Seal of Wisconsin

Great Seal of the State of Wisconsin
Versions
Coat of arms of Wisconsin[1]
Historical coat of arms (illustrated, 1876)
Wisconsin state seal (first type) depicted on the reverse of Series 1882BB National Bank Note (1851)
ArmigerState of Wisconsin
Adopted1848 (updated 1851 and 1881)[2][3]
MottoForward

The Great Seal of the State of Wisconsin is a seal used by the Wisconsin Secretary of State to authenticate all the governor's official acts, except laws. It consists of the state coat of arms, 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, 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
    • The shield is supported by a sailor and a yeoman, representing labor on water and land[1]
  • Bottom:
    • A cornucopia, representing prosperity and abundance
    • 13 lead ingots, representing mineral wealth and the 13 original United States[1]

The state seal emphasizes mining and shipping because at the time of Wisconsin's founding in 1848 the mining of lead and iron and shipping (via the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River) were major industries.

The Secretary of State of Wisconsin is the keeper of Wisconsin's great seal. The seal is displayed in all courtrooms in the state, often alongside the county seal.

  1. ^ a b c "Wisconsin State Symbols" in Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau (comp.). State of Wisconsin 2007-2008 Blue Book. Madison: Wisconsin Legislature Joint Committee on Legislative Organization, p. 962.
  2. ^ https://briancellar.com/main/stateseals.html [bare URL]
  3. ^ https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/misc/lrb/blue_book/2015_2016/975_symbols.pdf [bare URL PDF]