts of the
 Governor except laws. The seal consists of the coat of arms with the words
"Great Seal of the
 State of Wisconsin" centered above and a curved line of 13 stars below,
with an ornamental
 border. A modified "lesser seal" is provided as the seal of the
Secretary of State to be used to
 authenticate documents.
   The history of the seal is inextricably entwined with that of the coat
of arms. An official seal
 was created in 1836, when Wisconsin became a territory, and was revised
ir 1839. When Wiscon-
 sin achieved statehood in 1848, a new seal was prepared. This seal was chariged
in 1851 because,
 it is said, Governor Nelson Dewey did not like it. In 1881, Chapter 280
for th first time precisely
 described the great seal (and coat of arms), language that ultimately became
Sections 1.07 and
 14.45 of the statutes.
       "14.45 Great and lesser seals. (1) The state shall have a great
seal and a lesser seal
     both of which shall be kept in the office of the secretary of state.