| The Great Seal of the State of Arizona | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Versions | |
 Original Territorial seal | |
 Second Territorial seal | |
| Armiger | State of Arizona |
| Adopted | 1912 |
| Motto | Ditat Deus(God enriches) |
The Great Seal of the State of Arizona is thestate seal of theU.S. state ofArizona as designated in thestate constitution.[1] Article 22, Section 20 of theState of Arizona Constitution by theArizona State Legislature details the design and use of the seal.[2]
Section 20. "The seal of the State shall be of the following design: In the background shall be a range of mountains, with the sun rising behind the peaks thereof, and at the right side of the range of mountains there shall be astorage reservoir and adam, below which in the middle distance are irrigatedfields andorchards reaching into the foreground, at the right of which arecattle grazing. To the left in the middle distance on a mountainside is aquartz mill in front of which and in the foreground is a miner standing with pick and shovel. Above this device shall be the motto: "Ditat Deus." In a circular band surrounding the whole device shall be inscribed: "Great Seal of The State of Arizona", with the year of admission of the State into the Union."
The seal is often described as depicting Arizona's "five C's" of Copper, Cattle, Cotton, Citrus, and Climate.[3]
The miner depicted on the state seal isGeorge Warren, who had the original mining claim inBisbee, Arizona in 1877, and for whom the town ofWarren, Arizona is named.[4]
According to state statute (Arizona law) theSecretary of State of Arizona[5] is the keeper of the seal and may grant a certificate of approval for astate agency. The seal cannot be used outside of state government. Requests for use of the seal must be made in writing, directly to the Office of the Secretary of State.[6]
It cannot be used for commercial purposes under Arizona state law. Any person who knowingly violates this law is guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor.
The official Arizona State Seal was designed byPhoenix newspaper artist, E.E. Motter.[7] The official seal was decided after a long debate at the Arizona constitutional convention and established with statehood in 1912.[8]
Several territorial seals were used before statehood, between 1863 and 1912. Like the existing seal, these seals depicted the state motto and a mountain landscape. Some of them also centered on a miner, while others focused on the image of a deer instead.[9]
History and a downloadable brochure can be found on the secretary's website.[1]
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