Seal of the President of the United States

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The Seal of the President of the United States is based on the Great Seal of the United States.

The first U.S. President to use a presidential seal was Rutherford B. Hayes; in 1880, Hayes used the seal for White House invitations. Harry S. Truman had the seal redesigned on October 26, 1945, adding the circle of stars and re-orienting the eagle towards its own right, making the seal consistent with long-established heraldic custom. The fact that it was now facing the olive branch, thus symbolizing that the United States favors peace, was used as an explanation for the change.

Many people erroneously believe that the seal is changed during times of war, so that the eagle faces the arrows in its left talon. This belief may have arisen because major changes to the seal have coincidentally been made before or after wars.Snopes.com (2006). [A Turn of the Head]. Retrieved May 18, 2006. This misconception could also have arisen through the comments of Winston Churchill who, jokingly, criticized Truman's redesign of the seal stating that "Mr. President, with the greatest respect, I would prefer the American eagle's neck to be on a swivel so that it could face the olive branches or the arrows, as the occasion might demand".

The seal is most often seen:

on the lectern at presidential press conferences (the words "Seal of the President of the United States" sometimes adorn the "eagle-within-stars" design)
on White House documents, however the words "Seal of the President of the United States" are not used
on the sides of presidential transports Air Force One, Marine One, and the Presidential limousine.
at the center of the iconic and symbolic oval rug in the Oval Office of the White House, however the words "Seal of the President of the United States" are not used
on the Presidential Flag, however the words "Seal of the President of the United States" are not used
etched in gold onto Presidential China, such as the Reagan China, which is often used at State Dinners at the White House

Additional stars have been added to the seal as other states have joined the Union. The last additional star, the 50th, was added with the admission of Hawaii in 1959.

Unofficial use

Although unofficial use of the seal does not have to be authorized, its usage can garner a request by White House lawyers to discontinue its use. On September 28, 2005, Grant M. Dixton associate counsel to George W. Bush, requested that the satirical newspaper The Onion remove the Presidential Seal from its website. (TimesSelection subscription required) (Link is now dead)

Use in popular culture

The seal has sometimes being edited a little to be used as a marketing tool. The legendary punk rock group the Ramones used the seal as their logo, replacing the arrows with a baseball bat. Blink 182 and other bands have also used the logo on T-shirts. Some fashion brands (mainly for teenagers) have also used the logo as an added design for accessories like bags. In addition, the animated menu sequence on all DVDs of The West Wing contains a slightly altered version of the seal.

References

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