Harvard Law School

US heraldry portal

This page is part of the US heraldry portal	Heraldry of the World
US heraldry: National arms Arms of States Arms of Counties Arms of cities and towns American Samoa Guam Puerto Rico US Virgin Islands Educational heraldry Institutional heraldry Corporate heraldry Collector's items from the USA Heraldic postcards Heraldic literature of the USA Total pages in the US section : 20,795	Ecclesiastical Heraldry of the USA: Ecclesiastical heraldry Roman Catholic Church Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Ruthenian Catholic Church Catholic Basilicas Episcopal Church Other Churches Military Heraldry: Military heraldry of the United States US Army heraldry US Navy heraldry US Air Force heraldry US Marine Corps heraldry US Space Force heraldry US National Guard heraldry US Coast Guard heraldry US State Military heraldry US Reserve Officer Training Corps and Cadets heraldry

HARVARD LAW SCHOOL

Country: United States
Campus/location : Cambridge, MA

Official blazon

Origin/meaning

Unfortunately we have no information on the meaning or origin of these arms yet.

If you have any information on the origin or meaning of these arms, or have additional images that you want to share, please mail us your information !

In his will of 1779, Isaac Royall left land to Harvard College to establish the first professorship in law at the school. This bequest led to the founding of Harvard Law School in 1817. In 1936, to celebrate the university's tercentenary, Harvard alumnus and former English professor Pierre de Chaignon la Rose drew up what were referred to as 'seals' for each of Harvard's graduate schools. For Harvard Law School, la Rose adopted Royall's coat of arms, a blue shield with three sheaves of wheat under a chief of the arms of the University.

In 2016, the arms became the object of controversy due to Royall's slaveholding in Antigua, where he ordered 77 black enslaved persons to be burned alive, and several others quartered. Students under the name 'Royall Must Fall' campaigned to have the arms removed and issued an alternative seal showing slaves burdened by wheat sheaves (see below). After several incidents of unknown racial attacks within the Law School community Law School Dean Martha L. Minow was pressured by students to create a committee of students, faculty staff and alumni to recommend whether to change the arms. In 2016, the Law School officially decided to scrap the (use of the) arms.