What is the third flag at the governor's mansion?

[adrian]

I didn't sleep on the route A bus today while going home from school, so I looked out of the window of the bus. At the governor's mansion, there was three flags, one the Hawaii state flag, a US flag, and another one. What is that flag for?

[pzarquon]

I might be way off about this, but at one point I thought that third flag -- as well as those lines of flagpoles nearest the street directly fronting the Capitol -- are "flavor of the week" positions. That is to say, if the Philippine ambassador is in town, or if the governor is hosting a German diplomat, that nation's flag is hoisted along with the two standard flags at Washington Place, and sometimes put up in more impressive numbers along Beretania Street.

I know that when our international business group had a big conference in Honolulu in 2000, they put a dozen of our flags up on those Beretania Street poles as well as fronting Washington Place, not to mention a few other prominent flagpoles in town (near Bank of Hawaii on Fort Street, atop the then Macy's store at Ala Moana, etc.).

That said, there might be an official third flag at Washington Place now. WHat does it look like?

[adrian]

That said, there might be an official third flag at Washington Place now. WHat does it look like?
I'll try and jot it down when I pass by it tomorrow.

*I think* it was dark blue, with Hawaii on it. If my mine and your guesses are correct, then thank god we don't have a second flag (for the native Hawaiians).

[mel]

That said, there might be an official third flag at Washington Place now. WHat does it look like?


I recently took a tour of Washington Place. That very question came up about the 3 flags.. the first 2 is quite obvious.. United States of America and Hawaii. The third flag is the Governor's flag.

Yes, the Governor has his/her own flag. Been like this for a long time now.

Here is something else...

When the flag is displayed in front of Washington Place, it means the Governor is in the State.

If you see only 2 flags hanging in front of Washington Place, it means the Governor is out of state.

[mel]

When the Governor is out of state you will only see the American and Hawaiian flag.

[Linkmeister]

If I'm not mistaken, the Brits do that for royalty. If the Queen's at Buckingham Palace, there's a flag overhead; if she ain't, there ain't.

Hmm.

[mel]

The President of the United States has his own flag too. You see it on usually on the Presidential limo.... that flag is blue with the presidential seal in the middle.

[adrian]

When the Governor is out of state you will only see the American and Hawaiian flag.
You learn something new everyday.

[pzarquon]

Indeed. I drove by yesterday, and the center flag looks like the one described on the Names and Insignia of Hawaii (http://www.hawaii.gov/hidocs/hawaiinames.html#governor) page:The flag is divided horizontally into two equal sections - the upper half blue and the lower half red. The center contains the word "HAWAII" in white. "HAWAII" is surrounded by eight equi-distant white stars that represent the eight islands of the Hawaiian group. The flag originally was designed by the adjutant general for the Governor of the Territory. As the flag of the territorial governor, it had "T H" in the center.