 | |
| The Bluegrass State | |
| Use | Civil and state flag    |
|---|---|
| Proportion | 10:19 |
| Adopted | March 26, 1918 (standardized June 14, 1962) |
| Design | A state seal with gold outer line circle on a field of azure. |
| Designed by | Jesse Cox Burgess |
The flag of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, a U.S. state, was adopted on March 26, 1918. In June 1962, it was slightly redesigned.
An early state flag design was first mentioned in 1883. The design was given to the Adjutant General's Department. It was described as: "It will bear the coat-of-arms of the state, the figures being correct portraits of Daniel Boone and Dick Tateboon companions of the early day." [1]
The second state flag was designed by Jesse Cox Burgess, an art teacher in Frankfort, the state capital of Kentucky. It was adopted by the Kentucky General Assembly on March 26, 1918. [2] In June 1962, the flag was standardized. [3] [4]
Kentucky state flag from 1917
The original flag of the state of Kentucky as adopted in 1918, before its June 1962 revision.
Old Kentucky state flag from the 1940s, featuring solid-colored men on the seal.
Old Kentucky state flag from the 1960s, featuring solid-colored men on the seal.
Another state flag from the 1960sThe flag consists of the Commonwealth's seal on a navy blue field, surrounded by the words "Commonwealth of Kentucky" above and sprigs of goldenrod, the state flower, below. [5]
The seal depicts a pioneer and a statesman embracing. Popular belief claims that the buckskin-clad man on the left is Daniel Boone, who was largely responsible for the exploration of Kentucky, and the man in the suit on the right is Henry Clay, Kentucky's most famous statesman. However, the official explanation is that the men represent all frontiersmen and statesmen, rather than any specific persons. [6]
In 2001, the North American Vexillological Association surveyed its members on the designs of the 72 Canadian provincial, U.S. state, and U.S. territorial flags; Kentucky's flag was ranked 66th. [7]
In 2000, the General Assembly adopted the following pledge of allegiance to the flag of Kentucky:
I pledge allegiance to the Kentucky flag, and to the Sovereign State for which it stands, one Commonwealth, blessed with diversity, natural wealth, beauty, and grace from on High." [8]
Amended 1962 Ky. Acts ch. 114, secs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, effective June 14, 1962.
