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The flag of the state of Iowa is a vertical tricolor flag designed by Mrs. Dixie Cornell Gebhardt in 1917. Iowa legislators officially adopted the flag in 1921.
The flag was designed by DAR member and
History
The State of Iowa did not have a banner for the first 75 years of its conception, largely because of calls for national unity during and after theAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
, in which Iowa fought for the Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
. It was not until World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
that the creation of a state banner was requested, recorded first by the Iowa Daughters of the American Revolution, while Iowa National Guardsmen positioned along the Mexican border made several requests for a banner, as other states had banners to represent themselves. In 1917, Iowa was one of three states that had no banner.
The flag was designed by DAR member and Knoxville, Iowa
Knoxville is a city in Marion County, Iowa, United States. The population was 7,595 at the time of the 2020 census, an increase from 7,313 in the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Marion County. Knoxville is home of the National Sprint Ca ...
resident Dixie Cornell Gebhardt, who was prompted to create the design by Iowa guardsmen. It was approved by the DAR flag committee in early May 1917 and presented to the Iowa State Council for Defense, where it was accepted on May 11, 1917. The flag was sent to Iowa troops for designation but would not be officially adopted as the state flag for nearly four more years.
Iowa governor William Lloyd Harding formally accepted the flag on behalf of the state on March 19, 1918, but legislative action on adoption failed in February 1919. Still, the Iowa Daughters met with legislators urging them to accept the flag again in September 1920, suggesting that past failures were caused by high expenses.
Despite not being adopted, the banner was used often throughout the nation to represent Iowa, notably in Continental Hall where it was among official flags of other states, though marked as unofficial. This was all the more reason to adopt the flag officially, according to the wife of congressman Horace Mann Towner
Horace Mann Towner (October 23, 1855 – November 23, 1937) was an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Iowa's 8th congressional district and appointed the governor of Puerto Rico. In an ...
.
Finally, in January 1921, Iowa legislators again deliberated on the adoption of an official banner, and by mid-March of that same year the flag was accepted as law.
In 2001, a survey conducted by the North American Vexillological Association
The North American Vexillological Association (NAVA) is a membership organization devoted to vexillology, the scientific and scholarly study of flags. It was founded in 1967 by American vexillologist Whitney Smith (1940–2016), and others. It ...
(NAVA) placed Iowa's flag 42nd in design quality out of the 72 Canadian provincial, U.S. state and U.S. territorial flags ranked.
Protocol and Procedure
The banner is only to be used in official representation of the state of Iowa or in distinction between citizens of different states. The flag should always be flown below and “subservient” to the flag of the United States, while being provided and raised by public officers. Schools must fly the banner when classes are in session and public buildings may fly the banner on secular days.Design
Iowa law officially describes the state flag. Dixie Cornell Gebhardt assigned meaning to each color of the flag: blue represents loyalty, justice, and truth; white stands for purity; red symbolizes courage. The ''Des Moines Register'' suggested that the design hearkens back to Iowa's history as a French territory, with both flags containing blue, white and red from left to right, though Iowa's banner has a wider white section. The ''Register'' also stated that the word “Iowa” written in red symbolizes the “Iowa soldier ritingin letters of blood on the white page of history his unalterable determination to defend the ideals represented by the banner and its wonderful motto." It is one of eight U.S. state flags to feature an eagle, alongside those ofIllinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...
, Michigan
Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...
, New York, North Dakota
North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, So ...
, Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
and Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
.
See also
* Flag of Des Moines, Iowa * List of Iowa state symbols *Seal of Iowa
The Great Seal of the State of Iowa was created in 1847 (one year after Iowa became a U.S. state) and depicts a citizen soldier standing in a wheat field surrounded by symbols including farming, mining, and transportation with the Mississippi Ri ...
Sources