The Great Seal of the State of Wisconsin is a seal used by the Wisconsin Secretary of State to authenticate all the governor's official acts, except laws. It consists of the state

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

, with the words "Great Seal of the State of Wisconsin" above it and 13 stars, representing the original states, below it. * Top: ** ''Forward'', the state motto ** A

badger Badgers are medium-sized short-legged omnivores in the superfamily Musteloidea. Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united by their squat bodies and adaptions for fossorial activity rather than by the ...

, the state animal ** *Center: ** **Top left: A

plow A plough or (Differences between American and British spellings, US) plow (both pronounced ) is a farm tool for loosening or turning the soil before sowing seed or planting. Ploughs were traditionally drawn by oxen and horses but modern ploughs ...

, representing agriculture and farming **Top right: A pick and shovel, representing mining **Bottom left: An arm-and-hammer, representing manufacturing **Bottom right: An anchor, representing navigation **Center: The U.S. coat of arms, including the motto ''

E pluribus unum ''E pluribus unum'' ( , , ) – Latin for "Out of many, one" (also translated as "One out of many") – is a traditional motto of the United States, appearing on the Great Seal of the United States, Great Seal along with ''Annuit cœptis'' (L ...

'' ** The shield is supported by a

sailor A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. While the term ''sailor'' ...

and a

yeoman Yeoman is a noun originally referring either to one who owns and cultivates land or to the middle ranks of Serfdom, servants in an Peerage of England, English royal or noble household. The term was first documented in Kingdom of England, mid-1 ...

, representing labor on water and land *Bottom: ** A

cornucopia In classical antiquity, the cornucopia (; ), also called the horn of plenty, was a symbol of abundance and nourishment, commonly a large horn-shaped container overflowing with produce, flowers, or nuts. In Greek, it was called the " horn of ...

, representing prosperity and abundance ** 13

lead Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...

ingot An ingot is a piece of relatively pure material, usually metal, that is Casting, cast into a shape suitable for further processing. In steelmaking, it is the first step among semi-finished casting products. Ingots usually require a second procedu ...

s, representing mineral wealth and the 13 original United States The state seal emphasizes

mining Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...

and

shipping Freight transport, also referred to as freight forwarding, is the physical process of transporting commodities and merchandise goods and cargo. The term shipping originally referred to transport by sea but in American English, it has been ...

because at the time of Wisconsin's founding in 1848 the mining of lead and iron and shipping (via the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...

and the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

) were major industries. The

Secretary of State of Wisconsin A secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is an individual whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, program evalu ...

is the keeper of

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

's great seal. The seal is displayed in all

courtroom A courtroom is the enclosed space in which courts of law are held in front of a judge. A number of courtrooms, which may also be known as "courts", may be housed in a courthouse. In recent years, courtrooms have been equipped with audiovisual ...

s in the state, often alongside the county seal.

Government seals of Wisconsin

File:Privy Seal of Wisconsin.svg, Executive Privy Seal of Wisconsin File:Seal of the Wisconsin Department of Corrections.svg, Seal of the Wisconsin Department of Corrections File:Seal of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.svg, Seal of the

Wisconsin Department of Transportation The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of Wisconsin responsible for planning, building and maintaining the state's highways. It is also responsible for planning transportation in the sta ...

File:Seal of the Supreme Court of Wisconsin.svg, Seal of the

Wisconsin Supreme Court The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the Supreme court, highest and final court of appeals in the state judicial system of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. In addition to hearing appeals of lower Wisconsin court decisions, the Wisconsin Supreme Court also ...

Gallery

Seal of Wisconsin (1839–1849).png, Wisconsin territorial seal, used from 1839 to 1848 and by the new State of Wisconsin from 1848 to 1849. Seal of Wisconsin (1849–1851).png, The first Wisconsin state seal, used from 1849 to 1851. Seal of the State of Wisconsin (1851–1881).png, The second Wisconsin state seal, used from 1851 to 1881. Seal of Wisconsin.png, The current state seal of Wisconsin, adopted in 1881. Coat of arms of Wisconsin.png, The current coat of arms of Wisconsin, adopted in 1881. File:Milwaukee City Council chamber seal of Wisconsin.jpg, Decorative glass pane in Milwaukee City Hall, containing the seal

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Seal Of Wisconsin

Symbols of Wisconsin

Government seals of Wisconsin

Gallery

See also

References