List of personal coats of arms of Presidents of the United States
Many of the Presidents of the United States have borne arms; largely through inheritance, assumption, grants from foreign heraldic authorities, or, in one instance; via membership of the Danish Order of the Elephant.[1]
Arms of the Presidents
| Arms | Name of President and Blazon |
|---|---|
 |
Arms of George Washington, 1st President, 1789–1797
Shield: Argent two bars and in chief three mullets Gules. Crest: From a crest coronet a raven rising wings elevated and addorsed proper. Motto: Exitus acta probat (The outcome is the test of the act).[2] |
 |
Arms of John Adams, 2nd President, 1797–1801
Shield: Gules six crosses-crosslet fitchy Argent, on a chief Or three pellets, the center one charged with a fleur-de-lys and the other two with lions passant guardant Argent. Crest: A Lion passant holding in his dexter paw a cross-crosslet fitchy Argent. Motto: Libertatem amicitiam retinebis et fidem (Freedom, friendship and fidelity).[2] |
 |
Arms of Thomas Jefferson, 3rd President, 1801–1809
Shield: Azure a fret and on a chief Gules three leopards' faces Argent. Crest: A lion's head erased Or. Motto: Ab eo libertas a quo spiritus (The one who gives life gives liberty).[2] |
| James Madison, 4th President, 1809–1817
No arms known. | |
| James Monroe, 5th President, 1817–1825
No arms known. | |
 |
Arms of John Quincy Adams, 6th President, 1825–1829
Shield: Quarterly: 1st, Argent upon a mound Vert a stag trippant toward a pine tree, in base a codfish naiant on a sea all proper, over all thirteen stars in annulet Azure (for Adams); 2nd, Sable a fess cotised between three martlets Or (for Smith); 3rd, Gules seven mascles conjoined 3, 3, and 1 Or (for Quincy); 4th, Gules six crosses-crosslet fitchy Argent, on a chief Or three pellets, the center one charged with a fleur-de-lys and the other two with lions passant guardant Argent (for Boylston). Crest: A lion passant holding in his dexter paw a cross-crosslet fitchy Argent. Motto: Fidem libertatem amicitiam retinebis (Faith, freedom and fidelity).[2] |
| Andrew Jackson, 7th President, 1829–1837
No arms known. | |
 |
Arms of Martin van Buren, 8th President, 1837–1841
Shield: Per pale, Or a greyhound rampant contourny Gules, and Gules two bars embattled-counterembattled Or. Crest: A greyhound rampant between the wings of a vol Gules and Or.[2] |
 |
Arms of William Henry Harrison, 9th President, 1841
Shield: Or on a fess Sable three eagles displayed Or, a crescent Sable for difference. Crest: An eagle's head erased Or. |
| John Tyler, 10th President, 1841–1845
No arms known | |
| James Polk, 11th President, 1845–1849
No arms known | |
 |
Zachary Taylor, 12th President,1849–1850
Crest: A naked arm embowed holding an arrow proper. Motto: Consequitur quodcumque petit (Seize whatever follows).[2] |
| Millard Fillmore, 13th President, 1850–1853
No arms known | |
| Franklin Pierce, 14th President 1853–1857
No arms known | |
| James Buchanan, 15th President 1857–1861
No arms known | |
| Abraham Lincoln, 16th President, 1861–1865
No arms known | |
| Andrew Johnson, 17th President, 1865–1869
No arms known | |
| Ulysses Grant, 18th President,1869–1877
No arms known | |
 |
Rutherford Hayes, 19th President, 1877–1881
Crest: Upon an anvil a falcon rising proper. Motto: Recte (Right). Later Additional Motto: Qui patriae optime servit optime servit suis partibus (He serves his party best who serves his country best).[2] |
 |
Arms of James A. Garfield, 20th President,1881
Shield: Or three bars Gules on a canton Ermine a cross paty Gules. Crest: Issuant from a human heart a dexter hand holding a sword proper. Motto: In cruce vinco (In the cross I conquer).[2] |
 |
Arms of Chester A. Arthur, 21st President, 1881–1885
Shield: Gules a chevron Argent between three rests (clarions) Or. Crest: A falcon rising proper belled and jessed Or. Motto: Impelle obstantia (Thrust aside obstacles).[2] |
 |
Arms of Grover Cleveland, 22nd and 24th President, 1885–1889 and 1893–1897
Shield: Per chevron Sable and Ermine a chevron engrailed counterchanged. Crest: A demi-old man proper habited Azure, on his head a cap Gules turned up with hair front, holding in his dexter hand a spear, the head Argent, on the top of which is fixed a line proper passing behind him and coiled up in his sinister hand. Motto: Semel et semper (Once and always). Alternative Mottoes: Pro Deo et patria (For God and country); Vincit amor patriae (Love of country conquers).[2] |
| |
Arms of Benjamin Harrison, 23rd President 1889–1893
Shield: Or on a fess Sable three eagles displayed Or, a crescent Sable for difference. Crest: An eagle's head erased Or. |
| William McKinley, 25th President, 1897–1901
No arms known | |
 |
Arms of Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President, 1901–1909
Shield: Argent upon a grassy mound a rose bush proper bearing three roses Gules barbed and seeded proper. Crest: From a wreath Argent and Gules three ostrich plumes each per pale Gules and Argent. Motto: Qui plantavit curabit (He who planted will preserve).[2] |
| William Howard Taft, 27th President 1909–1913
No arms known | |
| Woodrow Wilson, 28th President, 1913–1921
No arms known | |
| Warren G. Harding, 29th President, 1921–1923
No arms known | |
 |
Arms of Calvin Coolidge, 30th President 1923–1929
Shield: Vert a griffin segreant Or. Crest: A demi-griffin segreant Or. Motto: Virtute et fide (By valor and faith).[2] |
| Herbert Hoover, 31st President 1929–1933
No arms known | |
 |
Arms of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd President, 1933–1945
Shield: Argent three roses one in pale and two in saltire Gules barbed, seeded, slipped, and leaved proper. Crest: From a wreath Argent and Gules three ostrich plumes each per pale Gules and Argent. Motto: Qui plantavit curabit (He who planted will preserve).[2] |
| Harry Truman, 33rd President, 1945–1953
No arms known | |
 |
Arms of Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th President, 1953–1961, Adopted following his admittance to the Order of the Elephant on 1950
Shield: Or, an Anvil Azure. Crest: Five stars of five points conjoined as on the points of a pentagram Argent. Motto: Peace through understanding.[2] Foreign Orders: |
 |
Arms of John F. Kennedy, 35th President, 1961–1963, granted by the Chief Herald of Ireland,
Shield: Sable three helmets in profile Or within a bordure per saltire Gules and Ermine. Crest: Between two olive branches a cubit sinister arm in armor erect, the hand holding a sheaf of four arrows, points upward, all proper. Motto: (No motto)[2] |
 |
Arms of Lyndon Johnson, 36th President, 1963–1969
Shield: Azure on a saltire Gules fimbriated Argent between four eagles displayed a mullet Or. Crest: On a wreath of the colors an armed hand Argent supporting an eagle rising Or. Motto: Nobilitatis virtus non stemma character (Virtue, not lineage, is the mark of nobility).[2] |
| Richard Nixon, 37th President, 1969–1974 | |
| Gerald Ford, 38th President, 1974–1977
No arms known | |
| Jimmy Carter, 39th President, 1977–1981.
No arms known | |
 |
Arms of Ronald Reagan, 40th President, 1981–1989.
Shield: Or, a Bear rampant Sable armed and langued Gules holding between its forepaws a star Argent, on a chief Sable standing upon a ducal coronet Or a falcon wings displayed and inverted Argent armed Or and langued Gules. Crest: A demi-horse forcené Sable unguled Or charged on the shoulder with an actor’s mask Or. Motto: Facta non verba (Deeds, not words).[2] Foreign Orders: In the UK: The collar as Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (Honorary Appointment 1989) |
| George H. W. Bush, 41st President 1989–1993
No arms known | |
 |
Arms of Bill Clinton, 42nd President 1993–2001. Granted by the Chief Herald of Ireland in 1995
Shield: Or a Lion rampant Gules charged with three bars Argent holding in the dexter paw a branch of olive proper between in the dexter chief and sinister base a cross crosslet fitchy Sable and in the sinister chief and dexter base a shamrock slipped Vert. Crest: On a wreath of the colours, an Anchor erect Azure on the stock the letters SPES Argent. Motto: An leon do bheir an chraobh (The lion carries away the branch).[2] |
| George W. Bush, 43rd President, 2001–2009
No arms known | |
| Barack Obama, 44th President, 2009–present
No arms known |
See also
- Heraldic authority
- Heraldic societies
- Armorial of the Vice Presidents of the United States
References
Further reading
- Zieber, Eugene. Heraldry in America: A Guide with 1000 Illustrations. Mineola, N.Y.: Dover Publications, 2006.
External links
- American Heraldry Society
- Arms of Famous Americans: Presidents of the United States
- The Institute of Heraldy: President of the United States