Seal of West Virginia
Great Seal of the State of West Virginia | |
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Historical coat of arms (illustrated, 1876) | |
Armiger | State of West Virginia |
Adopted | 1863 |
Motto | Montani Semper Liberi Libertas E Fidelitate |
The Great Seal of the State of West Virginia was adopted in September 1863.sledge hammer. The outer ring contains the text "State of West Virginia" and the state's motto "Montani Semper Liberi", ("Mountaineers are Always Free"; the state nickname is "the Mountain State"). The reverse of the seal, also called the lesser seal, is the official seal of the governor. Its motto reads "Libertas E Fidelitate" ("Liberty out of Fidelity").[2]
Motto
The Latin phrase Montani Semper Liberi (English: "Mountaineers are Always Free") was adopted as the official state
the state constitution signed in 1872. This article specifically states: "[t]he present seal of the state, with its motto, "Montani Semper Liberi," shall be the great seal of the state of West Virginia, and shall be kept by the secretary of state, to be used by him officially, as directed by law".[3] The phrase was suggested as the motto by Joseph H. Diss Debar
, the artist who created the state's Great Seal.
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The seal as used in the form of a coat of arms on the state flag
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Thegovernor of West Virginia
Montani Semper Liberi is also part of the coat of arms for the Colombian city of Bucaramanga.
References
- ^ "West Virginia Statistical Information" (PDF). State of West Virginia. Retrieved 2014-06-20.
- ^ "West Virginia State Seal". www.sos.wv.gov. Archived from the original on 2009-10-01.
- ^ "Constitution of West Virginia". West Virginia Legislature. Retrieved 2014-06-20.