LeRoy Reeves
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| Use | Civil and state flag |
|---|---|
| Proportion | 3:5 |
| Adopted | April 17, 1905 |
| Design | A blue circle with three white five-pointed stars on a rectangular field of red, with a strip of white and blue on the fly. |
| Designed by | Colonel LeRoy Reeves |
The flag of the state of Tennessee consists of an emblem on a field of red, with a strip of blue on the fly. The emblem in the middle consists of three stars on a blue circle. The central emblem portion of the flag appears in the logos of some Tennessee-based companies and sports teams. Examples include the First Tennessee Bank, Tennessee Titans of the National Football League, and the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League.
In 2001, the North American Vexillological Association surveyed its members on the designs of all 72 U.S. state, U.S. territorial and Canadian provincial flags. Tennessee's flag was ranked 14th out of the 72 flags.
The flag was designed by Colonel LeRoy Reeves of the Tennessee National Guard, a Johnson City attorney who was serving in the Tennessee National Guard in 1905 when he created the new flag design.
The Tennessee State Legislature officially adopted the flag on April 17, 1905.
In a 2001 poll conducted by the North American Vexillological Association, the flag of Tennessee was ranked 14th in a list of 72 flags of North America, including all the state and provincial flags of the United States and Canada.
The three stars represent the three Grand Divisions of the state, East Tennessee, Middle Tennessee, and West Tennessee. The blue circle around the stars represents the unity of the "Grand Divisions" of the state. The blue bar at the edge of the flag was just a design consideration. When asked about the blue bar, Reeves stated that "The final blue bar relieves the sameness of the crimson field and prevents the flag from showing too much crimson when hanging limp." The National Geographic magazine erroneously reported in October 1917 that the stars represent Tennessee's status as the third state to enter the United States after the original thirteen.
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