Cadillac Automotive Heraldry

It is hard to image an automobile company that has more consistently and successfully used a heraldic display for as long as Cadillac. Cadillac began using the arms of Antoine de La Mothe, seigneur de Cadillac, as its emblem in September, 1902, and registered the symbol in 1906. The count was born in Gascony of minor nobility on March 5, 1658, founded Detroit in 1701, and was governor of Louisiana. His arms were: Quarterly, 1 and 4: Or a fess between three martlets sable, 2 and 3: quarterly gules and argent three bars azure. The count's coronet is fanciful, as was often the case in 17th and 18th century France, and the company has typically stayed with various renditions of the seven pointed crown.

There is a history of the Cadillac logo on the Cadillac web site, as well as an independent web page on Cadillac heraldry. The most complete source on this subject however, can be found in [Hendry].

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Last Update: June 25, 2000