Flag of Nebraska

State of Nebraska
UseCivil and state flag Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flagSmall vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flagReverse side is mirror image of obverse side
Proportion3:5
AdoptedApril 2, 1925 (banner design standardization)
July 16, 1963 (as official state flag)
DesignA state seal in gold on an azure field.
Designed byFlorence Hazen Miller[1][2]

The flag of the state of Nebraska is a blue rectangular cloth charged with a variation of the Nebraskan state seal. The current design was commissioned in 1925, when the Nebraska legislature passed a bill stating that the flag would consist of the state seal in gold and silver on a field of blue.

History

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An example of an unofficial state banner on a field of yellow; this design was sometimes used from 1917 until the blue background became official in 1925.

The seal that appears on the flag was designed in 1867. The seal appeared on unofficial state banners prior to 1925, sometimes on a field of yellow.[3]

Several unsuccessful attempts have been made to change the seal. One attempt was made by the architect of the Nebraska State Capitol, Bertram Goodhue.[3] The legislature rejected Goodhue's redesign in 1925, and ratified the existing state seal "on a field of national blue" as the state banner. The official design was first displayed at a 1926 New Year's Day celebration at the Nebraska State Capitol.[3]

The official designation of the design as the state flag (rather than a banner) occurred in 1963; Nebraska was one of the last states to adopt an official flag.[4]

The Nebraskan flag was rated in a survey by the North American Vexillological Association as the second-worst of 72 U.S. and Canadian flags.[5][6] The worst-ranked flag at the time, the flag of Georgia, has since been changed. In 2002, the Nebraska Legislature's Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee discussed a bill to create a commission for suggesting new designs to the Legislature.[7] The flag was not changed. In 2017, State Senator Burke Harr proposed a task force charged with redesigning the flag, citing the fact that the flag had flown upside down at the capitol for 10 days with no one noticing. Harr wished for the redesign to come through by the State's 150th anniversary.[8] The State Senate committee declined to take action.[9][10]

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Florence Hazen Miller, 1879-1964". Archived from the original on June 21, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. ^ "Flashback Friday: The Fight over Nebraska's State Seal and Flag". 29 October 2022.
  3. ^ a b c "State Flag". History Nebraska. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  4. ^ Nebraska Secretary of State, Flag Archived 2007-08-08 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Edward B. Kaye (10 June 2001). "2001 State/Provincial Flag Survey" (PDF). nava.org. North American Vexillological Association.
  6. ^ Edward B. Kaye (2001). ""Good Flag, Bad Flag, and the Great NAVA Flag Survey of 2001". Raven: A Journal of Vexillology. 8: 11–38. doi:10.5840/raven200182.
  7. ^ Sarah Fox (31 January 2002). "Senators debate designing a new Nebraska flag". Daily Nebraskan.
  8. ^ Nohr, Emily (31 January 2017). "Nebraska flag flew upside down at Capitol for 10 days and 'nobody noticed,' says senator who wants design change"". Omaha World-Herald.
  9. ^ Reid Wilson (1 February 2017). "Flag hangs upside down at Nebraska Capitol for 10 days". The Hill.
  10. ^ "Nebraska needs new flag after flying it upside down for 10 days, politician says". The Guardian. 1 February 2017.
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