The History of Uncle Sam

The name Uncle Sam is originally linked to Samuel Wilson, who was an entrepreneurial meat packer from Troy, New York, and a major supplier of beef to the United States Army during the War of 1812. Wilson stamped his meat barrels with “U.S.” for United States, but soldiers began referring to the grub as “Uncle Sam’s.” A local newspaper picked up on the story, which eventually made the nickname a synonymous persona for the U.S. federal government.

In the late 1860s and 70s, political cartoonist Thomas Nast began popularizing the image of Uncle Sam, eventually giving the now-famous uncle a white beard and a stars-and-stripes suit that has persisted to this day. The German-born Nast was also credited with creating the modern image of Santa Claus, not to mention coming up with the donkey and elephant symbols for the Democratic and Republican parties respectively. Nast also famously lampooned the corruption of New York City’s Tammany Hall in his editorial cartoons, which contributed greatly to the downfall of Tammany Hall’s corrupt leader, William “Boss” Tweed.

Uncle Sam Poster

Perhaps the most famous image of Uncle Sam was created by artist James Montgomery Flagg, in which Uncle Sam wears a tall top hat and blue jacket and is pointing straight ahead at the viewer. During World War One, Flagg’s portrait of Sam with the words “I Want You For The U.S. Army” was used as a now-famous recruiting poster. The image, which became immensely popular, was first used on the cover of Leslie’s Weekly in July of 1916, with the title “what are you doing for preparedness?” The poster was widely distributed and has subsequently been re-used numerous times with different captions.

In September 1961, the U.S. Congress recognized Samuel Wilson as “the progenitor of America’s national symbol of Uncle Sam.” Wilson died at age 88 in 1854, and was buried next to his wife Betsey Mann in the Oakwood Cemetery at Troy, New York, the town that now calls itself “The Home of Uncle Sam.”