Missouri Flag History
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*Material is adapted from a presentation given by June Kice, a local historian in Memphis, to be formatted accordingly for print. Everything comes from a presentation that is meant for small groups of 10-12 people, which details the struggle to get a state flag for Missouri.
Material for the discussion was taken from the World Book Encyclopedia and the “Rural Missouri” magazine, August 2015. Material was furnished by the Missouri House of Representatives and DAR sources.
Although Missouri officially became a state on August 10, 1821, the state did not get a flag until March 22, 1913, almost 100 years after receiving statehood.
A bit of historical background regarding the history of Missouri’s state flag is important. Missouri was carved out of the 1803 Louisiana Purchase and was first known as Missouri Territory, organized in 1812. The population was not enough to have the territory declared a state. Gradually, the population increased enough to apply for statehood, which wasn’t easy. The next step was to draw up a State Constitution and have it accepted by Washington, D.C., then elect senators and representatives. While the Constitutional Convention was busy hammering out an acceptable constitution, Judge William Wells designed the state seal, also known as the “The Great Seal of the State of Missouri.” The seal was accepted by the General Assembly on January 11, 1822, despite Missouri having not been a state a whole year. It is the state seal that is in the center of the flag.
Each section of the seal has special significance. For example, the center of the seal center of the seal is made of two parts-on the right is the United States Coat of Arms containing the bald eagle. In its claws are arrows and olive branches, signifying that the power of war and peace lies within the federal government. On the left side, the state of Missouri side, are a grizzly bear and a silver crescent moon, a symbol of heraldry meaning “Second Son” to denote that Missouri was the second state formed from the Louisiana Purchase. Circling this part is a belt inscribed with the motto, “United We Stand, Divided We Fall” which indicates Missouri’s advantage as a member of the United States. The belt is buckled meaning Missouri will never leave the Union.
The two grizzly bears symbolize Missouri’s strength and her people bravery. The scroll under the bear’s feet, inscribed in Latin read ‘Salas Populi Suprema Lex Esto’, which translates to ‘Let the welfare of the people be the supreme law.’
The 24 stars above the bears indicate that Missouri was the 24th state admitted into the Union. The lone larger start in the center is for Missouri and the cloud around the stars indicates the problems Missouri encountered while gaining statehood.
The helmet at the top symbolizes enterprise and hardihood. Under the bears’ feet are the Roman numerals for 1822, the year Missouri’s first constitution was officially adopted by the Missouri Legislature. The seal is surrounded by the word, “The Great Seal of the State of Missouri.”
The 47th General Assembly of Missouri passed the act adopting an official flag for Missouri in 1913. The flag has 3 large stripes, one red, one white, and one blue with the seal in the center. The red stripe represents the valor of Missourians; the blue stripe represents vigilance, permanency, and justice. The white stripe is for purity.
In 1909, 2 groups submitted designs. The House sided with one, the Senate with the other and neither would budge.
Dr. Numa Holcomb, a dentist and State Representative from Kansas City submitted one almost identical to the U.S. flag with the letter “Mo” in the upper left-hand corner. He had been inspired to design a flag when a one-room country schoolteacher wrote to the General Assembly asking if Missouri had a state of two parts-on the right is the United States Coat of Arms containing the bald eagle. In its claws are arrows and olive branches, signifying that the power of war and peace lies within the federal government. On the left side, the state of Missouri side, are a grizzly bear and a silver crescent moon, a symbol of heraldry meaning “Second Son” to denote that Missouri was the second state formed from the Louisiana Purchase. Circling this part is a belt inscribed with the motto, “United We Stand, Divided We Fall” which indicates Missouri’s advantage as a member of the United States. The belt is buckled meaning Missouri will never leave the Union.
The two grizzly bears symbolize Missouri’s strength and her people bravery. The scroll under the bear’s feet, inscribed in Latin read ‘Salas Populi Suprema Lex Esto’, which translates to ‘Let the welfare of the people be the supreme law.’
The 24 stars above the bears indicate that Missouri was the 24th state admitted into the Union. The lone larger start in the center is for Missouri and the cloud around the stars indicates the problems Missouri encountered while gaining statehood.
The helmet at the top symbolizes enterprise and hardihood. Under the bears’ feet are the Roman numerals for 1822, the year Missouri’s first constitution was officially adopted by the Missouri Legislature. The seal is surrounded by the word, “The Great Seal of the State of Missouri.”
The 47th General Assembly of Missouri passed the act adopting an official flag for Missouri in 1913. The flag has 3 large stripes, one red, one white, and one blue with the seal in the center. The red stripe represents the valor of Missourians; the blue stripe represents vigilance, permanency, and justice. The white stripe is for purity.
In 1909, 2 groups submitted designs. The House sided with one, the Senate with the other and neither would budge.
Dr. Numa Holcomb, a dentist and State Representative from Kansas City submitted one almost identical to the U.S. flag with the letter “Mo” in the upper left-hand corner. He had been inspired to design a flag when a one-room country schoolteacher wrote to the General Assembly asking if Missouri had a state flag. So, Dr. Holcomb wrote to several state secretaries asking about their state flags. Now he had powerful backers for his flag in the House of Representatives.
Another group was working on a design that featured the coat of arms. This design was being worked on by Marie Watkins Oliver of Cape Girardeau. She happened to be Vice-Regent of Missouri Daughters of the Revolution (DAR). Missouri ladies believed Missouri needed a state flag. Mrs. Oliver accepted the challenge. She also wrote to other Secretaries of State asking about their state flags and knew she needed help from a talented artist. She got Mary Kochtitsky to help. They were putting the finishing touches on their design when she went before the senate. To argue against Dr. Holcomb’s design. She argued it didn’t have the State Seal and was too near identical to the national flag. It didn’t hurt that her husband was a state senator and Mrs. Kochtitsky’s father was an engineer who worked out the mathematical proportions for them.
Mrs. Oliver was adamant the flag have three things: The national colors red, white, and blue; the state seal, and 24 stars for the 24th state.
Her original design was painted on paper and presented to the senate and was well received, again helped by her nephew, Arthur L. Oliver, a state senator from Caruthersville. He worded the bill that was presented to the senate. Unfortunately, the original paper designed burned when the State Capitol was struck by lighting and burned.
Two more years passed before the design was presented again and finally adopted. Another family member, Representative Charles C. Oliver of Cape Girardeau County helped push the bill along. So, Missouri now has it’s “Oliver Flag.”
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