The Great Seal of the State of Wisconsin is a seal used by the secretary of state to authenticate all the governor’s official acts, except laws. It consists of the state

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

, with the words "Great Seal of the State of Wisconsin" above it and 13 stars, representing the original states, below it. * Top: ** ''Forward'', the state motto ** A

badger Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the family Mustelidae (which also includes the otters, wolverines, martens, minks, polecats, weasels, and ferrets). Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united by ...

, the state animal ** *Center: ** **Top left: A plow, representing agriculture and farming **Top right: A pick and shovel, representing mining **Bottom left: An arm-and-hammer, representing manufacturing **Bottom right: An anchor, representing navigation **Center: The U.S. coat of arms, including the motto ''

E pluribus unum ''E pluribus unum'' ( , , ) – Latin for "Out of many, one" (also translated as "One out of many" or "One from many") – is a traditional motto of the United States, appearing on the Great Seal along with '' Annuit cœptis'' (Latin for "he ...

'' ** The shield is supported by a

sailor A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. The profession of the s ...

and a

yeoman Yeoman is a noun originally referring either to one who owns and cultivates land or to the middle ranks of servants in an English royal or noble household. The term was first documented in mid-14th-century England. The 14th century also witn ...

, representing labor on water and land *Bottom: ** A

cornucopia In classical antiquity, the cornucopia (), from Latin ''cornu'' (horn) and ''copia'' (abundance), also called the horn of plenty, was a symbol of abundance and nourishment, commonly a large horn-shaped container overflowing with produce, flowers ...

, representing prosperity and abundance ** 13

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...

ingot An ingot is a piece of relatively pure material, usually metal, that is cast into a shape suitable for further processing. In steelmaking, it is the first step among semi-finished casting products. Ingots usually require a second procedure of sha ...

s, representing mineral wealth and the 13 original United States The state seal emphasizes

mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic ...

and

shipping Freight transport, also referred as ''Freight Forwarding'', is the physical process of transporting commodities and merchandise goods and cargo. The term shipping originally referred to transport by sea but in American English, it has been ...

because at the time of Wisconsin's founding in 1848 the mining of lead and iron and shipping (via the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lak ...

and the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

) were major industries. The Secretary of State of Wisconsin is the keeper of

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

's great seal. The seal is displayed in all courtrooms in the state, often alongside the county seal.

Government seals of Wisconsin

File:Privy Seal of Wisconsin.svg, Executive Privy Seal of Wisconsin File:Seal of the Wisconsin Department of Corrections.svg, Seal of the

Wisconsin Department of Corrections The Wisconsin Department of Corrections (WIDOC) is an administrative department in the executive branch of the state of Wisconsin responsible for corrections in Wisconsin, including state prisons and community supervision. The secretary is a cab ...

File:Seal of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.svg, Seal of the

Wisconsin Department of Transportation The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of Wisconsin responsible for planning, building and maintaining the state's highways. It is also responsible for planning transportation in the state ...

File:Seal of the Supreme Court of Wisconsin.svg, Seal of the Wisconsin Supreme Court

Gallery

File:Milwaukee City Council chamber seal of Wisconsin.jpg, Decorative glass pane in Milwaukee City Hall, containing the seal

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Seal Of Wisconsin

Symbols of Wisconsin

Government seals of Wisconsin

Gallery

See also

References