On September 7, 1813, according to the most cited—and
Congressionally approved—account, the United States
got its nickname, Uncle Sam.

The name is linked to Samuel Wilson, a meat packer from
Troy, New York, who supplied barrels of beef to the United
States Army during the War of 1812.

The local newspaper, the Troy Post, picked up on the story
and Uncle Sam eventually gained widespread acceptance
as the nickname for—and personification of—the U.S.
federal government.

Scholars have uncovered a handful of earlier references
linking the U.S. to the nickname Uncle Sam, but the Troy
Post origin story has stuck as the official one.  

March 13, 1852 — Frank Bellew’s cartoon, “Uncle Sam,”
made its debut in the NY Lantern Weekly.

The character’s name is attributed to Samuel Wilson, a
meat packer who supplied food to the troops during the
War of 1812. Legend has it that he conspicuously marked
“U.S.” on the packages and before long the soldiers took
to calling him “Uncle Sam.”

However, the first use in literature of the concept of the
patriot Uncle Sam was in the 1816 book, “The Adventures
of Uncle Sam in Search After His Lost Honor,” by Frederick
Augustus Fidfaddy, Esq.

Uncle Sam is mentioned as early as 1775, in the original
“Yankee Doodle” lyrics of the American Revolutionary
War.

Frank Henry Temple Bellew
(April 18, 1828 – June 29, 1888)

Samuel Wilson (September 13, 1766 – July 31, 1854)