Note to readers: My main source of information for this post was a January 2025 interview that I was privileged to have with Preston Cook, the star of this story. The National Eagle Center’s Ed Hahn put me in touch with Preston for the interview. Other sources that I used include Preston’s book, “American Eagle: A Visual History of our National Emblem”; the winter 2024 issue of “Audubon” magazine (story by Jack E. Davis); and the National Archives.
The rose became our National Flower in 1986. The oak was designated the National Tree in 2004. And in 2016 the American Bison became our National Mammal. Most people assume that the Bald Eagle – long a symbol of power and strength in the United States – has been our National Bird for a very long time. Not so, it turns out!
In fact, it wasn’t until December 23, 2024 that the honor of National Bird was bestowed on the Bald Eagle. It happened with the stroke of a pen, as President Biden signed legislation bringing the passionate goal of Preston Cook to fruition.
Preston Cook
Preston Cook, deserves more credit than anyone else for this auspicious accomplishment.
Cook’s interest in Bald Eagles was inspired by one line from A Thousand Clowns, a 1966 movie that he watched when a young man growing up in Illinois. “You can’t have too many eagles,” the movie’s main character, Murray Burns, said in reference to a plaque displaying a Bald Eagle that his young nephew had purchased but could ill afford. Cook grew up in a family who collected antiques and he himself collected antiques. “You can’t have too many eagles” was the spark to turn his attention from antiques to eagles. His eagle memorabilia collection spans more than 50 years.
The first items in his collection were the brass buttons on his own military dress uniform. Several months after seeing the movie, Cook, at age 19, was drafted into the army. After his discharge in 1968, he removed his uniform buttons, each of which was embossed with a Bald Eagle in the form of the Great Seal.
The Great Seal of the United States
The Great Seal has been used to authenticate US government documents since its adoption by the Continental Congress in 1782. It shows a Bald Eagle with an olive branch held in one foot, symbolizing peace, and arrows held by the other, symbolizing war. Over the breast is a shield in red, white and blue. The beak holds a scroll bearing the words “E Pluribus Unum,” out of many, one. “Sometimes they call that the chicken-legged eagle, or the frog-legged eagle,” said Cook in reference to the original seal during my interview with him. With time, the original seal was revised to a more forceful rendition, in keeping with its reputation as a powerful force in nature. In addition to military uniforms, the Great Seal appears on scout uniforms, American currency, official plaques, government buildings and more.
Along the way, Cook moved to San Francisco where he became a successful real estate investor. “I started out collecting symbolism,” Cook said. “I was not that interested in the bird. I was raised in Illinois and had never seen a Bald Eagle….maybe at the Brookfield Zoo or Lincoln Park Zoo. I may have seen one then, but I don’t have any memory of it.” Over years, he added thousands of items to his collection, including additional military buttons and medals, stamps, guns, knives, and cowboy boots. All of these items and more displayed the Bald Eagle in one shape or form.
Tipping Point
The year 2003 was transformative for Cook. “I got more involved in ornithology, and went up to the American Bald Eagle Foundation festival in Haines, Alaska.” During a fundraising auction there, Cook bid on and won the privilege of returning a rehabilitated Bald Eagle to the wild. “That got me more interested in the live bird. I mean, there I was holding our national symbol which was, at the time not our national bird.” This powerful experience propelled him to learn more about the natural history of the Bald Eagle and to purchase ornithology books and original prints featuring Bald Eagles.
In 2015, Cook moved his collection of some 25,000 eagle objects from California to the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, Wisconsin. The 14,000-square-foot facility had the space for Cook’s displays as well as buildings downtown for storage for non-displayed items. The location is an ideal setting for an eagle center. Built in 2007 on the banks of the Mississippi River, large numbers of Bald Eagles overwinter there.
In 2011, Cook unsuccessfully searched for a source of Congressional legislation convening the status of National bird onto the Bald Eagle, and he asked California Senator Dianne Feinstein to look into the matter. Later that year, a letter came back from Feinstein confirming his suspicion that no such legislation had ever been passed.
“I did nothing with this information, I just sat on it,” said Cook. “I spent seven-and-a-half years writing my book and then I moved the collection, so I was just doing other things. And then in 2023 I turned 78 and decided it’s time to do something. If I’m going to do it, I’d better do it now!“
Cook teamed up with the National Eagle Center which spearheaded a drive for congressional approval; it was called the National Bird Initiative. Cook drafted a bill and hired a lobbyist who secured support for the initiative from tribes, zoos, wildlife organizations and others. The bill gained strong bipartisan support in Congress; it was passed by the Senate in July 2024 and later by the House of Representatives. It was signed into law by President Biden.
Cook is featured here wearing a blazer with the buttons from his military uniform. On his lapel is an honorable discharge pin. Between the ribbon and the chest medal is an eagle which identifies Cook as a member of the Sons of the American Revolution. His bow tie, as well as the suspenders under his blazer, display Bald Eagles.
Cook told me that this is the “uniform” he wears when he talks to a group.
In 2019, Preston Cook published “American Eagle, A Visual History of Our National Emblem.” Gracing the cover is a copy of an original print by artist Andy Warhol (one of ten from Warhol’s Endangered Species portfolio).
Signed copies of the book are available through the National Eagle Center, with profits going to the center. Personal note: I ordered this book and love it!
Note: If you would like to see more of my Blog posts on Bald Eagles, click on “The Eagles” below.