"On behalf of"

[Jim Parish]

Over the last few years, here at SIUE, we have received a number of
proclamations from Gov. Blagojevich, ordering that the US and state
flags should be put at half-staff for a day. Each of these proclamations
has ended with the words "on behalf of :name:, :branch of service:"

This construction seems odd to me; I would expect "in honor of" or "in
memory of". Is this merely a Blagojevichism, or has it been sighted
elsewhere?

Jim Parish

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