Famed seamstress Betsy Ross receives much of the glory for creating the American flag. However, many experts believe the person actually responsible for designing the first version of “Old Glory” was a founding father named Francis Hopkinson.
Hopkinson, who signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and served as a delegate in the Continental Congress, was a lawyer, poet, satirist, musician, and an artist. He designed seals for the U.S. Treasury and the state of New Jersey, as well as U.S. currency predating the dollar bill. And there’s evidence that he was the creator of the American flag—not Ross, as her descendants and many history books have suggested.
With Friday marking Flag Day—which was celebrated as early as the late 1880s and which President Harry Truman made into a national day of observance in August 1949—let’s take a look at Hopkinson’s life and surprising connections to the flag.
Who Was Francis Hopkinson?
Hopkinson was born in the fall of 1737 in Philadelphia. His parents were Thomas Hopkinson, the founder of the Academy of Philadelphia (now the University of Pennsylvania), and Mary Johnson Hopkinson.
Francis attended his father’s academy and the College of Philadelphia, where he proved to be a gifted musician who could play the organ and harpsichord, as well as sing. He loved music, and according to the Mount Vernon estate, he composed odes, instrumental works, psalms, sacred music, and even operatic pieces throughout his life.
In addition to honing his musical abilities, Hopkinson studied law and passed the Pennsylvania bar in 1761. From 1779 until his death on May 9, 1791, he served as a federal judge.
However, some of Hopkinson’s most important contributions were as a statesman. He was elected to represent New Jersey in the Continental Congress in 1778 and became an active member of the Constitutional Convention of 1787. This group convened to address the weak central government existing under the Articles of Confederation. From their meetings, the U.S. Constitution took shape and became law in 1789.
Then, there’s the matter of the American flag.
The Evidence for Hopkinson as the American Flag Designer
Hopkinson was appointed to the Continental Navy Board in 1776, and there is written evidence suggesting he used this time to work on the American flag’s design.
According to the National Postal Museum, Hopkinson wrote a letter to the Board of Admiralty in 1780 requesting compensation for designing “the flag of the United States of America,” the Great Seal of the United States, and other items. He also submitted a bill with his desired payment: a “Quarter Cask of the public wine.”
Journals from the Continental Congress also indicate Hopkinson designed the flag, but his requests for reimbursement were repeatedly denied for a couple reasons. For one, the U.S. Board of Treasury claimed Hopkinson wasn’t the flag’s sole designer, meaning he shouldn’t receive all the credit. Additionally, the board felt the affluent Hopkinson owed a service to the public, and members considered the flag his contribution.
Plus, the young government didn’t exactly have a lot of money to throw around. “It was 1780, and the country was broke from fighting the war. Things were not good,” said historian Marc Leepson, who did research on Hopkinson for his 2005 book Flag: An American Biography.
Hopkinson’s gravestone in center city Philadelphia, which outlines many of his accomplishments, also includes the phrase “designer of the American flag.”
How Did Betsy Ross Get Credit?
There are receipts showing Ross, who ran an upholstery business in Philadelphia, sewed ships’ flags for the Pennsylvania navy. But Leepson told the Associated Press in July 2017 “there is no evidence” corroborating the story of how she sewed the first American flag with future President George Washington looking on in 1776.
The tale first gained prominence in 1870 when Ross’ grandson William Canby presented family affidavits as evidence during a lecture at the Pennsylvania Historical Society. Then 22 years later, artist Charles Weisberger used testimony from Ross’ daughters to create a now-famous painting of their mother and Washington.
“At that time, the suffragette movement was starting, and there was a need for female heroes. It was when the Pledge of Allegiance and Flag Day began,” Leepson said. “The flag became a symbol of uniting the country after the Civil War.”
As for the Flag Committee of the new Congress that supposedly showed up at Ross’ upholstery shop, there is again no evidence. And if that committee did exist in 1776, Washington likely wasn’t associated with it. After all, the famous general had a war with the British to worry about.
So while Ross, a single mother who was widowed three times and operated her successful business, has remained a staple of American lore, her historic flag was most likely a family tall tale.
Tyler Piccotti first joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor in February 2023, and before that worked almost eight years as a newspaper reporter and copy editor. He is a graduate of Syracuse University. When he's not writing and researching his next story, you can find him at the nearest amusement park, catching the latest movie, or cheering on his favorite sports teams.
