At one of my presentations of the Roads That Lead to Lincoln program at a library recently, I was asked when “Land of Lincoln” became the official slogan of Illinois. Since I did not know, I did a bit of research and came up with the year 1954. Here below is an excerpt from a Chicago Tribune article that touches on the subject:
Chicago Tribune article March 14, 1954
Thus, the “Land of Lincoln” slogan was adopted to serve as an advertisement for Illinois tourism, and first appeared on the license plates of the state in 1954. It is interesting that some business leaders felt that a better choice would be “Convention Center,” since Illinois was then building a new convention building in Chicago. They felt it would be better use of the licenses to push the convention business, rather than the state’s historic legacy.
Another criticism of the slogan came from Indiana and Kentucky, both states where Abraham Lincoln also lived. In reaction to this criticism and in concern that those states might decide to use the slogan as well, Illinois received trademark protection on the slogan in 1955.
