Flag of Wisconsin
The flag of the U.S. state of Wisconsin was first adopted in 1863, and was modified in 1979. It is a blue flag charged with the state coat of arms of Wisconsin.
Statute
The 2024 Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations, Chapter 1, § 1.08, defines the flag as follows:Design of the coat of arms
The Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations § 1.07 defines the state Coat of Arms as:Design and symbolism
Similar to several other U.S. state flags, the Wisconsin state flag features a blue field with the state coat of arms in the center. The year of admission, 1848, is written in white letters below the coat of arms, and a badger, the state animal, along with the state motto "Forward" sits above. The shield contains a plow representing farming, a crossed pick and shovel for mining, an arm holding a hammer for manufacturing, and an anchor for navigation, with the United States coat of arms at its center. The shield is supported by a sailor and a yeoman, representing labor on water and land, and rests atop a cornucopia and a pyramid of pig lead, symbolizing abundance and mineral wealth.The North American Vexillological Association conducted a survey in 2001 that ranked Wisconsin's flag as one of the worst in design. Amongst the 72 U.S. state, U.S. territorial and Canadian provincial flags, Wisconsin's ranked 65th.
History
The flag of Wisconsin was adopted in 1863, through Joint Resolution 4, following requests from Civil War regiments for battlefield use. The legislature formed a committee to choose the specifications for the flag, which was the state coat of arms centered on a field of dark blue. This design was similar to the ones in use by regiments.By 1869 a new state flag was made for the senate chamber in Madison. It was described similarly to the 1863 flag, but with the United States coat of arms on the back.
On August 3, 1886 in San Francisco a veterans parade was being held. A group of veterans from Wisconsin carried a state flag describes as: "...banner of crimson, and blue velvet, surcharged with the State arms..."
In 1913, it was formally added to the Wisconsin Statues, which specified the design of the state flag.
In 1941, Carl R. Eklund reported that he raised the state flag over Antarctica, at the behest of Wisconsin Governor Julius P. Heil, about 500 miles north of the South Pole and 620 miles into a previously unexplored area. In 1958, Eklund flew another flag over Antarctica which he presented for display in a state museum.
In 1953, state assemblyman William N. Belter of Wautoma criticized the flag as too costly because of the details.
Astronaut James Lovell, who grew up in Milwaukee, carried Wisconsin flags with him on at least two of his space flights; one aboard Gemini 7 in 1965 and another on Apollo 13. The Gemini 7 flag was presented to Governor Warren Knowles in a ceremony at the state capitol the following year, and the Apollo 13 flag was sold at auction in 2021.
In 1973, when the state senate was attempting to add the word Wisconsin to the flag, it was criticized as already too cluttered.
In 1975, some state flags were being sold that improperly had the state seal on them instead of the state coat of arms. Wisconsin Secretary of State Douglas J. La Follette noted that the correct state flag did not have the banner of thirteen stars at the bottom.
In order to distinguish it from the many other blue U.S. state flags, Wisconsin's flag was modified in 1979 to add "Wisconsin" and "1848", the year Wisconsin was admitted to the Union. The legislation specified that the new design was to take effect on May 1, 1981, and all Wisconsin state flags manufactured after that date were required to use the modified design.