Flag of Cleveland
The flag of Cleveland serves as the representative banner of the city of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Ohio's oldest city flag, it was designed by local art school graduate, Susan Hepburn. The flag was officially adopted as the municipal banner by Cleveland City Council on October 21, 1895, with the ordinance on the flag adopted on February 24, 1896.
Design and symbolism
Cleveland's municipal charter, adopted in 1913, describes the flag as follows:Both the colors and the use of the American shield represent patriotism. 1796 is the year in which Cleveland was founded by General Moses Cleaveland. The anvil, hammer, and wheel represent industry and manufacturing, while the anchor, windlass, and oars represent the city's status as a major port on the Great Lakes. The municipal motto, "Progress and Prosperity", refers to the rapid growth that Cleveland experienced in the period of the flag's adoption.
History
The idea for a Cleveland flag was first proposed by New York journalist Julian Ralph in an interview at the Hollenden Hotel with Plain Dealer reporter William Stokely Lloydon on April 24, 1895. Elaborating on the idea, Ralph stated:The proposal was positively received by both city leaders and the public, and it sparked a contest to design a new flag in advance of the city's centenary sponsored by The Plain Dealer. The selection committee was chaired by Ohio artist Archibald Willard, best known for the famous Spirit of '76. More than two dozen entries were submitted, including proposals with municipal seals featuring the Columbia-like goddess of liberty in classical Greek dress accompanied by Latin mottos.
The contest winner was Susan Hepburn, an 18-year-old art school graduate and a descendant of American settlers of the Connecticut Western Reserve. The selection committee praised her design for its "power and simplicity." Robert Beach, the Plain Dealer reporter who delivered the prize to Hepburn, later became her husband. Some Clevelanders opposed the adoption of any municipal flag, fearing that it would compete with the flag of the United States.
There was some confusion about what "official adoption" meant in practice, since at the time there was no legal precedent on the matter, and the only city in the United States to officially adopt the flag was Philadelphia. A Cleveland cigar manufacturer tried to take advantage of this uncertainty to quickly register the design as its own trademark.
On October 21, 1895, the flag was approved by Cleveland City Council. The city's flag committee later resolved to add a municipal motto to the design on October 25. Although the Latin motto "Major et Melior" was originally favored by city leaders, Mayor Robert McKisson instead advocated the English motto "Unity and Progress", which eventually became "Progress and Prosperity". Mayor McKisson announced that it would be added to the flag on November 13, 1895. An ordinance was put in place on the banner on February 24, 1896, the year in which Cleveland celebrated its centennial. The adoption of the Cleveland flag inspired Cincinnati to adopt a flag of its own.