Utah's Flag History

The original Utah state flag was adopted by the new state legislature in 1896. This flag consisted of a solid white depiction of The Great Seal of the State of Utah on a light blue background. This flag remained in service until the state legislature revised the statutes in 1913.

In 1903, the Utah State Society Daughters of the Revolution (USSDR) presented a state flag to Governor Heber M. Wells. The silk flag, embroidered by Agnes Teudt Fernelius, displayed the Utah State Seal. Each member of the USSDR had donated one dollar to pay for the flag.

In October of 1903, it was determined that an error had been made in the State Seal depicted on the flag and it was also determined that the flag that had been presented and accepted by the Governor was not an official state flag but rather would serve as the Governor's regimental flag. An official state flag would have to comply with an act of the state legislature and thereby be approved by the state legislature.

The USSDR took their flag to artist H.L.A. Culmer and asked him to make corrections to the state seal. A new flag was born of this effort and presented to the Governor. The Governor replied that "It will be my pleasure to display this flag upon every important occasion where the Governor's flag may be required, both at the World's Fair in St. Louis in celebration of the Louisiana Purchase and elsewhere during my incumbency". This flag was used until 1913.

In 1912, the Sons and Daughters of Utah Pioneers commissioned a flag to be presented to the battleship Utah. This flag displayed the Utah State Seal centered on a blue background and circled by a thin gold line. This flag became the official Utah State Flag as we know it today when it was approved by the legislature and Governor William Spry signed the House Joint Resolution in 1913.

A recent State flag of Utah was adopted in February 2011 and consists of the seal of Utah encircled in a golden circle on a background of dark navy blue. It replaced a previous, albeit rather similar flag that had been in use since 1913. It is one of the state flags of the United States. Since 2018, the state legislature has been working on legislation to assess the need for a new flag and to design a new flag. A task force was created in 2021, and a new flag was adopted by a law passed in 2023, which will take effect by March 9, 2024.

Link here to the Utah State Historical Society for facts, figures and history of Utah.