Flag of the president of the United States facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids
Flag of the president of the United States

Current flag of the President of the United States (since 1960).
Use
Proportion	Varies with military and naval custom
Adopted	1945, 50-star version in 1960
Design	Dark blue background with the President's Coat of Arms in the center
Designed by	George Elsey, Arthur DuBois

The flag of the president of the United States is dark blue with the presidential coat of arms in the middle. This flag has looked like the presidential seal since 1945. Even though they look similar, the flag and the seal have their own separate histories.

You often see the flag when the president takes official photos. It is also flown next to a former president's casket during funerals. Sometimes, it flies on the president's motorcade (the group of cars that travel with the president). The flag is never flown at half-staff (lowered to show sadness) because there is always a president in office.

Early Presidential Flags
1882 Navy Flag
1898 Army Flag
1902 Flag: A New Design
1912 Army Color Update
1916 Flag: A Unified Design
Current Flag (Since 1945)
Gallery
See also

Early Presidential Flags

1817 proposed flag (not adopted)

Long ago, people thought about creating a special flag for the president. In 1817, a flag was suggested that would show the president's presence. It had four parts, like the British royal flag. This idea was not chosen.

Sometimes, special flags were used for the president on certain trips. For example, a "square, plain blue flag" was used for President Martin Van Buren in 1839 when he traveled by boat.

Some old books from the 1840s and 1850s show a flag they say was the U.S. president's flag. It looked like a version of the national coat of arms. However, official records from the Army Institute of Heraldry do not mention this flag.

The president is the Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy. Because of this, both military branches eventually created their own ways to honor the president, including special flags. Before that, the Navy used existing flags. For example, the union jack (the blue part of the national flag with stars) was sometimes used to show the commander-in-chief was present on a ship.

1882 Navy Flag

Navy presidential flags: the original 1882 version (top) and an updated version (below).

In 1882, President Chester Arthur noticed that many other countries had special flags for their leaders, but the U.S. president did not. He decided the president should have one. On August 9, 1882, the Navy ordered that the president's flag would be blue with the U.S. coat of arms in the center.

The first version of this flag showed an eagle with bent legs, similar to the Great Seal at that time. Instead of a crest, there was an arc of thirteen stars above the eagle. The eagle, arrows, and olive branch were all white.

President Arthur first used this flag in 1883. It was mostly used on boats, like the presidential yacht USS Dolphin. Later, around 1897, the flag's design was updated to match the official Great Seal, and it became full color. The Navy used this design until 1916.

1898 Army Flag

1898 Army presidential flag

In 1898, the Army realized it needed its own flag for the president, since the Navy already had one. The Navy's flag was too similar to the Army's infantry flag. So, a new design was needed.

Frederick D. Owen, an engineer, designed a flag that President William McKinley approved. It was officially announced on March 28, 1898. This order created both a presidential flag and a presidential "color" (a smaller, ceremonial flag).

The Army flag was scarlet (red). It had a large blue star in the middle with the Great Seal inside it. There were four white stars in the corners. Forty-five small white stars were scattered around the large central star, representing the 45 states. This flag was displayed in the White House during the Spanish–American War.

In 1908, when Oklahoma became the 46th state, a 46th star was added to the flag.

1902 Flag: A New Design

1902 presidential flag

By 1901, there were two different flags for the president (Army and Navy). Other countries found this confusing. President Theodore Roosevelt decided there should only be one official flag. He chose the Navy's version because it was older.

However, a *third* flag was introduced in May 1902. This flag also had the Great Seal on a blue background, like the Navy flag. But the eagle, scroll, and arrows were white with black outlines. The stars above the eagle were surrounded by rays, not clouds. This flag was supposedly for peacetime, while the other two flags were for wartime.

Pictures show this 1902 design was used, for example, on the presidential yacht Mayflower in 1912. However, the full-color Navy flag was also still used during this time, which added to the confusion.

The full-color Navy version as used in 1911.
The 1902 flag flying on the USS Mayflower in 1912.
A 1902-type flag being made in 1914.

1912 Army Color Update

1912 Army presidential color

In 1912, President William Taft created a Flag Board to discuss the upcoming 48-star flag. They suggested that only one presidential flag should exist. Taft then issued orders saying the president's flag should always have a blue background.

This meant the Navy flag stayed the same, but the Army's red flag had to change. So, in 1913, the Army's presidential color also became blue, and the star in the middle became scarlet (red). This flag was updated to have 48 stars.

1916 Flag: A Unified Design

1916 presidential flag

The flag being displayed in 1936

In 1915, President Woodrow Wilson saw both the presidential flag and the Army's presidential color displayed together. This led to talks about having just one flag.

An idea was to add four white stars to the corners of the Navy flag. This would make it different enough for the Army to use. Wilson liked the idea, but he wanted the eagle from the presidential seal (which faced left) on the flag instead of the Great Seal. He used a special print of the seal as a guide.

The print used for the 1916 flag design.

On May 29, 1916, President Wilson officially changed the flag design. The eagle was mostly white with black outlines, but its beak, legs, and feet were yellow. The arrows were white, and the olive branch was green. There were thirteen white clouds and gold rays. Four large stars were placed in each corner.

This new design was then used by both the Navy and the Army. Finally, there was just one official presidential flag, and it was used until 1945.

Current Flag (Since 1945)

1945 flag, with 48 stars.

The flag was changed again in 1945 by President Harry S. Truman. This change was actually started by President Franklin D. Roosevelt before he passed away. The new flag kept the same basic eagle design, but the eagle was changed to face its right (the direction of honor) towards the olive branch. Also, the eagle became full color. Instead of four stars, a circle of 48 stars was added around the eagle.

Truman issued an order on October 25, 1945, which made the coat of arms, flag, and seal all use this new design. The flag was first flown two days later. The only changes since then have been to add more stars for new states. President Dwight D. Eisenhower added a star for Alaska in 1959, and then a 50th star for Hawaii in 1960. The design has not changed since then.

The current flag is described in an official order. It says the flag is a dark blue rectangle with the President's Coat of Arms in the middle. The size of the flag and its parts can change to fit military and naval traditions.

The order also gives specific colors for the flag's parts:

Flag base—blue.

Stars, large and small—white.

Shield:
Chief—light blue.
Stripes—white and red.
Eagle:
Wings, body, upper legs—shades of brown.
Head, neck, tail—white, shaded gray.
Beak, feet, lower legs—yellow.
Talons—dark gray, white highlights.
Arrows—white, shaded gray.

Olive branch:
Leaves, stem—shades of green.
Olives—light green.
Rays—yellow.

Clouds—white, shaded gray.

Scroll—white with gray shadows.

Letters—black.

The design appears on both sides of the flag. The motto (words) on the scroll will read correctly from left to right on both sides.