Seal of Texas Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Official seal of Texas

Versions
Reverse

Armiger	State of Texas
Adopted	1845
Motto	Remember the Alamo Texas One and Indivisible
Use	Obverse: All Government purposes Reverse: Texas Legislative Medal of Honor [1]

National Coat of Arms of Texas (1839-1845)

Versions
State Coat of Arms of Texas (1992)
Texas state historical coat of arms (illustrated, 1876)

Armiger	State of Texas
Adopted	1845 (1839)

The Seal of the State of Texas is an important symbol for the state. It was officially chosen in 1845. This seal was based on an older one from the Republic of Texas, which was created in 1839.

What the Texas Seal Looks Like
- The Front Side of the Seal
- The Back Side of the Seal
How the Texas Seal Changed Over Time
- The 1956 Martinez Artwork
- Other Texas Government Seals
County Seals in Texas
See also

What the Texas Seal Looks Like

The official design of the seal was created in 1992 by Juan Vega. It was approved by Secretary of State John Hannah, Jr. The seal has two sides, a front (obverse) and a back (reverse), each with its own special design.

The Front Side of the Seal

The Texas Constitution describes what the front of the seal should look like. It says there must be a five-pointed star. This star is surrounded by branches of olive and live oak trees. Around all of this, the words "the State of Texas" are written. The design is quite similar to the national symbol of Paraguay.

The Back Side of the Seal

The back of the seal was added in 1961 and has a more detailed picture. It looks a bit like other national symbols you might see in Latin America. The law that created it in 1961 was unusual because it only showed a picture of the design, without describing it in words. It wasn't until 1991 that the design was officially written down.

Here's what the back of the seal shows:

A shield is in the middle.
The bottom left of the shield shows a cannon from the Battle of Gonzales.
The bottom right shows Vince's Bridge.
The top half of the shield shows the Alamo.
The shield is circled by live oak and olive branches.
Around the shield are the unfurled flags of six nations. These are the Kingdom of France, the Kingdom of Spain, the United Mexican States, the Republic of Texas, the Confederate States of America, and the United States of America. These are known as the "six flags over Texas".
Above the shield, you can read the motto, "REMEMBER THE ALAMO".
Below the shield, it says, "TEXAS ONE AND INDIVISIBLE".
A white five-pointed star is centered above the whole shield, between the flags.

The original 1961 design showed a different Confederate flag. But the 1991 law changed it to the first Confederate flag, called the "Stars and Bars".

How the Texas Seal Changed Over Time

The seal of Texas has been updated five times since Texas became independent from Mexico in 1836. The very first Great Seal of the Republic was created in 1836. It had a single star and the words "Republic of Texas" in a circle.

When Texas hoped to join the United States quickly, but it didn't happen right away, the seal was changed in 1839. The new design included a white five-pointed star on a blue background, surrounded by olive and live oak branches. This became the national symbol.

In 1845, when Texas joined the United States, the new state constitution kept this seal. The only change was replacing "Republic" with "State." The background behind the star was also removed. It wasn't until 1992 that the seal's design was made very specific. This helped fix small mistakes and extra symbols that had appeared on many seals over the years. Even so, as of 2017, some state offices still use older versions of the seal. These older versions might show post oak leaves instead of the correct live oak leaves.

The 1956 Martinez Artwork

In 1946, the United States Air Force wanted state national guard planes to have special symbols. Texas decided to use the state seal. A student named Octavio A. Martinez created a detailed watercolor painting of the seal in 1956. This painting was very accurate to the constitution's description. It left out mistakes that had been added over time, like extra stars or the wrong type of oak leaves. Sadly, the original Martinez painting has been lost.

First Great Seal of the Republic, 1836-1839
Second Great Seal of the Republic, 1839-1845
Seal of the State of Texas (1879)
Seal of the State of Texas (1909)
Unstandardized version with post oak leaves instead of live oak leaves.

Other Texas Government Seals

Many different parts of the Texas government also have their own seals. These include seals for the Governor and Lieutenant Governor. All of these seals are based on the main state seal of Texas.

Seal of the Governor of Texas
Seal of the Lieutenant Governor of Texas
Seal of the Senate of Texas
Seal of the Texas House of Representatives
Seal of the Texas Attorney General
Seal of the Texas Secretary of State

County Seals in Texas

Texas counties are not required to have their own official seals by state law. However, laws do provide seals for county offices like the Commissioners' Court and the County Clerk. Before 1975, the Commissioners' Court seal was a simple five-pointed star with the county name. Now, a Commissioners' Court can choose its own seal design. This design must be approved by the Texas Secretary of State.

Most counties have a seal or symbol they use unofficially. Many of these symbols feature the lone star and the live oak/olive branches, just like the state seal. Some counties keep "The State of Texas" at the top and add their county name below. Others replace "The State of Texas" with their county name and sometimes add the year the county was formed.

Some counties have unique designs. For example, Harris County uses a symbol with the flag of Texas in the center. Collin County uses a Texas Flag shaped like the letter "C."