The flag of the vice president of the United States consists of the U.S. vice presidential coat of arms on a white background, with four dark blue stars in the corners. A version of the flag is kept in the vice president's office, is sometimes displayed by the vice president in official photos, and is flown on the vice president's motorcade.
The first official flag for the vice president was specified in 1936, although a special design was used at least twice during the 1910s. The flag has shared the same design as the vice presidential seal since 1948, and the current flag dates from 1975 when it was redesigned during the presidency of Gerald Ford.
Design
The vice president's flag is defined in :
Attached to the order were illustrations of the seal and flag, and also a set of "specifications" for the flag, which defines more precise colors for the elements than does the blazon (written description) of the coat of arms:
The design of the eagle is basically identical to that in the presidential flag. Other than a slightly shorter central tail feather, which was perhaps inadvertent, all of the differences are in coloration. The written design specifies silver gray for the clouds and stars above the eagle's head, the scroll, and the arrows; these are "proper" (i.e. naturally colored), argent, white, and proper respectively in the president's seal and flag. In the flag specifications, the chief (upper third area) of the shield is dark blue (rather than the light blue specified for the presidential flag), the stem of the olive branch is brown (the presidential flag uses green), and the olives are just green (instead of specifically light green).
The background color of the flag, as on all historical versions, is white. The vice president's coat of arms does not have a ring of stars around the eagle like the president's does, but on the flag, four blue stars are added, one in the each corner.
Sizes
The dimensions of all the elements in the flag are relative to the hoist (vertical size) of the flag. The relative length of the flag varies; each military service typically defines several sizes and dimensions depending on use. The coat of arms stays centered, while the four stars stay a fixed distance from the edges, so on longer flags the stars will be further apart.
A U.S. Navy ship will fly the flag while the vice president is aboard; either 3 feet 7 inches by 5 ft. 1½ in. (size 6, for ships over 600 feet long) or 1 ft. 10 in. by 2 ft. 8 in. (size 7, for ships under 600 feet). For onshore use, the dimensions are either 3 ft. 7 in. by 5 ft. 1½ in. or 1 ft. 10 in. by 2 ft. 8 in. depending on the size of the flagpole. For indoor use, a blue fringe of 2½ inches is added along with blue and white tassels. When in either small boats or automobiles, the flag is 1 ft. by 1 ft. 3 in., and on airplanes, a version 11 by 14 inches can either be printed on each side of the plane or on a detachable metal plate.
The U.S. Army also has several sizes for different uses. For indoor display the color is used; this is 4 ft. 4 in. by 5 ft. 6 in. with a 2½ in. fringe. A field flag is 6 ft. 8 in. by 12 ft. with no fringe, a boat flag is 3 by 4 ft. with no fringe, and the automobile flag is 1 ft. by 1 ft. 6 in. with a 1½ in. fringe. The Army also allows aluminum plates printed with the flag design (without fringe) to be placed on cars and aircraft; cars use a plate 6 by 9 inches, airplanes 11 by 14 inches, and helicopters 17 by 21¾ inches.
Use
The vice president's color (with fringe, tassels, and ornamental flagstaff) is displayed in her or his office, usually along with the flag of the United States and sometimes others, and sometimes as a backdrop when he or she speaks. The flag will be flown from the after masthead of a U.S. Navy ship while the vice president is aboard, and the Navy also prescribes several other flag sizes to use in various situations when the vice president is present. Similarly, the Army prescribes use of the color (with fringe) or flag (without fringe) in different situations when the vice president is present.
History
The first official flag for the vice president came in 1936, long after flags were designed for most other high government officials, though on two earlier occasions (1915 and 1919) a specially-designed, unofficial flag was used for the vice president when he was representing the president at official functions. Since 1948, the flag has contained the vice presidential coat of arms, the central part of the vice presidential seal. One common thread through all the flag designs is a white background; the presidential flag has (almost) always had a blue background.