Seal of the President of the United States
The '
Seal of the
president of the United States' is the official arms of the U.S. presidency and is based on the
Great Seal of the United States.
The first U.S. president to use a presidential seal was
Rutherford B. Hayes; in
1880, Hayes used the seal for
White House invitations and on the president's standard (flag) on a field of blue with four gold stars in the corners.
Woodrow Wilson was the first president to apply the presidential seal to a
state china service instead of using the
great seal.
Harry S. Truman had the seal redesigned on
October 26,
1945, adding the circle of stars and re-orienting the
eagle towards its own right, making the seal consistent with long-established
heraldic custom. The fact that it was now facing the
olive branch, thus symbolizing that the
United States favors peace, was given as an explanation for the change.
[1]
Common usage
The seal is most often seen:
★ on the lectern at presidential press conferences (the words "SEAL
OF THE PRESIDENT
OF THE UNITED STATES" sometimes encircle the "eagle-within-stars" design)
★ on
White House documents, however the words "SEAL
OF THE PRESIDENT
OF THE UNITED STATES" are not used
★ on the sides of presidential transports ''
Air Force One'', ''
Marine One'', and the
presidential limousine.
★ at the center of the iconic and symbolic oval rug in the
Oval Office of the White House, however the words "SEAL
OF THE PRESIDENT
OF THE UNITED STATES" are not used
★ at the center of the ceiling in the Oval Office of the White House
★ on the presidential flag, however the words "SEAL
OF THE PRESIDENT
OF THE UNITED STATES" are not used
★ etched in gold onto presidential china, such as the Reagan china, which is often used at state dinners at the White House
★ on packets of
M&M's handed out to guests at the White House on some occasions
★ on the reverse of the Kennedy
half-dollar coin, however the words "SEAL
OF THE PRESIDENT
OF THE UNITED STATES" are not used, but rather "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" on the top and "HALF DOLLAR" on the bottom
Additional stars have been added to the seal as other states have joined the Union. The last additional star, the 50th, was added with the admission of
Hawaii in
1959.
Unofficial use
Although unofficial use of the seal does not have to be authorized, its usage can garner a request by
White House lawyers to discontinue its use. On
September 28,
2005, Grant M. Dixton, associate counsel to
George W. Bush, requested that the satirical newspaper ''
The Onion'' remove the presidential seal from its website.
[2][3]
Use in popular culture
The seal is sometimes used in modified form as a marketing tool, or to make a political statement. The punk rock group the
Ramones used the seal as their logo, replacing the arrows with a baseball bat.
Blink 182 and other bands have also used the logo on T-shirts. Some fashion brands (mainly for teenagers) have also used the logo as an added design for accessories like bags. In addition, the animated menu sequence on all
DVDs of ''
The West Wing'' contains a slightly altered version of the seal. In the backing video for
Skinny Puppy's "VX Gas Attack," featured on the
Greater Wrong of the Right LIVE DVD, another altered version of the seal is shown (the olive and arrows replaced with bleeding gas nozzles, and the eagle replaced with a skull). It is also used by rap group
The Diplomats as their trademark logo, except that the olive branch and arrows are usually replaced by two guns and the word "Diplomats" is across the center of the eagle.
Use in retail sales
The seal of the president has also been used for some retail purposes. In general, commercial use of the seal is prohibited by Section 18 USC 713
[4] of the
United States Code, however the US
Secret Service is authorized to use the seal in conjunction to fund raising sales for its charitable benefit fund. Currently the ''1600 for Men'' line of toiletries bears a modified version of the seal (modified in that: the words "THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES" instead of "SEAL OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES" ring the stars, eagle, and shield; dark blue pervades as the base color throughout; and the eagle's feathers are sliver) and includes items such as antibacterial wash, shaving cream, aftershave and soap.
Misconceptions
Many people erroneously believe that the seal is changed during times of war, so that the eagle faces the arrows in its left talon. This belief may have arisen because major changes to the seal have coincidentally been made before or after wars.
[5] This misconception could also have arisen through the comments of
Winston Churchill who, jokingly, criticized Truman's redesign of the seal stating that "Mr. President, with the greatest respect, I would prefer the American eagle's neck to be on a swivel so that it could face the olive branches or the arrows, as the occasion might demand".
References
1. George Elsey's 'Unplanned Life'
2. Protecting the Presidential Seal. No Joke. Katharine Q. Seelye (TimesSelection subscription required)
3. White House to Onion: Stop using seal (Archived by Archive.org)
4. U.S. House of Representatives, 18 USC Sec. 713. Use of likenesses of the great seal of the United States,....
5. Snopes.com (2006). A Turn of the Head. Retrieved May 18, 2006.
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