New York State Motto

British forces captured New York City in September 1776 and held it until November 1783 — for the entire Revolutionary War. Yet New York's coat of arms was designed during this occupation, in 1777, by a committee of patriots working in upstate areas the British did not control. John Jay chaired the committee at age 32, already serving as Chief Justice of the New York Supreme Court since May 1777. John Sloss Hobart and Gouverneur Morris collaborated with him.

The committee worked through summer and fall of 1777, completing the design in December. The legislature formally adopted it on March 16, 1778. The motto 'Excelsior' appears on a white banner below a shield depicting Hudson River commerce — ships sailing between mountains — while Liberty stands on the left treading on a crown (rejecting monarchy) and Justice stands on the right with sword and scales.

Jay, Hobart, and Morris had all worked on New York's 1777 state constitution. No records explain who specifically suggested 'Excelsior' as the motto. The single Latin word — comparatival form of 'excelsus' meaning high or elevated — expressed aspiration through the minimum of words.

In January 1842, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow published the poem 'Excelsior.' He later said he had been inspired by seeing the word on a scrap of New York newspaper that included the state seal. The poem tells the story of a young man climbing an Alpine pass in the Alps, carrying a banner reading 'Excelsior' and ignoring warnings from locals. Despite a voice crying 'Beware the pine-tree's withered branch! / Beware the awful avalanche!' the young man presses upward. He is found dead in the snow, still holding the banner, still looking toward the stars.

The poem became one of the most widely reproduced poems of the 19th century. It appeared in 272 newspapers. It was set to music, performed at concerts, recited in schools. The word 'Excelsior' entered popular American vocabulary not as a state motto but as a cultural shorthand for aspirational striving — the pursuit of ever-higher goals regardless of cost.

Longfellow's poem spread New York's motto far beyond New York. Businesses across the country adopted the name 'Excelsior' to suggest excellence. The word appeared on product labels, hotel names, and civic organization titles. Many Americans knew 'Excelsior' through Longfellow rather than through any knowledge of New York's state seal.

Stan Lee, the Marvel Comics creator who was born and based in New York, used 'Excelsior' as his signature sign-off in his 'Stan's Soapbox' columns beginning in the 1960s. Lee said he chose the word for its aspirational energy. After his death in 2018, the phrase became even more closely associated with his memory. Marvel characters frequently use it in reference to Lee. The word now carries dual associations: New York's civic motto and a creator's farewell.

In 2020, New York added a second official motto. Governor Andrew Cuomo signed legislation making 'E Pluribus Unum' — 'Out of Many, One' — an official secondary motto of New York. The phrase already appears on the U.S. Great Seal and is the informal national motto. New York's 2020 adoption placed it on the state motto banner alongside 'Excelsior.' Both appear on the state seal.