The International Association of Amateur Heralds

I remember reading somewhere that both President Nixon and Vice-President Agnew were granted-or registered, Arms with the same body that 'granted' Arms to President Johnson-does anyone know what these Arms were?

The arms devised for Vice-President Agnew are reported to have been :

Arms : Azure, on a cross between four horses' heads couped Argent, a cross botonny Gules.

Crest : A hand couped proper holding a sceptre of office.

Supporters : Dexter a Greek statesman and sinister a Greek warrior both proper.

Motto : Do all good.

No idea what arms were devised for President Nixon.

The last paragraph of the AHS article by Joseph McMillan and Michael Swanson on the arms of Lyndon Baines Johnson, 36th President of the United States reads:

Any attention garnered by the American College of Heraldry and Arms as a result of its presentation to President Johnson was evidently not enough to keep it in operation. The college went out of business in 1970, although not before granting arms to Maryland Governor (and later Vice President) Spiro Agnew in 1968 and President Richard M. Nixon in 1970. The present-day American College of Heraldry, founded in 1972, has no connection with this earlier body.

No further information on the AHS site regarded either, though.

I found this on the american College of Heraldry and Arms:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_C ... y_and_Arms

Edward Hillenbrand wrote:I found this on the american College of Heraldry and Arms:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_C ... y_and_Arms

Yes, that institution once existed, but went the way of the Norwegian Blue Parrot before my parents were married. It claimed to have granted arms to various individuals, but really lacked the authority to do so and is better described as having designed and registered arms, much the same way the current American College of Heraldry designs and registers arms.

I saw that "granted" part and the reason for their demise: "By January 1969 the College had refused over 1000 requests for arms. The petitions were denied because they were assumed arms or armorial petitions with errors in their genealogy. The College also excluded helms or coronets from their armorial grants." which leads me to wonder about their charter and purpose. It looks like they were attempting to become the Daughters of the American Revolution for heraldry in the US which obviously didn't fly. As a side note I see that Harvard has registered numerous arms with the U.S. Heraldic Registry. Interesting.

Edward Hillenbrand wrote:As a side note I see that Harvard has registered numerous arms with the U.S. Heraldic Registry. Interesting.

Not that interesting, actually, or not the way you imply. Michael Swanson (the proprietor of the USHR) registered them himself. There are a number of arms in the registry that were added by Michael or others. Each entry has "registered by" field that will tell you who put them in the USHR.

Edward Hillenbrand wrote:"By January 1969 the College had refused over 1000 requests for arms.

I wonder where the Wikipedia author got this statistic. I imagine it was a claim made by the gentlemen running the registry themselves, but I find it entirely implausible. The ACH&R was established in 1966. To have turned down over 1,000 requests by January 1969, they would have to have averaged more than one unacceptable petition per mail-delivery day from the very first day of operation. One wonders what the ratio was of acceptable to unacceptable applications. 2:1? 1:1? 1:2?

Whatever it was, turning down over 300 applications a year suggests that the ACH&R had a far greater demand for its services than the College of Arms, Lyon Office, and the Chief Herald of Ireland combined. Nothing that we know from the better documented experience of the later ACH or the NEHGS Committee on Heraldry suggests that this is remotely possible.

JMcMillan wrote:Not that interesting, actually, or not the way you imply. Michael Swanson (the proprietor of the USHR) registered them himself. There are a number of arms in the registry that were added by Michael or others. Each entry has "registered by" field that will tell you who put them in the USHR.

The current and existing American College of Heraldry does not allow someone to register arms of or for another without the written consent of the armiger or corporate body in question. Why would a registry allow people to register the arms of others without obtaining proper consent to do so? That makes no sense to me.

I agree and think that it may border on the realm of illegal. A person or corporation's blazon/CoA IS a trademark for all intents and purposes. That is why we go register them in several different places. But WE are doing the registering as the owner, not as a herald. I would understand it if the herald said something like this" "These blazons are in use/assumed or whatever and are not available: Nike's "swish"m Ford's "Azure oval", Harvard's ... " but to register them without permission?

Possibly he meant that he put the information in the system as opposed to an assistant?