Coat of arms of Albany, New York | |
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Details | |
Armiger | Civic |
Adopted | 1789 |
Crest | A sloop with three sails and a blue flag |
Torse | Argent and gules |
Escutcheon |
Party per fess argent and gules:
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Supporters | A European farmer on the left and an American Indian on the right |
Motto | |
Use | Seal of Albany, Flag of Albany |
Party per fess argent and gules:
The coat of arms of Albany, New York, is the heraldic symbol representing the city of Albany, the capital of the U.S. state of New York. The coat of arms is rarely seen by itself; it is almost always used in the city seal or on the city flag. The current coat of arms was adopted in 1789, although prior to that it was significantly simpler, ranging from stylized lettering to a caricature of a beaver. Included in the coat of arms are references to Albany's agricultural and fur-trading past. It is supported by a white man and an American Indian and is crested by a sloop. The coat of arms is meant to represent the "symbols of industry and its rewards to man and beast on land and sea".
Albany began as the Dutch fur-trading post Fort Orange in 1624. Around the fort grew the village of Beverwijck (English: Beaver District), which was incorporated in 1652. In 1664, the English sacked New Netherland and Beverwyck was renamed Albany in honor of the Duke of York and Duke of Albany (later James II of England).
When the city was incorporated by provincial governor Thomas Dongan in 1686 under the Dongan Charter, it was empowered to have its own seal:
The said Mayor, Aldermen and Commonalty of the City of Albany, and their successor shall and may forever hereafter, have one common seal to serve for the sealing of all and singular their affairs and business touching or concerning the said corporation. And it shall and may be lawful to and for the said Mayor, Aldermen and Commonalty of the said city of Albany, and their successors, as they shall see cause, to break, change, alter and new make their said common seal, and as often as to them shall seem convenient.