The flag of Washington consists of the state seal, displaying an image of its namesake

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

, on a field of dark green with gold

fringe Fringe may refer to: Arts * Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world's largest arts festival, known as "the Fringe" * Adelaide Fringe, the world's second-largest annual arts festival * Fringe theatre, a name for alternative theatre * The Fringe, the ...

being optional. It is the only U.S. state flag with a field of green as well as the only state flag with the image of an

American president The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

. The secretary of state regulates

flag protocol A flag protocol defines the proper placement, handling, use, and disposal of flags. Some countries have added certain protocols into their legal system while others prefer to have "guidelines" without civil or criminal consequences attached. G ...

related to the state flag, as well approving replica flags for commercial sale and other standards related to the flag. The flag was officially adopted on March 5, 1923, and has been a symbol of

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

ever since. Washington had achieved statehood in 1889, but did not have an official flag at the time. The Washington chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution designed the flag in 1915 and campaigned for its adoption by the Washington State Legislature in the early 1920s. The state flag has undergone minor revisions since its adoption, including the use of standardized colors in 1955 and a modernized seal in 1967.

History

Flag of the State of Washington (1923–1967)

Washington adopted its

seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to imp ...

during the state constitutional convention on August 21, 1889, months prior to official

admission Admission may refer to: Arts and media * "Admissions" (''CSI: NY''), an episode of ''CSI: NY'' * ''Admissions'' (film), a 2011 short film starring James Cromwell * ''Admission'' (film), a 2013 comedy film * ''Admission'', a 2019 album by Florida s ...

as a

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

on November 11, 1889. While the new state did not have an official flag, a military flag displaying a gold profile of

, the state's namesake, on blue bunting was used across the state at the turn of the 20th century and was first carried by the Washington Volunteer Infantry during the Philippine–American War in 1899. Another popular design was a purple or green flag bearing the state seal in gold. In 1913, representative William J. Hughes of

Whatcom County Whatcom County is a county located in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Washington, bordered by the Canadian Lower Mainland (the Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley Regional Districts of British Columbia) to the north, Okanogan ...

proposed the formation of a commission to adopt the state flag, consisting of the

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

, secretary of state, and

adjutant general An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer. France In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...

. Governor

Ernest Lister Ernest Lister (June 15, 1870June 14, 1919) was an American politician who served as the eighth governor of Washington from 1913 to 1919. Biography Born in Halifax, England, Lister immigrated with his family in 1884, to be near his uncle, who w ...

became a supporter of the idea, issuing a call for designs from the state's citizens and city organizations. The campaign for a state flag, however, was opposed by patriotic groups like the

Sons of the American Revolution The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR or NSSAR) is an American congressionally chartered organization, founded in 1889 and headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. A non-profit corporation, it has described its purpose ...

and Sons of Veterans, finding the use of a state flag to be detrimental to the national flag. Hughes' bill was passed 69–20 in the state

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

, but did not make it to the floor in the state senate. The Washington chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) began a campaign to adopt an official state flag during the

Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition The Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition, acronym AYP or AYPE, was a world's fair held in Seattle in 1909 publicizing the development of the Pacific Northwest. It was originally planned for 1907 to mark the 10th anniversary of the Klondike Gold R ...

of 1909, a

world's fair A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition or an expo, is a large international exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specif ...

hosted in Seattle. In 1914, the national DAR requested that the Washington chapter send a state flag to be displayed in the DAR

Memorial Continental Hall The Memorial Continental Hall in Washington, D.C. is the national headquarters of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). It is located at 1776 D Street NW, sharing a city block with the DAR's later-built Administration Building, and Con ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Upon discovering that the state lacked a suitable flag, the DAR formed a design committee, led by Emma Chadwick (wife of

Washington Supreme Court The Washington Supreme Court is the highest court in the judiciary of the U.S. state of Washington. The court is composed of a chief justice and eight associate justices. Members of the court are elected to six-year terms. Justices must retir ...

justice Stephen J. Chadwick), to design a state flag. The DAR's flag, adopted in 1915, consisted of a green background with the state seal in the center. The flag was manufactured in Washington, D.C., at a cost of $48 (), and displayed by the national DAR until 1916. The flag was returned to the Washington chapter for their April 1916 general meeting in Everett, where DAR State Regent Elizabeth Bowden called on the chapter to ask the legislature to accept the flag as an official state symbol. A 1917 issue of ''

National Geographic Magazine ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...

'' on U.S. state flags featured an unofficial flag of Washington similar to the DAR's design, a green background and the state seal in gold, sourced from "military authorities". Another major flag proposal merged in 1920 from the short-lived Washington State Nautical School, where secretary-treasurer Grover C. Gaier designed a green flag with the state seal and fringe in gold. The flag would fly aboard the , representing the state nautical school during a voyage along the West Coast and to

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

. The DAR renewed its lobbying for a state flag in 1922, having gained the approval of the Sons of the American Revolution and other civic organizations. A bill adopting the state flag was introduced in the 1923 legislative session and passed unanimously in the Senate by February, and the House of Representatives on March 5, 1923. The governor's approval was not required and the bill became law, formally adopting the state flag. The law took effect on June 7, 1923, and an unofficial flag was unfurled on Flag Day by the DAR. At the time of its adoption, Washington was one of four states lacking an official state flag. The first official state flag, manufactured by Willis Bloom of the secretary of state's office, was unveiled on July 23, 1924. The new flag was celebrated with a "State Flag Waltz" performed at the Inaugural Ball on January 15, 1925, following the inauguration of Governor Roland H. Hartley. During the 1925–26 session, the state legislature approved a change to the state flag that replaced the green fringe with a gold to match the state seal. The gold-fringed flag made its official debut on June 27, 1927, flying on the official automobile of the governor during a tour of Fort Lewis. In 1929, the DAR presented a state flag to Governor Hartley, who received it on behalf of the state for display in the

Washington State Capitol The Washington State Capitol or ''Legislative Building'' in Olympia is the home of the government of the state of Washington. It contains chambers for the Washington State Legislature and offices for the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary ...

. The Washington Secretary of State issued standardized colors for the state flag in 1955, including the modern colors used in the state seal. The state seal itself was redesigned by Dick Nelms at the request of the secretary of state in 1967, using Gilbert Stuart's famous portrait painting of George Washington. The new state seal was approved by the state legislature in April 1967, placing it on the updated state flag with immediate effect. In 2001, the

North American Vexillological Association The North American Vexillological Association (NAVA) is a membership organization devoted to vexillology, the scientific and scholarly study of flags. It was founded in 1967 by American vexillologist Whitney Smith (1940–2016), and others. It ...

surveyed its members and other flag enthusiasts on the designs of the 72 U.S. state, U.S. territorial, and Canadian provincial flags. Members ranked the Washington state flag 47th out of the 72 flags surveyed, with a score of 4.53 points out of 10. Washington's flag was criticized for its complicated seal, use of lettering, and similarities to other U.S. state flags that used seals on solid colors.

Design

The flag of Washington consists of a dark green

field Field may refer to: Expanses of open ground * Field (agriculture), an area of land used for agricultural purposes * Airfield, an aerodrome that lacks the infrastructure of an airport * Battlefield * Lawn, an area of mowed grass * Meadow, a grass ...

with the

seal of Washington The Seal of the State of Washington contains a portrait of George Washington, the first President of the United States, as painted by Gilbert Stuart. The outer ring contains the text "The Seal of the State of Washington" and "1889", the year Wa ...

, a portrait of

inside a ring with the words "The Seal of the State of Washington 1889", in the center. The flag may also have an optional gold

. It is the only U.S. state flag to feature a green background, as well as the only one to feature the likeness of an identifiable historic person. The flag has an aspect ratio of 1:1.6 (equivalent to 5:8), with the exception of two alternate flag sizes: and . The size of the seal is proportional to the length of the flag, with a ratio of 1:3 between the seal diameter and length of the flag. On a flag, the seal has a diameter of . The flag's colors follow both the

Standard Color Reference of America The Standard Color Reference of America (and its supplement the U.S. Army Color Card) is a book of reference fabric swatches of different colors produced by The Color Association of the United States (CAUS), each color specified by “cable number� ...

, and the

Pantone Matching System Pantone LLC (stylized as PANTONE) is a limited liability company headquartered in Carlstadt, New Jersey. The company is best known for its Pantone Matching System (PMS), a proprietary color space used in a variety of industries, notably graphic ...

. According to Senator Guy B. Groff, sponsor of the 1923 bill that adopted the flag, the flag's green field represented the "verdant fields" of

Western Washington Western Washington is a region of the United States defined as the area of Washington state west of the Cascade Mountains. This region is home to the state's largest city, Seattle, the state capital, Olympia, and most of the state's residents. T ...

, while the gold seal represented the "

wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...

areas" of

Eastern Washington Eastern Washington is the region of the U.S. state of Washington located east of the Cascade Range. It contains the city of Spokane (the second largest city in the state), the Tri-Cities, the Columbia River and the Grand Coulee Dam, the Hanf ...

Usage and protocol

Washington State Capitol Legislative Building pano 02

The Washington Secretary of State regulates

as well as the distribution and sale of the state flag. Replica flags made for commercial sale are required to be approved by the secretary of state. The state seal on the flag must be stitched on both sides with the profile of George Washington facing the same direction, making the Washington state flag among the most expensive U.S. state flags to manufacture. When flown within the state of Washington, the state flag occupies the highest position of honor after the

U.S. flag The national flag of the United States of America, often referred to as the ''American flag'' or the ''U.S. flag'', consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the ca ...

and the flags of other sovereign nations. When flown alongside other U.S. state flags, the Washington state flag is placed 42nd, the order in which it ratified the

U.S. Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the nation ...

and became a state. A section of the ''

Revised Code of Washington The Revised Code of Washington (RCW) is the compilation of all permanent laws currently in force in the U.S. state of Washington. Temporary laws such as appropriations acts are excluded. It is published by the Washington State Statute Law Committ ...

'' also requires that the state flag and the U.S. flag "shall be prominently installed, displayed and maintained in schools, court rooms and state buildings." The state flag and U.S. flag are also required to be prominently displayed by code cities and displayed on certain holidays by all cities, towns, and counties. The lowering of the state and U.S. flags to

half-mast Half-mast or half-staff (American English) refers to a flag flying below the summit of a ship mast, a pole on land, or a pole on a building. In many countries this is seen as a symbol of respect, mourning, distress, or, in some cases, a salut ...

is left at the discretion of local entities, but may be ordered by the

Governor of Washington The governor of Washington is the head of government of Washington and commander-in-chief of the state's military forces.WA Const. art. III, § 2. The officeholder has a duty to enforce state laws,WA Const. art. III, § 5. the power to either a ...

during the observance of memorial days, as well as in the event of the death of prominent government officials, state employees, public safety servants in the line of duty, and members of the

United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is ...

from Washington.

References

External links

Washington Secretary of State - State Flag
!--https://web.archive.org/web/20000425070304/https://www.fotw.info/flags/us-wa.html--> {{Washington Symbols of Washington (state)

George Washington in art