Louisiana: Pelican (nickname)

Entry in progress—B.P.
   
Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA)
The Brown Pelican and Louisiana History
The brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) has a storied connection to Louisiana.
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It is said by some that William Claiborne, the territory’s first governor after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, was the first to suggest that the brown pelican appear on Louisiana’s seal. No matter the rightful originator of the notion, a pelican feeding its young could be found on the seal as early as 1804.
 
Wikipedia: New Orleans Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans, Louisiana.
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The New Orleans Hornets were sold to Tom Benson on April 13, 2012. After purchasing the team, Benson indicated that he wanted to change the club’s nickname to something more regionally appropriate. On December 14, 2012, it was reported that the Hornets would change their nickname to the New Orleans Pelicans.[20] On January 24, 2013, the team held a press conference, where it unveiled its new nickname, logos and colors. The name Pelicans is a reference to the brown pelican, the state bird of Louisiana. The team said in a press release that its colors would be navy, gold and red; each color is represented in the city flag of New Orleans. The team formally adopted its new brand identity at the end of the 2012–13 NBA season.
 
(Oxford English Dictionary)
Pelican flag  n. U.S. the flag of the state of Louisiana, which depicts a pelican; cf. quot. 1934 for Pelican State n.
1860   Charleston (S. Carolina) Mercury 25 Dec. 4/5   The Pelican flag of Louisiana was unfurled in the streets, amid tremendous cheering… The Pelican flag consists of a red star upon a white field, with the ancient Louisiana emblem of a Pelican feeding her young.

Pelican State  n. U.S. the state of Louisiana; cf. Pelican flag n.
1859   Harper’s Mag. May 853/2   A well-known writer in the Pelican State writes us a good thing from one of his little folks.
 
1 December 1865, The Rescue (Sacramento, CA), “National Nicknames,” pg. 3, col. 3:
... Louisiana, Pelicans; ...
 
Google Books
U. S.
An Index to the United States of America
Compiled by Malcolm Townsend
Boston, MA: D. Lothrop Company
1890
Pg. 69:
NICKNAMES OF THE STATES.
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Louisiana…Pelican...From the “Pelican” as shown in the State seal.
 
OCLC WorldCat record
Louisiana, the Pelican state
Author: R T Aitchison; Mentholatum Company.
Publisher: Wilmington, Delaware : Mentholatum Company, [1941] 1941
Edition/Format:   Map : English