Maine State Motto: Dirigo
Fact-checked • Updated December 2, 2025
OFFICIAL STATE SEAL
"Dirigo"
I Direct or I Lead
About This Motto
Maine adopted Dirigo (I Direct or I Lead) on June 9, 1820. Latin motto appears beneath the North Star on the state seal. First legislative session approved the design just weeks after Maine separated from Massachusetts and became the twenty-third state.
What the Motto Means
Dirigo translates to I direct or I lead in Latin. The single word captures Maine's role as a guiding force for its citizens, just as the North Star guides mariners across the ocean.
Why the North Star? Maine's seal features the Polar Star prominently above the shield. Sailors have relied on this star for navigation since ancient times. It provides fixed direction when everything else moves. The connection between star and state was intentional.
According to the resolution that established Maine's seal, the Polar Star has been considered the mariner's guide and director in conducting the ship over the pathless ocean to the desired haven. As it guides sailors, so the state intends to guide its citizens toward their goals.
First legislative session met from May 21 to June 28, 1820. Lawmakers needed an official seal quickly for authenticating government documents. A committee working under Senate President William Moody produced the design approved June 9, 1820.
Historical Background
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Maine Separates from Massachusetts
Maine had been part of Massachusetts since the 1650s. After the American Revolution, separation movements began in 1785. Between 1792 and 1819, voters held six elections on statehood. All failed until the final vote on July 26, 1819, when Maine residents approved separation 17,091 to 7,132.
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Missouri Compromise Delays Statehood
Congress had equal numbers of free and slave states when Maine requested admission in late 1819. Southern senators refused to admit Maine as a free state unless Missouri entered as a slave state. This created a moral dilemma for Maine's anti-slavery population. The Missouri Compromise finally passed in early 1820, linking the two states' admissions.
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Statehood Achieved March 1820
On March 15, 1820, Maine became the twenty-third state. William King took office as first governor. Population had grown from 91,000 in 1791 to nearly 300,000 by 1820. New state needed official symbols immediately for government operations.
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First Legislative Session Convenes
Maine's first legislature met from May 21 to June 28, 1820, in Portland. Creating a state seal ranked among the urgent priorities. Every official document required authentication. Without a seal, Maine couldn't conduct business as a sovereign state.
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William Moody Oversees Committee
William Moody of Saco served as first president of the Maine Senate. He oversaw the committee responsible for designing the state seal. No official records document the committee's deliberations or meetings. The perfunctory process suggests everyone agreed the design worked without needing extensive debate.
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Isaac Reed Writes Description
Colonel Isaac G. Reed of Waldoboro wrote the seal's official description and explanation. A member of the House of Representatives, Reed had the writing skills for this technical task. Ironically, he had campaigned against statehood as a Federalist who preferred Maine remaining part of Massachusetts.
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Benjamin Vaughan Proposes Concept
Benjamin Vaughan of Hallowell proposed the seal's emblems according to the Portland Gazette article published June 12, 1820. Vaughan was a prominent citizen with connections throughout Maine. His concept included the shield, supporters (farmer and sailor), and the North Star above.
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Bertha Smouse Creates Sketch
Bertha Smouse, Colonel Reed's stepdaughter, executed the sketch that accompanied the committee's report. The Maine Library Bulletin of 1930 identified her as the artist. She worked on the project at Reed's mansion on Glidden Street in Waldoboro, an outstanding example of Federal-style architecture.
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Seal Approved June 9, 1820
The legislature approved the seal design on June 9, 1820. Resolution specified that the motto in small Roman capitals shall be in a label interposed between the shield and crest reading DIRIGO. Label sits between the North Star above and the shield below.
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Design Details and Variations
Original seal showed a shield with a pine tree and moose at its base. A farmer with a scythe and a sailor with an anchor served as supporters on either side. Early sketches varied considerably. The first moose looked more like a deer. Some versions showed the scythe held differently. One inexplicable variation substituted a sextant for the anchor.
Meaning & Significance Today
Said with vigor, Dirigo sounds like a rallying cry worthy of the first state to see the sun rise each day. Pronunciation is DEE-ri-go, not deer-EYE-go. The word has become ingrained in Maine identity.
Schools throughout Maine bear the Dirigo name. In RSU 56 (serving Canton, Carthage, Dixfield, and Peru), the elementary, middle, and high schools are all named Dirigo. Educators talk about Dirigo Magic that produces outstanding students and engaged community members.
Businesses have adopted Dirigo to express their goals. Dirigo Federal Credit Union operates branches in Auburn, Mechanic Falls, South Paris, and Lewiston. When Rainbow Federal Credit Union rebranded in 2017, they chose Dirigo as a name that looked toward the future while honoring founding values.
Maine's leadership in various fields validates the motto's message. In 2002, Governor Angus King (now U.S. Senator) established the first program in America to equip all public school students with laptop computers. In November 2012, Maine became one of the first three states to approve same-sex marriage by popular vote. The motto reminds Mainers that their state has often led the nation.
Cultural Context in Maine
Maritime Heritage
Maine's economy in 1820 depended heavily on the sea. Fishing provided food and income for coastal communities. Shipbuilding thrived in Bath, Brewer, and Belfast. The state's merchant marine was huge relative to its population. Ships and crews from Maine ports could be found worldwide. For such a maritime state, choosing a motto linked to navigation made perfect sense.
Separation from Massachusetts
Tension between Maine and Massachusetts grew after the War of 1812. British forces occupied eastern Maine from the Penobscot River to New Brunswick, hoping to annex the territory as the Colony of New Ireland. Massachusetts provided weak military response to this occupation. Mainers felt abandoned. This abandonment fueled support for separation and independence.
Coasting Law Controversy
Federal coasting law of 1789 gave Maine vessels competitive advantage. As part of Massachusetts, Maine ships didn't need to clear customs until reaching New Jersey. Separation would require clearing customs in Massachusetts, adding cost and delay. Coastal towns opposed statehood until William King's brother Rufus (U.S. Senator from New York) helped revise the law in 1819.
Democratic Republican Politics
Maine's interior farmers supported Thomas Jefferson's Democratic Republicans. Massachusetts was dominated by Federalists. Maine Republicans believed the Federalists shut them out of patronage and lucrative land, bank, and insurance charters. Statehood meant freedom from self-dealing Federalist control. Maine's 1819 Constitution became the most democratic and egalitarian in New England.
Isaac Reed's Paradox
The man who wrote the seal description and likely suggested the motto had opposed statehood. As a Federalist, Reed led Waldoboro residents in voting against separation through the final vote. Yet when Waldoboro voters elected him to the first legislature, he served dutifully on the seal committee. This paradox shows how quickly Maine united after the contentious separation ended.
University of Maine Connection
The University of Maine uses the state motto and seal. Founded in 1865 as the State College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts, the university has always tied its identity to state symbols. The motto reminds students and faculty of Maine's tradition of leading in education, research, and innovation.
Current Law
Maine Revised Statutes Title 1, Chapter 9, Subchapter 1, Section 205 specifies: The state motto shall be Dirigo (I direct or I guide). This statute provides legal authority for the motto's official status.
The seal description appears in Maine law under Title 1, Section 201. It describes the shield with pine tree and moose, the farmer and sailor supporters, the name MAINE below, and the North Star above. Between shield and star sits the motto in small Roman capitals reading DIRIGO.
Interesting Facts About the Motto
Fact 1 of 20
Maine became the twenty-third state on March 15, 1820.
Sources & References
This article has been researched using authoritative sources to ensure accuracy and reliability. All information has been fact-checked and verified against official government records.
History of the seal's design, variations, and the people involved in its creation. • Accessed: December 31, 2025
Official statute defining Maine's state motto. • Accessed: December 31, 2025
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