Upon examining the logo of the City of Covington, you will find the phrase “Justitia Omnibus” on the left side within the banner, Latin for “Justice To All”; this phrase is also the motto of the District of Columbia. Beneath the seated figure, you will find the name “Tamanend”. This is a reference to Chief Tamanend, or “St. Tammany”, a chief in the Lenni-Lenape nation in the Delaware Valley at the time Philadelphia was established. Tamanend is best known as a peaceful facilitator in the relationship between the Native American tribes and the English settlers who established Pennsylvania.
Tamanend is surrounded by many folk legends, and the people of Philadelphia began to call him “St. Tammany” and the “Patron Saint of America”. A Tammany Society was started, and an annual Tammany festival was held, on May 1st (May Day). In 1810, President James Madison sent William C.C. Claiborne to establish the boundaries of the Florida Parishes. Claiborne created St. Tammany Parish and named it after Chief Tamanend. Louisiana has nine parishes named for Roman Catholic Saints, but Tammany is the only one whose eponym is not a canonized saint officially recognized by the church.
