This Day in History: “Uncle Sam” coined in the U.S. on Sept. 7, 1813

MONROE, La. (KNOE) - On September 7, 1813 the Troy Post published that soldiers were referring to rations from the federal government as coming from “Uncle Sam”.

That’s because the meals were coming from a meat packer in Troy named Sam Wilson. The name eventually gained acceptance as the personification of the U.S. federal government. In the 1860’s and 70’s, cartoonists began popularizing an image of “Uncle Sam”.

During World War I, a recruiting poster became famous for that image.