08/27/2026
: Have you ever wondered when, how, and why Carleton chose Maize and Blue as its school colors? Our archivists are here to tell you!
Although they go together beautifully, the Carleton colors were not chosen together. In Spring 1889, following a request by alumni, a committee on college colors was created, consisting of faculty who had all themselves graduated from Carleton: Lucian Chaney Jr. (Class of 1878), Herbert Wilson (1879), and Isabella Watson (1885).
After two weeks of deliberation and consultation, the committee recommended on May 20 that the College adopt Maize as the school color, noting that it would harmonize well with others, symbolized “faithfulness,” and had not yet been appropriated by any other college. For 15 years after that, Carleton was represented by Maize alone.
“Yale Blue” was added to the mix by Trustee action on June 14, 1904, accepting a recommendation made by President William Sallmon, himself a Yale graduate — and “Maize and Blue” has stuck forever after!
