Which New Jersey signer claimed to have designed the U.S. flag adopted in 1777?

New Jersey signer Francis Hopkinson claimed to have designed the U.S. flag adopted in 1777.

Hopkinson was a delegate from New Jersey and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He served on the Continental Navy Board's Middle Department, placing him close to the committees handling naval and national symbols during the Revolution.

In 1780, Hopkinson asked Congress for compensation for designing the U.S. flag, the Admiralty Board seal, the Treasury seal, and other devices. Congress did not grant the requested payment, and surviving records do not prove that he alone created the final flag.

This makes Hopkinson different from the Betsy Ross legend. Historians generally describe the early flag as an evolving design rather than the confirmed work of one person, although Hopkinson is the only individual known to have made a contemporary personal claim.