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List of Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients

This is a partial list of recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, listed chronologically within the aspect of life in which each recipient is or was renowned.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is awarded by the president of the United States "for especially meritorious contribution to (1) the security or national interests of the United States, or (2) world peace, or (3) cultural or other significant public or private endeavors." Honorees are selected by the president or recommended to them by the Distinguished Civilian Service Awards Board.[1]

Background edit

Typically the medal is bestowed upon the recipient by the sitting president who has chosen them. However, the first recipients selected by President John F. Kennedy before his assassination were formally awarded by his successor in office, Lyndon B. Johnson.[2]

President Barack Obama awarded 123 medals, the most ever, followed by President Ronald Reagan with 100 medal recipients.[3][4][5] Two people, Ellsworth Bunker and Colin Powell, are two-time recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Colin Powell received his second award with Distinction,[6] while Ellsworth Bunker was given both of his awards with Distinction.

Eight Presidents have themselves received the medal either posthumously, post-presidency, or prior to being elected:

In 2015, President Barack Obama stated that there was no precedent to revoke a Presidential Medal of Freedom, regarding the award given to stand-up comedian and actor Bill Cosby.[7] After being awarded the medal, Cosby was convicted of multiple counts of sexual assault, though the convictions were later overturned.[8]

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is related to, but distinct from, the Medal of Freedom, an earlier award issued between 1945 and 1963 to honor US civilian contributions to World War II.

At the age of 25, athlete and activist Simone Biles is the youngest person to receive this award as of 2022.[9]

Declinations of the award edit

Bill Belichick, coach of the New England Patriots, was offered the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Donald Trump, and initially accepted it, but changed his mind and turned down the medal after the January 6 United States Capitol attack.[10]

Country musician Dolly Parton turned down the medal twice. Parton said she turned it down the first time because her husband was ill, and the second time because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[11]

List edit

  • † – Awarded posthumously
  • WD – Awarded "with Distinction"

Awarded by John F. Kennedy edit

John F. Kennedy selected 31 recipients to be awarded in 1963. After his assassination they were officially awarded by Lyndon B. Johnson.

Recipient Year Notes Notable as Ref.
Marian Anderson 1963 Classical Contralto & First African-American to perform at the Metropolitan Opera [12]
Ralph Bunche WD Political Scientist, Mediator in Israel & First person of African descent to receive a Nobel Prize [2]
Ellsworth Bunker WD U.S. Ambassador to Argentina, Italy and India [2]
Pablo Casals Cellist [13]
Genevieve Caulfield Founder of the Bangkok School for the Blind in Thailand
James B. Conant WD Chemist, 23rd President of Harvard University & 1st U.S. Ambassador to West Germany
John Franklin Enders Biomedical Scientist & Developer of the Measles Vaccine
Felix Frankfurter WD Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States [2]
Karl Holton Head of the Los Angeles County Probation Department & Director of the California Youth Authority [14]
Robert J. H. Kiphuth Head Coach for Men's Swimming at Yale University
Edwin H. Land Co-founder of the Polaroid Corporation & Inventor of the Polaroid Instant Camera
Herbert H. Lehman [a] United States Senator from New York & 45th Governor of New York
Robert A. Lovett WD 4th United States Secretary of Defense
J. Clifford MacDonald Philanthropist & President of the Arc of the United States
John J. McCloy WD United States Assistant Secretary of War & U.S. High Commissioner For Occupied Germany
George Meany 1st President of AFL-CIO [2]
Alexander Meiklejohn Philosopher & President of Amherst College
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe Architect [2]
Jean Monnet WD Entrepreneur & Founding Father of the European Union
Luis Muñoz Marín WD 1st Elected Governor of Puerto Rico
Clarence B. Randall Chairman of The Board of Inland Steel Company & Presidential Advisor [16]
Rudolf Serkin Pianist
Edward Steichen Photographer
George W. Taylor Professor of Industrial Relations at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania
Alan Tower Waterman 1st Director of the National Science Foundation
Mark S. Watson Editor and Correspondent for The Baltimore Sun [14]
Annie Dodge Wauneka Member of the Navajo Nation Council [17]
E. B. White Writer
Thornton Wilder 3x Pulitzer Prize Winning Playwright & Novelist
Edmund Wilson Writer & Literary Critic
Andrew Wyeth Realist and Regionalist Painter & Visual Artist

Awarded by Lyndon B. Johnson edit

Lyndon B. Johnson awarded 58 medals between 1963 and 1969, excluding 31 which were selected by John F. Kennedy.

Recipient Year Notes Notable as Ref.
John XXIII 1963 Pope [14]
John F. Kennedy 35th President of the United States [18]
Dean Acheson 1964 WD 51st United States Secretary of State
Detlev Bronk 6th President of Johns Hopkins University, 16th President of the National Academy of Sciences & 3rd President of Rockefeller University
Aaron Copland Classical Composer
Willem de Kooning Abstract Expressionist Artist [19]
Walt Disney Co-founder and President of The Walt Disney Company [20]
J. Frank Dobie Folklorist
Lena Frances Edwards Physician & Medical Advisor to the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs
T. S. Eliot Modernist Poet
Lynn Fontanne Actress [20]
John W. Gardner 6th United States Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare
Theodore Hesburgh Ordained Priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross & 15th President of University of Notre Dame
Clarence Johnson Aeronautical and Systems Engineer & Contributing Designer to the Lockheed U-2 and SR-71 Blackbird
Frederick Kappel 9th President of Western Electric & Chairman of AT&T
Helen Keller Disability Rights Advocate, Human Rights Activist & Member of the American Foundation for the Blind
John L. Lewis 9th President of the United Mine Workers & 1st President of the Congress of Industrial Organizations
Walter Lippmann Founding Editor of New Republic & Political Commentator
Alfred Lunt Actor & Director [20]
Ralph McGill Editor of the Atlanta Constitution & Anti-Segregationist
Samuel Eliot Morison Maritime Historian
Lewis Mumford Historian, Sociologist & Philosopher of Technology
Edward R. Murrow WD Broadcast Journalist & WWII War Correspondent
Reinhold Niebuhr Reformed Theologian, Ethicist & Professor at Union Theological Seminary
Leontyne Price Soprano & First African-American Soprano to Achieve International Acclaim
A. Philip Randolph Founder and President of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters
Carl Sandburg 3x Pulitzer Prize Winning Poet
John Steinbeck Nobel Prize Winning Writer
Helen B. Taussig Cardiologist, Founder of Pediatric Cardiology & Co-developer of the Blalock-Thomas-Taussig shunt Surgical Procedure
Carl Vinson WD Member of the U.S. House of Representatives & Father of the Two-Ocean Navy
Thomas Watson Jr. President of the International Business Machines Corporation
Paul Dudley White Presidential Physician to Dwight D. Eisenhower & Co-founder of the American Heart Association
Ellsworth Bunker 1967 WD U.S. Ambassador to the Organization of American States and South Vietnam
Robert Komer 3rd Deputy National Security Advisor & U.S. Ambassador to Turkey
Eugene M. Locke U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan & South Vietnam
Robert McNamara 1968 8th United States Secretary of Defense
James E. Webb 2nd Administrator of NASA [21]
Eugene R. Black Sr. 1969 3rd President of the World Bank Group
McGeorge Bundy 5th United States National Security Advisor
Clark Clifford WD 9th United States Secretary of Defense & Chair of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board
Michael DeBakey Chairman of the Department of Surgery, President, and Chancellor of Baylor College of Medicine at the Texas Medical Center
David Dubinsky President of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union
Ralph Ellison Writer & Literary Critic
Henry Ford II President, CEO and Chairman of the Board of the Ford Motor Company
W. Averell Harriman WD 48th Governor of New York & 11th United States Secretary of Commerce
Bob Hope Comedian & Vaudevillian [22]
Edgar Kaiser Member of the Committee on Urban Housing & General Manager of the Kaiser-Frazer Corporation
Mary Lasker Philanthropist & Founder of the Lasker Foundation
John Macy President of the United States Civil Service Commission
Gregory Peck Actor & Humanitarian
Laurance Rockefeller Conservationist & Philanthropist
Dean Rusk WD 54th United States Secretary of State
Walt Whitman Rostow 6th United States National Security Advisor
Merriman Smith White House Correspondent for United Press International & Pulitzer Prize Winning Journalist [23]
Cyrus Vance 7th United States Secretary of the Army & 11th United States Deputy Secretary of Defense
William S. White Pulitzer Prize Winning Journalist for the United Feature Syndicate
Roy Wilkins Executive Director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People [23]
Whitney Young Civil Rights Leader & Member of the National Urban League

Awarded by Richard Nixon edit

Richard Nixon awarded 28 medals between 1969 and 1974.

Recipient Year Notes Notable as Ref.
Buzz Aldrin 1969 WD Astronaut, Pilot & Apollo 11 Crew Member
Neil Armstrong WD Astronaut, Aeronautical Engineer & Apollo 11 Crew Member [24]
Michael Collins WD Astronaut, Pilot & Apollo 11 Crew Member [24]
Duke Ellington Jazz Pianist & Composer
Earl Charles Behrens 1970 Political Editor for the San Francisco Chronicle [25]
Edward T. Folliard Pulitzer Prize Winning Journalist for The Washington Post
Fred Haise Astronaut, Pilot & Apollo 13 Crew Member [26]
William Henry Journalist & Daily Columnist for the Los Angeles Times [25]
Arthur Krock 3x Pulitzer Prize Winning Journalist for The New York Times [25]
David Lawrence Founder of U.S. News & World Report [25]
G. Gould Lincoln Political Reporter for The Washington Evening Star [25]
Jim Lovell Astronaut, Pilot & Apollo 8 Crew Member [26]
Mission Operations Team [27]
Raymond Moley Political Economist, Presidential Advisor to Franklin D. Roosevelt & Columnist for Newsweek & National Review [25]
Eugene Ormandy Violinist, Conductor & Music Director of the Philadelphia Orchestra
Adela Rogers St. Johns Journalist for Photoplay Magazine [25]
Jack Swigert Astronaut, Pilot & Apollo 13 Crew Member [26]
Manlio Brosio 1971 4th Secretary General of NATO
Samuel Goldwyn Film Producer & Founder of Goldwyn Pictures & Samuel Goldwyn Productions
William J. Hopkins Executive Clerk of the White House
John Paul Vann 1972 Lieutenant Colonel of the United States Army & Member of the United States Agency for International Development
Lila Acheson Wallace Philanthropist & Co-founder of Reader's Digest
DeWitt Wallace Co-founder of Reader's Digest
John Ford 1973 Film Director, Naval Officer & Head of the Photography Unit of the Office of Strategic Services
William P. Rogers 63rd United States Attorney General & 55th United States Secretary of State
Paul G. Hoffman 1974 1st Administrator of the Economic Cooperation Administration & 1st Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme
Melvin Laird 10th United States Secretary of Defense & Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
Charles Lowman Orthopedic Surgeon & Founder of California's First Orthopedic Hospital [28]

Awarded by Gerald Ford edit

Gerald Ford awarded 26 medals between 1974 and 1977.

Recipient Year Notes Notable as Ref.
David K. E. Bruce 1976 WD U.S. Ambassador to France, Germany, The United Kingdom, the People's Republic of China & NATO
Martha Graham WD Modern Dancer, Choreographer & Inventor of the Graham Technique [29]
Jesse Owens Olympic Track and Field Athlete [30]
Arthur Rubinstein WD Classical Pianist [31]
Iorwith Wilbur Abel 1977 3rd President of the United Steelworkers
John Bardeen 2x Nobel Prize Winning Physicist & Engineer
Irving Berlin Composer & Songwriter [31]
Norman Borlaug Nobel Prize Winning Agronomist & Leader of the Green Revolution
Omar Bradley Senior Officer of the United States Army & 1st Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff [31]
Arleigh Burke Admiral of the United States Navy & Chief of Naval Operations
Alexander Calder Mobiles Sculptor [32]
Bruce Catton Pulitzer Prize Winning Popular Historian of the American Civil War
Joe DiMaggio Professional Baseball Player [31]
Ariel Durant Pulitzer Prize Winning Researcher & Writer
Will Durant Pulitzer Prize Winning Historian & Philosopher [32]
Arthur Fiedler Conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Boston Pops Orchestra [31]
Henry Friendly Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
Lady Bird Johnson First Lady of the United States [33]
Henry Kissinger 56th United States Secretary of State & 7th United States National Security Advisor
Archibald MacLeish Modernist Poet, 9th Librarian of Congress & 1st Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs [32]
James A. Michener Pulitzer Prize Winning Writer & Philanthropist [32]
Georgia O'Keeffe Modernist Artist & Painter [34]
Nelson Rockefeller 41st Vice President of the United States & 49th Governor of New York [32]
Norman Rockwell Painter & Illustrator [32]
Donald Rumsfeld WD 13th United States Secretary of Defense & Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
Catherine Filene Shouse Philanthropist, Member of the Women's Division of the U.S. Employment Service of the Department of Labor & First Woman appointed to the Democratic National Committee
Lowell Thomas Writer, Broadcaster & Leading Investor of Capital Cities Television Corporation [32]
James Watson Nobel Prize Winning Molecular Biologist & Geneticist who Co-developed the Double Helix Structure Theory for the DNA Molecule

Awarded by Jimmy Carter edit

Jimmy Carter awarded 34 medals between 1977 and 1981.

Recipient Year Notes Notable as Ref.
Martin Luther King Jr. 1977 Baptist Minister, Prominent Leader in the Civil Rights Movement & 1st President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Jonas Salk Virologist & Developer of the Polio Vaccine
Arthur Goldberg 1978 9th United States Secretary of Labor, 6th U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations & Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
Margaret Mead 1979 Cultural Anthropologist & President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science [35]
Ansel Adams 1980 Landscape Photographer & Environmentalist [36]
Horace M. Albright 2nd Director of the National Park Service & Conservationist [37]
Rachel Carson Marine Biologist, Conservationist & Leader in the Global Environmental Movement [36]
Lucia Chase Ballet Director, Dancer & Co-founder of the American Ballet Theatre [36]
Hubert Humphrey 38th Vice President of the United States & United States Senator from Minnesota [36]
Iakovos Primate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America & Civil Rights Activist [36]
Lyndon B. Johnson 36th President of the United States [36]
Clarence Mitchell Jr. Civil Rights Activist & Chief Lobbyist and National Director for NAACP [36]
Roger Tory Peterson Naturalist, Ornithologist & One of the Founding Inspiration of the Environmental Movement [36]
Hyman G. Rickover Admiral in the U.S. Navy & Director of the U.S. Naval Reactors Office [36]
Beverly Sills Operatic Soprano [36]
Robert Penn Warren Poet, Literary Critic, Co-founder of New Criticism & Charter Member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers [36]
John Wayne Actor [36]
Eudora Welty Pulitzer Prize Winning Novelist & Short Story Writer [36]
Tennessee Williams Playwright & Screenwriter [36]
Roger Nash Baldwin 1981 Co-founder and 1st Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union [38]
Harold Brown 14th United States Secretary of Defense
Zbigniew Brzezinski 9th United States National Security Advisor [38]
Warren Christopher 5th United States Deputy Secretary of State & 9th United States Deputy Attorney General
Walter Cronkite Broadcast Journalist & Anchorman for CBS Evening News [38]
Kirk Douglas Actor & Philanthropist [38]
Margaret McNamara Founder of Reading Is Fundamental [38]
Karl Menninger Psychiatrist & Co-founder of the Menninger Foundation and Menninger Clinic
Edmund Muskie 58th United States Secretary of State & United States Senator from Maine
Esther Peterson 2nd Director of the Office of Consumer Affairs & 4th Director of the United States Women's Bureau [38]
Gerard C. Smith Chief U.S. Delegate to the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks & 1st U.S. Chairman of the Trilateral Commission [38]
Robert S. Strauss 6th United States Trade Representative & United States Special Envoy for the Middle East [38]
Elbert Tuttle Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit [38]
Earl Warren 14th Chief Justice of the United States [38]
Andrew Young Executive Director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference & Member of the U.S. House of Representatives [38]

Awarded by Ronald Reagan edit

Ronald Reagan awarded 89 medals between 1981 and 1989.

Recipient Year Notes Notable as Ref.
Eubie Blake 1981 Jazz Pianist & Composer [39]
Ella Grasso 83rd Governor of Connecticut & Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
Bryce Harlow Counselor to the President
Walter Judd Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
Morris I. Leibman Civilian Aide-At-Large to the United States Army & Partner at Sidley Austin
Tex Thornton Founder of Litton Industries
Philip Habib 1982 9th Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs & 9th U.S. Ambassador to Korea
Kate Smith Classical Contralto
George Balanchine 1983 Ballet Choreographer & Co-founder of the New York City Ballet [40]
Clare Boothe Luce U.S. Ambassador to Italy & Member of the U.S. House of Representatives [31]
Bear Bryant College Football Player & Head Coach of the University of Alabama Football Team
James Burnham Political Theorist, Philosopher, Chair of the Philosophy Department at New York University & Leader of the American Conservative Movement [31]
James E. Cheek President of Howard University
Buckminster Fuller Architect, Systems Theorist, Inventor, Philosopher & Futurist [41]
Billy Graham Evangelist, Ordained Southern Baptist Minister & President of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
Eric Hoffer Moral and Social Philosopher
Jacob Javits United States Senator from New York & 58th Attorney General of New York [31]
Dumas Malone Pulitzer Prize Winning Historian & Biographer
Mabel Mercer Cabaret Singer
Simon Ramo Engineer considered to be the Father of the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile
Howard Baker 1984 United States Senator from Tennessee [42]
Pierre Baruzy French Boxer & Manager
James Cagney Actor, Dancer & 6th President of the Screen Actors Guild [42]
Whittaker Chambers Journalist for Time Magazine, Senior Editor at National Review & Key Witness against the Ware Group during the Hiss Case for Perjury [43][44]
Leo Cherne Head of the International Rescue Committee & Chair of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board [31]
Terence Cooke Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church & Archbishop of New York
Denton Cooley Heart and Cardiothoracic Surgeon & Founder and Surgeon-In-Chief of The Texas Heart Institute who performed the first Artificial Heart Implantation [42]
Tennessee Ernie Ford Country and Western Singer [42]
Héctor García Physician, World War II Veteran, Civil Rights Advocate & Founder of the American GI Forum [42]
Andrew Goodpaster United States Army General, Supreme Allied Commander Europe & Commander in Chief of the United States European Command [45]
Henry M. Jackson United States Senator from Washington & Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
Lincoln Kirstein Writer, Impresario, Philanthropist & Co-founder of the New York City Ballet [42]
Louis L'Amour Novelist & Short Story Writer [42]
Joseph Luns 5th Secretary General of NATO & Minister of Foreign Affairs
Norman Vincent Peale Protestant Clergyman, Pastor of Marble Collegiate Church, New York & Author who popularized the concept of Positive Thinking [42]
Jackie Robinson Professional Baseball Player & Civil Rights Advocate [42]
Carlos P. Romulo President of the United Nations General Assembly & Co-founder of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines
Anwar el-Sadat 3rd President of Egypt [46]
Eunice Kennedy Shriver Philanthropist & Founder of the Special Olympics [42]
Count Basie 1985 Jazz Pianist, Composer & Bandleader of the Count Basie Orchestra
Albert Coady Wedemeyer United States Army Commander, General & Member of the War Planning Board which formulated plans for the Invasion of Normandy during World War II
Jacques Cousteau French Naval Officer, Oceanographer & Co-Inventor of the Aqua-Lung
Jerome H. Holland President of Delaware State College, 9th President of Hampton University & U.S. Ambassador to Sweden
Sidney Hook Philosopher of the Pragmatist School [31]
Jeane Kirkpatrick 16th U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations
George Low 14th President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute & 4th Deputy Administrator of NASA
Paul Nitze 12th United States Deputy Secretary of Defense & 58th United States Secretary of the Navy
Frank Reynolds Television Journalist for CBS and ABC News
Frank Sinatra Singer & Actor
James Stewart Actor & Brigadier General
Mother Teresa Catholic Nun, Humanitarian & Founder of the Missionaries of Charity
Juan Trippe Commercial Aviation Pioneer, Entrepreneur & Founder of Pan American World Airways
Albert Wohlstetter Political Scientist influential to the U.S. Nuclear Strategy during the Cold War
Roberta Wohlstetter Historian of American Military Intelligence
Chuck Yeager United States Air Force Officer, Flying Ace & Record-Setting Test Pilot who was the First Confirmed Pilot in History to Exceed the Speed of Sound during Flight
Walter Annenberg 1986 Businessman, Philanthropist, Owner of Triangle Publications & U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom
Earl Blaik American Football Player & Head Coach at Dartmouth College and the United States Military Academy
Barry Goldwater United States Senator from Arizona & United States Air Force Officer
Helen Hayes Actress
Vladimir Horowitz Classical Pianist & Composer
Matthew Ridgway United States Army Senior Officer, Supreme Allied Commander of Europe & 19th Chief of Staff of the United States Army
Joseph Rochefort Naval Officer & Cryptanalyst for the United States Navy during World War II
Vermont C. Royster Editor of The Wall Street Journal
Albert Sabin Medical Researcher, President of the Weizmann Institute of Science & Developer of the Oral Polio Vaccine
An Wang Computer Engineer, Co-founder of Wang Laboratories & Contributing Developer of the Magnetic-Core Memory
Anne Armstrong 1987 First Female Counselor to the President, U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom & Chair of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board
Justin Whitlock Dart Sr. President of Dart Industries & Executive Director of Store Industries for Walgreens
Irving Kaufman Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit & District Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
Danny Kaye Actor, Comedian & Singer
Lyman Lemnitzer United States Army General, 4th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff & Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO
John A. McCone 6th Director of Central Intelligence
Frederick Patterson President of Tuskegee University & Founder of the United Negro College Fund
Nathan Perlmutter 4th Director of the Anti-Defamation League
Mstislav Rostropovich Cellist, Conductor & Human Rights Advocate
William B. Walsh Founder of Project HOPE (USA)
Caspar Weinberger WD 15th United States Secretary of Defense & 10th United States Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare
Meredith Willson Flutist, Bandleader, Composer, Conductor & Playwright
Pearl Bailey 1988 Broadway Actress & Singer
Malcolm Baldrige Jr. 25th United States Secretary of Commerce
Irving Brown Trade Unionist & Leader of the American Federation of Labor and the AFL-CIO
Warren E. Burger 15th Chief Justice of the United States
Peter Carington 6th Secretary General of NATO & Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
Edward DeBartolo Businessman & Real-Estate Developer
Milton Friedman Economist & Statistician
Jean MacArthur Philanthropist
J. Willard Marriott Entrepreneur & Founder of the Marriott Corporation
David Packard Co-founder, President, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Hewlett-Packard, 13th United States Deputy Secretary of Defense & President of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Roger L. Stevens Founding Chairman of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts
Mike Mansfield 1989 United States Senator from Montana
George Shultz 60th United States Secretary of State

Awarded by George H. W. Bush edit

George H. W. Bush awarded 39 medals between 1989 and 1993.

Recipient Year Notes Notable as Ref.
Lucille Ball 1989 Actress, Comedian & Producer
C. Douglas Dillon 57th United States Secretary of the Treasury & the U.S. Ambassador to France
Jimmy Doolittle Military General & Commander of the Doolittle Raid
George F. Kennan 1st Director of Policy Planning & the U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union & Yugoslavia
Claude Pepper Member of the U.S. House of Representatives & United States Senator from Florida
Margaret Chase Smith United States Senator from Maine
Lech Wałęsa Chairman of the Solidarity
Walker Hancock 1990 Sculptor of the Pennsylvania Railroad World War II Memorial and the World War I Soldiers' Memorial [47]
James Baker 1991 10th and 16th White House Chief of Staff
William F. Buckley Jr. Founder of the National Review Magazine
Dick Cheney 17th United States Secretary of Defense & Member of the U.S. House of Representatives [48]
Luis A. Ferré Governor of Puerto Rico
Betty Ford First Lady of the United States [49]
Hanna Holborn Gray 9th President of the University of Chicago
Friedrich Hayek Economist & Legal Theorist
Tip O'Neill 47th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives
Javier Pérez de Cuéllar Secretary General of the United Nations
Colin Powell 12th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. Commander of the United States Central Command
Brent Scowcroft 8th and 16th United States National Security Advisor
Leon Sullivan Baptist Minister & Civil Rights and Social Activist
Margaret Thatcher Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Russell E. Train 2nd Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
Vernon A. Walters 10th Deputy Director of Central Intelligence & the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, West Germany and Germany
William Webster 14th Director of Central Intelligence & the 3rd Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Ted Williams Professional Baseball Player
David Brinkley 1992 Newscaster for NBC and ABC
Johnny Carson Television Host
Ella Fitzgerald Jazz Singer
Audrey Hepburn Actress & Humanitarian
Richard Petty Seven Time Champion of the NASCAR Cup Series, Seven Time Winner of the Daytona 500
Harry W. Shlaudeman U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela, Peru, Argentina, Brazil and Nicaragua
Isaac Stern Violinist
John W. Vessey 10th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Sam Walton Founder of Walmart and Sam's Club
Elie Wiesel Political Activist, Writer & Holocaust Survivor
I. M. Pei Architect [50]
Ronald Reagan 1993 WD 40th President of the United States & Governor of California [51]
Strom Thurmond United States Senator from South Carolina

Awarded by Bill Clinton edit

Bill Clinton awarded 89 medals between 1993 and 2001.

Recipient Year Notes Notable as Ref.
Arthur Ashe 1993 Professional Tennis Player
William J. Brennan Jr. Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
Marjory Stoneman Douglas Journalist, Woman's Suffrage Advocate & Conservationist
J. William Fulbright United States Senator from Arkansas
Thurgood Marshall Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States & the Supreme Court's First African-American Justice
Colin Powell WD 12th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff [6]
Joseph L. Rauh Jr. Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Lawyer
Martha Raye Comic Actress & Singer [5]
John Minor Wisdom Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
Herbert L. Block 1994 Editorial Cartoonist
Cesar Chavez Labor Leader, Civil Rights Activist & Co-founder of the National Farm Workers Association
Arthur Sherwood Flemming 3rd United States Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare
James P. Grant Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Emergency Fund
Dorothy Height Civil Rights and Women's Rights Activist & President of the National Council of Negro Women
Barbara Jordan Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
Lane Kirkland Labour Union Leader & President of AFL-CIO
Robert H. Michel Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
Sargent Shriver 1st Director of the Peace Corps & Founder of the Job Corps, Head Start, VISTA and Upward Bound
Peggy Charren 1995 Founder of Action for Children's Television [5]
William T. Coleman Jr. 4th United States Secretary of Transportation
John Hope Franklin President of Phi Beta Kappa, the Organization of American Historians, the American Historical Association and the Southern Historical Association
Joan Ganz Cooney Founder of Sesame Workshop [5]
A. Leon Higginbotham Jr. Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
Frank Minis Johnson Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
C. Everett Koop 13th Surgeon General of the United States
Gaylord Nelson United States Senator from Wisconsin
Walter Reuther 4th President of the United Automobile Workers
James Rouse Founder of The Rouse Company
Willie Velasquez Founder of the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project
Lew Wasserman President of MCA Inc. [5]
Joseph Bernardin 1996 Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church & Archbishop of Cincinnati & Chicago
James Brady 17th White House Press Secretary
Millard Fuller Co-founder and President for Habitat For Humanity International
David A. Hamburg President of the Carnegie Corporation of New York
John H. Johnson Founder of the Johnson Publishing Company
Eugene Lang Founder of REFAC Technology Development Corporation
Jan Nowak-Jeziorański Polish Journalist & Writer
Antonia Pantoja Founder of ASPIRA & Boricua College
Rosa Parks Civil Rights Activist
Ginetta Sagan Human Rights Activist
Mo Udall Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
Bob Dole 1997 United States Senator from Kansas
William J. Perry 19th United States Secretary of Defense
John Shalikashvili 13th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff & the Supreme Allied Commander Europe
Arnold Aronson 1998 Founder of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights
Brooke Astor Philanthropist & Chairwoman of the Vincent Astor Foundation
Robert Coles Child Psychiatrist & Professor at Harvard University
Justin Dart Jr. Co-founder of the American Association of People with Disabilities
James Farmer 1st National Director of the Congress of Racial Equality
Dante Fascell Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
Zachary Fisher Philanthropist
Frances Hesselbein CEO of the Girl Scouts of the USA
Fred Korematsu Civil Rights Activist
Sol Linowitz Diplomat & Lawyer
Wilma Mankiller Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation [52]
Margaret Murie Conservationist
Mario G. Obledo Civil Rights Leader & 41st President of LULAC
Elliot Richardson 69th United States Attorney General
David Rockefeller CEO of Chase Manhattan Corporation
Albert Shanker President of the United Federation of Teachers and the American Federation of Teachers
Elmo Zumwalt 19th Chief of Naval Operations
Lloyd Bentsen 1999 United States Senator from Texas & 69th United States Secretary of the Treasury
Edgar Bronfman Sr. President of the World Jewish Congress
Jimmy Carter 39th President of the United States & Humanitarian [5]
Rosalynn Carter First Lady of the United States & Humanitarian [5]
Evelyn Dubrow Labour Lobbyist for the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union
Isolina Ferré Roman Catholic Religious Sister & Humanitarian [5]
Gerald Ford 38th President of the United States [5]
Oliver Hill Civil Rights Attorney
Max Kampelman Counselor of the United States Department of State
Helmut Kohl Chancellor of Germany
George J. Mitchell United States Special Envoy for Northern Ireland & United States Senator from Maine
Edgar Wayburn Environmentalist & President of the Sierra Club
James E. Burke 2000 CEO of Johnson & Johnson
John Chafee United States Senator from Rhode Island
Wesley Clark Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO
William J. Crowe 11th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff & the 29th U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom
Marian Wright Edelman Founder and President of the Children's Defense Fund [53]
John Kenneth Galbraith 7th U.S. Ambassador to India
George G. Higgins Catholic Priest & Labor Activist
Jesse Jackson Political Activist & United States Shadow Senator from the District of Columbia
Mildred Jeffrey Political and Social Activist
Mathilde Krim Founding Chairman of amfAR, the American Foundation for AIDS Research
George McGovern United States Senator from South Dakota
Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Senator from New York
Cruz Reynoso Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of California
Aung San Suu Kyi General Secretary of the National League for Democracy
Gardner C. Taylor Baptist Preacher [5]
Simon Wiesenthal Holocaust Survivor & Nazi Hunter

Awarded by George W. Bush edit

George W. Bush awarded 83 medals between 2001 and 2009.

Recipient Year Notes Notable as Ref.
Hank Aaron 2002 Professional Baseball Player
Bill Cosby Stand-Up Comedian & Actor [5]
Plácido Domingo Opera Singer & Conductor
Peter Drucker Management Consultant & Educator
Katharine Graham President of The Washington Post
Donald Henderson Epidemiologist & Dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health
Irving Kristol Journalist & Godfather of Neoconservativism
Nelson Mandela Anti-Apartheid Activist & President of South Africa
Gordon Moore Co-founder and Chairman of Intel Corporation [54]
Nancy Reagan First Lady of the United States [5]
Fred Rogers Television Host & Presbyterian Minister [5]
A. M. Rosenthal Journalist & Executive Editor of The New York Times
Robert Bartley 2003 Editor of the Editorial Page of The Wall Street Journal
Jacques Barzun Historian
Julia Child Cooking Teacher & Television Personality
Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball Player
Van Cliburn Pianist
Václav Havel President of Czechoslovakia & the Czech Republic
Charlton Heston Actor & Political Activist [5]
George Robertson 10th Secretary General of NATO
Edward Teller Theoretical Physicist
Dave Thomas Founder and CEO of Wendy's
Byron White Professional Football Player & Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States [55]
James Q. Wilson Political Scientist
John Wooden Basketball Coach
Paul Bremer 2004 Administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority of Iraq
Edward Brooke United States Senator from Massachusetts
Doris Day Actress, Singer & Activist [5]
Tommy Franks Commander of the United States Central Command
Charlie Daniels Singer-Songwriter
Vartan Gregorian 12th President of the Carnegie Corporation of New York
Gilbert Melville Grosvenor President and Chairman of the National Geographic Society
Gordon B. Hinckley 15th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints [5]
John Paul II WD Pope [5]
Estée Lauder Co-founder of the Estée Lauder Companies
Rita Moreno Actress, Dancer & Singer [5]
Arnold Palmer Professional Golfer
Arnall Patz Medical Doctor & Research Professor at Johns Hopkins University
Norman Podhoretz Magazine Editor & Writer for Commentary Magazine
George Tenet 18th Director of Central Intelligence
Muhammad Ali 2005 Professional Boxer & Human Rights Activist
Walter Wriston Chairman and CEO of Citicorp
Carol Burnett Actress & Comedian [5]
Vint Cerf Co-Developer of the Transmission Control Protocol and the Internet Protocol [56]
Robert Conquest Historian & Poet
Aretha Franklin Singer-Songwriter & Pianist
Alan Greenspan 13th Chair of the Federal Reserve
Andy Griffith Actor & Comedian [5]
Paul Harvey Radio Broadcaster for ABC News Radio [5]
Bob Kahn Co-Developer of the Transmission Control Protocol and the Internet Protocol [57]
Sonny Montgomery Member of the U.S. House of Representatives & Major General of the Mississippi National Guard
Richard Myers 15th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Jack Nicklaus Professional Golfer
Frank Robinson Professional Baseball Player
Paul Rusesabagina Rwandan politician & Manager of the Hôtel des Mille Collines in Kigali during the Rwandan Genocide protecting 1,268 Hutu and Tutsi refugees
Ruth Johnson Colvin 2006 Founder of ProLiteracy Worldwide [58]
Norman Francis President of Xavier University of Louisiana [58]
Paul Johnson Journalist [58]
B.B. King Blues Singer-Songwriter [58]
Joshua Lederberg Molecular Biologist [58]
David McCullough Popular Historian [58]
Norman Mineta 14th United States Secretary of Transportation & Member of the U.S. House of Representatives [58]
Buck O'Neil Professional Baseball Player [58]
William Safire Political Columnist for The New York Times [58]
Natan Sharansky Israeli Politician & Human Rights Activist [58]
Gary Becker 2007 Economist
Óscar Elías Biscet Human Rights and Democratic Freedoms Advocate in Cuba
Francis Collins 2nd Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute
Benjamin Hooks Executive Director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
Henry Hyde Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
Brian Lamb Founder, Executive Chairman and CEO of C-SPAN [5]
Harper Lee Novelist & Civil Rights Activist
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf 24th President of Liberia
Ben Carson 2008 Neurosurgeon & Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center [59]
Anthony Fauci 5th Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases [59]
Tom Lantos Member of the U.S. House of Representatives [59]
Peter Pace 16th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff [59]
Donna Shalala 18th United States Secretary of Health and Human Services [59]
Laurence Silberman Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit [59]
Tony Blair 2009 Prime Minister of the United Kingdom [60]
Ryan Crocker United States Ambassador to Lebanon, Kuwait, Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan & Iraq [61]
John Howard 25th Prime Minister of Australia
Álvaro Uribe 31st President of Colombia

Awarded by Barack Obama edit

Barack Obama awarded 117 medals between 2009 and 2017.

Recipient Year Notes Notable as Ref.
Nancy Brinker 2009 Founder of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation [62]
Joe Medicine Crow War Chief of the Crow Nation [63]
Pedro José Greer Physician & Founding Dean for the Roseman University Health Sciences College of Medicine [63]
Stephen Hawking Theoretical Physicist [63]
Jack Kemp Member of the U.S. House of Representatives [63]
Ted Kennedy United States Senator from Massachusetts [63]
Billie Jean King Professional Tennis Player [63]
Joseph Lowery Co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference [63]
Harvey Milk Member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors & Gay Rights Activist [63]
Sandra Day O'Connor Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court [64]
Sidney Poitier Actor & First African-American & Bahamian to Win an Academy Award [5]
Chita Rivera Actress, Singer & Dancer [63]
Mary Robinson 7th President of Ireland [63]
Janet Rowley Geneticist & First Scientist to Identify a Chromosomal Translocation as the Cause of Leukemia and other Cancers. [63]
Desmond Tutu Anglican Bishop, Theologian & Human Rights Activist [63]
Muhammad Yunus Founder of Grameen Bank
John H. Adams 2011 Founder of the Natural Resources Defense Council [4]
Maya Angelou Poet & Civil Rights Activist [4]
Warren Buffett Philanthropist & CEO of Berkshire Hathaway [4]
George H. W. Bush 41st President of the United States [4]
Robert Gates 22nd United States Secretary of Defense [65]
Jasper Johns Abstract Expressionist Painter & Printmaker [4]
John Lewis Civil Rights Activist & Member of the U.S. House of Representatives [4]
Tom Little Optometrist & Leader of an International Assistance Mission killed during the 2010 Badakhshan Massacre [4]
Yo-Yo Ma Cellist & United Nations Messenger of Peace [4]
Sylvia Mendez Civil Rights Activist [4]
Angela Merkel Chancellor of Germany [4]
Stan Musial Professional Baseball Player [4]
Bill Russell Professional Basketball Player [4]
Jean Kennedy Smith United States Ambassador to Ireland [4]
John J. Sweeney President of AFL-CIO & Labor Leader [4]
Gerda Weissmann Klein Author, Human Rights Activist & Holocaust Educator [4]
Madeleine Albright 2012 64th United States Secretary of State [66]
Bob Dylan Singer-Songwriter [66]
William Foege 10th Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [66]
John Glenn Astronaut and United States Senator from Ohio [66]
Juliette Gordon Low Founder of the Girl Scouts of the USA [66]
Gordon Hirabayashi Sociologist, Civil Rights Activist & Plaintiff in Hirabayashi v. United States [66]
Dolores Huerta Labor Leader & Co-founder of the National Farmworkers Association [66]
Jan Karski Resistance-Fighter during WWII & Diplomat [66]
Toni Morrison Novelist & Civil Rights Activist [66]
Shimon Peres 9th President of Israel [66]
John Paul Stevens Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States [66]
Pat Summitt Women's College Basketball Head Coach [66]
Patricia Wald Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit [66]
Ernie Banks 2013 Professional Baseball Player [67]
Ben Bradlee Executive Editor of The Washington Post [68]
Bill Clinton 42nd President of the United States [68]
John Doar Lawyer & Lead Special Counsel for the U.S. House Judiciary Committee's Impeachment Inquiry Staff
during the Impeachment Process Against Richard Nixon
[68]
Daniel Inouye United States Senator from Hawaii [68]
Daniel Kahneman Psychologist & Economist [68]
Richard Lugar United States Senator from Indiana [68]
Loretta Lynn Singer-Songwriter [68]
Mario J. Molina Chemist who discovered the Antarctic Ozone Hole [68]
Sally Ride Astronaut & Physicist [69]
Bayard Rustin Human Rights Activist [68]
Arturo Sandoval Jazz Trumpeter, Pianist & Composer [68]
Dean Smith Men's College Basketball Head Coach [68]
Gloria Steinem Journalist & Social Political Activist [68]
C. T. Vivian Minister & Civil Rights Activist [68]
Oprah Winfrey Talk Show Host, Actress & Philanthropist [68]
Alvin Ailey 2014 Dancer & Founder of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater [70]
Isabel Allende Author [70]
Tom Brokaw Network Television Journalist [70]
James Chaney Civil Rights Activist [70]
John Dingell Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
Mildred Dresselhaus Nanotechnologist & Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Andrew Goodman Civil Rights Activist [70]
Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Activist & Founder of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights [70]
Abner Mikva Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
Patsy Mink Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
Edward Roybal Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
Michael Schwerner Civil Rights Activist [70]
Suzan Shown Harjo President of the National Council of American Indians [70]
Charlie Sifford Professional Golfer & the First African-American to play on the PGA Tour [70]
Robert Solow Economist & Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology [71]
Meryl Streep Actress [70]
Marlo Thomas Actress, Producer & Social Activist [70]
Stevie Wonder Singer-Songwriter [70]
Steven Spielberg 2015 Director, Producer & Screenwriter [72]
Emilio Estefan Musician & Producer [72]
Gloria Estefan Singer & Actress [72]
Itzhak Perlman Violinist & Conductor [72]
Stephen Sondheim Composer & Lyricist of Musical Theater [72]
Barbra Streisand Singer & Actress [72]
James Taylor Singer-Songwriter [72]
Minoru Yasui Lawyer & Plaintiff in Yasui v. United States [72]
Billy Frank Jr. Environmental Leader & Treaty Rights Activist [72]
Shirley Chisholm Member of the U.S. House of Representatives & First African-American Woman Elected to Congress [72]
Lee H. Hamilton Member of the U.S. House of Representatives [72]
Barbara Mikulski United States Senator from Maryland [72]
William Ruckelshaus 1st & 5th Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency [72]
Katherine Johnson Mathematician whose calculations helped with the First successful U.S. Crewed Spaceflight [72]
Yogi Berra Professional Baseball Player [72]
Bonnie Carroll Founder and President of the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors [72]
Willie Mays Professional Baseball Player [72]
Frank Gehry 2016 Architect [73]
Richard Garwin Physicist & Author of the First Hydrogen Bomb Design [73]
Maya Lin Designer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. [73]
Robert Redford Actor & Filmmaker [73]
Robert De Niro Actor & Producer [73]
Tom Hanks Actor [73]
Cicely Tyson Actress [73]
Diana Ross Singer & Actress [73]
Bruce Springsteen Singer-Songwriter [74]
Grace Hopper Computer Scientist & Developer of the FLOW-MATIC programming language [73]
Margaret Hamilton Director of the Software Engineering Division of the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory [73]
Eduardo J. Padrón President of Miami Dade College [73]
Newton N. Minow Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission [73]
Lorne Michaels Comedian & Film and Television Producer [73]
Ellen DeGeneres Comedian, Television Host & Gay Rights Activist [73]
Bill Gates Philanthropist & Co-founder of Microsoft [73]
Melinda French Gates Philanthropist & Co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation [73]
Elouise P. Cobell Tribal Elder, Activist & Lead Plaintiff in Cobell v. Salazar [73]
Vin Scully Sportscaster [73]
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Basketball Player [73]
Michael Jordan Olympic Basketball Player [73]
Joe Biden 2017 WD 47th Vice President of the United States [75][76]

Awarded by Donald Trump edit

Donald Trump awarded 24 medals between 2017 and 2021.

Recipient Year Notes Notable as Ref.
Miriam Adelson 2018 Publisher of the Israel Hayom, Physician & Political Donor [77]
Orrin Hatch United States Senator from Utah [77]
Alan Page Associate Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court and Football Player [77]
Elvis Presley Singer & Actor [77]
Babe Ruth Professional Baseball Player [77]
Antonin Scalia Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States [77]
Roger Staubach Professional Football Player [77]
Bob Cousy 2019 Professional Basketball Player [78]
Arthur Laffer Political Economist [79]
Edwin Meese 75th United States Attorney General [80]
Roger Penske Professional Auto Racing Team Owner, Driver, & Businessman [81]
Mariano Rivera Professional Baseball Player [82]
Jerry West Basketball Executive & Olympic Professional Basketball Player [83]
Tiger Woods Professional Golfer [84]
Dan Gable 2020 Olympic Wrestler [85]
Lou Holtz Professional Football Coach [86]
Jack Keane Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army [87]
Rush Limbaugh [b] Political Commentator [89]
Jim Ryun Member of the U.S. House of Representatives and Olympic athlete [90]
Babe Didrikson Zaharias 2021 Olympic Athlete [91]
Devin Nunes Member of the U.S. House of Representatives [92]
Jim Jordan Member of the U.S. House of Representatives [93]
Gary Player Professional Golfer [91]
Annika Sörenstam Professional Golfer [91]

Awarded by Joe Biden edit

Joe Biden has awarded 36 medals since 2022.

Recipient Year Notes Notable as Ref.
Simone Biles 2022 Olympic Gymnast & Human Rights Activist [94]
Simone Campbell Roman Catholic Religious Sister & Member of the Sisters of Social Service [94]
Julieta García President of Texas Southmost College [94]
Gabrielle Giffords Member of the U.S. House of Representatives & Gun Control Activist [94]
Fred Gray Civil Rights Attorney & President of the Alabama State Bar [94]
Steve Jobs Entrepreneur & Co-founder and CEO of Apple [94]
Alexander Karloutsos Protopresbyter in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America [94]
Khizr Khan Member of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom & Activist [94]
Sandra Lindsay Critical Care Nurse & First American to receive the COVID-19 Vaccine [94]
John McCain United States Senator from Arizona & Purple Heart Recipient [94]
Diane Nash Civil Rights Activist & Co-founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee [94]
Megan Rapinoe Olympic Professional Soccer Player & Human Rights Activist [94]
Alan Simpson United States Senator from Wyoming [94]
Richard Trumka President of the United Mine Workers & Secretary-General of the AFL-CIO [94]
Wilma Vaught Brigadier General [94]
Denzel Washington Actor, Producer & National Spokesperson for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America [94]
Raul Yzaguirre U.S. Ambassador to the Dominican Republic & President and CEO of the National Council of La Raza [94]
Michael Bloomberg 2024 Entrepreneur, philanthropist and three-term Mayor of New York City [95]
Greg Boyle Jesuit Catholic priest and founder and director of the rehabilitation program Homeboy Industries [95]
Jim Clyburn Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina and former House Majority Whip [95]
Elizabeth Dole United States Senator from North Carolina from 2003 to 2009, Transportation Secretary, and Labor Secretary [95]
Phil Donahue Former daytime talk show host [95]
Medgar Evers Famed Civil rights activist who was murdered at age 37 in 1963 [95]
Al Gore 45th Vice President of the United States and environmentalist [95]
Clarence B. Jones Civil rights activist [95]
John Kerry 1st U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, Former U.S. Secretary of State and Former Massachusetts Senator from 1985 to 2013. [95]
Frank Lautenberg United States Senator from New Jersey [95]
Katie Ledecky Winner of seven Olympic gold medals and 21 world championship gold medals [95]
Opal Lee Educator and activist who pushed to make Juneteenth a national holiday [95]
Ellen Ochoa Astronaut and second female director of NASA's Johnson Space Center [95]
Nancy Pelosi 52nd and first female Speaker of the United States House of Representatives [95]
Jane Rigby Chief scientist of the James Webb Space Telescope [95]
Teresa Romero President of the United Farm Workers union [95]
Judy Shepard Co-founder of the Matthew Shepard Foundation [95]
Jim Thorpe First Native American to win an Olympic gold medal [95]
Michelle Yeoh First Asian actor to win the Academy Award for Best Actress [95]

Notes edit

  1. ^ Lehman died the day before the ceremony.[15]
  2. ^ Awarded during 2020 State of the Union Address.[88]

Bibliography edit

  • Wetterau, Bruce (1996). The Presidential Medal of Freedom: Winners and Their Achievements. Congressional Quarterly. p. 513. ISBN 978-1-56802-128-7. – contains a list of awardees from 1963 to approximately 1995

References edit

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  3. ^ "Medal of Freedom Ceremony" (August 12, 2009) August 12, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, a news release, August 12, 2009, from the White House Press Secretary at whitehouse.gov April 10, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, the White House's official website. Retrieved August 22, 2009.
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  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Secretary of the Senate, United States Congress. "Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipients". Official Website of the United States Senate. United States Senate (Government of the United States). from the original on July 14, 2004. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
  6. ^ a b Clinton, W. J. (September 30, 1993). . University of California, Santa Barbara: The American Presidency Project. Archived from the original on September 19, 2016. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
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  8. ^ "Bill Cosby's sex assault conviction overturned by court". CTV News. The Associated Press. June 30, 2021. from the original on June 30, 2021. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
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  10. ^ Ruiz-Grossman, Sarah (January 11, 2021). "New England Patriots Coach Bill Belichick Refuses Medal Of Freedom". HuffPost. from the original on August 26, 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
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  35. ^ The National First Ladies Library (November 16, 2010). (PDF). Canton Ohio. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 14, 2011. Retrieved February 11, 2011. Dr. Margaret Mead (1901–1978)...Presidential Medal of Freedom received January 19, 1979{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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  50. ^ "Curriculum Vitae of I. M. Pei". Pei Cobb Freed & Partners. from the original on February 16, 2009. Retrieved July 20, 2009.
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External links edit

list, presidential, medal, freedom, recipients, this, partial, list, recipients, presidential, medal, freedom, listed, chronologically, within, aspect, life, which, each, recipient, renowned, presidential, medal, freedom, presidential, medal, freedom, awarded,. This is a partial list of recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom listed chronologically within the aspect of life in which each recipient is or was renowned The Presidential Medal of Freedom The Presidential Medal of Freedom is awarded by the president of the United States for especially meritorious contribution to 1 the security or national interests of the United States or 2 world peace or 3 cultural or other significant public or private endeavors Honorees are selected by the president or recommended to them by the Distinguished Civilian Service Awards Board 1 Contents 1 Background 1 1 Declinations of the award 2 List 2 1 Awarded by John F Kennedy 2 2 Awarded by Lyndon B Johnson 2 3 Awarded by Richard Nixon 2 4 Awarded by Gerald Ford 2 5 Awarded by Jimmy Carter 2 6 Awarded by Ronald Reagan 2 7 Awarded by George H W Bush 2 8 Awarded by Bill Clinton 2 9 Awarded by George W Bush 2 10 Awarded by Barack Obama 2 11 Awarded by Donald Trump 2 12 Awarded by Joe Biden 3 Notes 4 Bibliography 5 References 6 External linksBackground editTypically the medal is bestowed upon the recipient by the sitting president who has chosen them However the first recipients selected by President John F Kennedy before his assassination were formally awarded by his successor in office Lyndon B Johnson 2 President Barack Obama awarded 123 medals the most ever followed by President Ronald Reagan with 100 medal recipients 3 4 5 Two people Ellsworth Bunker and Colin Powell are two time recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom Colin Powell received his second award with Distinction 6 while Ellsworth Bunker was given both of his awards with Distinction Eight Presidents have themselves received the medal either posthumously post presidency or prior to being elected John F Kennedy 1963 posthumously Lyndon B Johnson 1980 posthumously Ronald Reagan 1993 with Distinction Gerald Ford 1999 Jimmy Carter 1999 George H W Bush 2011 Bill Clinton 2013 Joe Biden 2017 as Vice President also awarded with Distinction In 2015 President Barack Obama stated that there was no precedent to revoke a Presidential Medal of Freedom regarding the award given to stand up comedian and actor Bill Cosby 7 After being awarded the medal Cosby was convicted of multiple counts of sexual assault though the convictions were later overturned 8 The Presidential Medal of Freedom is related to but distinct from the Medal of Freedom an earlier award issued between 1945 and 1963 to honor US civilian contributions to World War II At the age of 25 athlete and activist Simone Biles is the youngest person to receive this award as of 2022 9 Declinations of the award edit Bill Belichick coach of the New England Patriots was offered the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Donald Trump and initially accepted it but changed his mind and turned down the medal after the January 6 United States Capitol attack 10 Country musician Dolly Parton turned down the medal twice Parton said she turned it down the first time because her husband was ill and the second time because of the COVID 19 pandemic 11 List edit Awarded posthumously WD Awarded with Distinction Awarded by John F Kennedy edit John F Kennedy selected 31 recipients to be awarded in 1963 After his assassination they were officially awarded by Lyndon B Johnson Recipient Year Notes Notable as Ref Marian Anderson 1963 Classical Contralto amp First African American to perform at the Metropolitan Opera 12 Ralph Bunche WD Political Scientist Mediator in Israel amp First person of African descent to receive a Nobel Prize 2 Ellsworth Bunker WD U S Ambassador to Argentina Italy and India 2 Pablo Casals Cellist 13 Genevieve Caulfield Founder of the Bangkok School for the Blind in Thailand James B Conant WD Chemist 23rd President of Harvard University amp 1st U S Ambassador to West Germany John Franklin Enders Biomedical Scientist amp Developer of the Measles Vaccine Felix Frankfurter WD Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States 2 Karl Holton Head of the Los Angeles County Probation Department amp Director of the California Youth Authority 14 Robert J H Kiphuth Head Coach for Men s Swimming at Yale University Edwin H Land Co founder of the Polaroid Corporation amp Inventor of the Polaroid Instant Camera Herbert H Lehman a United States Senator from New York amp 45th Governor of New York Robert A Lovett WD 4th United States Secretary of Defense J Clifford MacDonald Philanthropist amp President of the Arc of the United States John J McCloy WD United States Assistant Secretary of War amp U S High Commissioner For Occupied Germany George Meany 1st President of AFL CIO 2 Alexander Meiklejohn Philosopher amp President of Amherst College Ludwig Mies van der Rohe Architect 2 Jean Monnet WD Entrepreneur amp Founding Father of the European Union Luis Munoz Marin WD 1st Elected Governor of Puerto Rico Clarence B Randall Chairman of The Board of Inland Steel Company amp Presidential Advisor 16 Rudolf Serkin Pianist Edward Steichen Photographer George W Taylor Professor of Industrial Relations at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania Alan Tower Waterman 1st Director of the National Science Foundation Mark S Watson Editor and Correspondent for The Baltimore Sun 14 Annie Dodge Wauneka Member of the Navajo Nation Council 17 E B White Writer Thornton Wilder 3x Pulitzer Prize Winning Playwright amp Novelist Edmund Wilson Writer amp Literary Critic Andrew Wyeth Realist and Regionalist Painter amp Visual Artist Awarded by Lyndon B Johnson edit Lyndon B Johnson awarded 58 medals between 1963 and 1969 excluding 31 which were selected by John F Kennedy Recipient Year Notes Notable as Ref John XXIII 1963 Pope 14 John F Kennedy 35th President of the United States 18 Dean Acheson 1964 WD 51st United States Secretary of State Detlev Bronk 6th President of Johns Hopkins University 16th President of the National Academy of Sciences amp 3rd President of Rockefeller University Aaron Copland Classical Composer Willem de Kooning Abstract Expressionist Artist 19 Walt Disney Co founder and President of The Walt Disney Company 20 J Frank Dobie Folklorist Lena Frances Edwards Physician amp Medical Advisor to the National Association of Colored Women s Clubs T S Eliot Modernist Poet Lynn Fontanne Actress 20 John W Gardner 6th United States Secretary of Health Education and Welfare Theodore Hesburgh Ordained Priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross amp 15th President of University of Notre Dame Clarence Johnson Aeronautical and Systems Engineer amp Contributing Designer to the Lockheed U 2 and SR 71 Blackbird Frederick Kappel 9th President of Western Electric amp Chairman of AT amp T Helen Keller Disability Rights Advocate Human Rights Activist amp Member of the American Foundation for the Blind John L Lewis 9th President of the United Mine Workers amp 1st President of the Congress of Industrial Organizations Walter Lippmann Founding Editor of New Republic amp Political Commentator Alfred Lunt Actor amp Director 20 Ralph McGill Editor of the Atlanta Constitution amp Anti Segregationist Samuel Eliot Morison Maritime Historian Lewis Mumford Historian Sociologist amp Philosopher of Technology Edward R Murrow WD Broadcast Journalist amp WWII War Correspondent Reinhold Niebuhr Reformed Theologian Ethicist amp Professor at Union Theological Seminary Leontyne Price Soprano amp First African American Soprano to Achieve International Acclaim A Philip Randolph Founder and President of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters Carl Sandburg 3x Pulitzer Prize Winning Poet John Steinbeck Nobel Prize Winning Writer Helen B Taussig Cardiologist Founder of Pediatric Cardiology amp Co developer of the Blalock Thomas Taussig shunt Surgical Procedure Carl Vinson WD Member of the U S House of Representatives amp Father of the Two Ocean Navy Thomas Watson Jr President of the International Business Machines Corporation Paul Dudley White Presidential Physician to Dwight D Eisenhower amp Co founder of the American Heart Association Ellsworth Bunker 1967 WD U S Ambassador to the Organization of American States and South Vietnam Robert Komer 3rd Deputy National Security Advisor amp U S Ambassador to Turkey Eugene M Locke U S Ambassador to Pakistan amp South Vietnam Robert McNamara 1968 8th United States Secretary of Defense James E Webb 2nd Administrator of NASA 21 Eugene R Black Sr 1969 3rd President of the World Bank Group McGeorge Bundy 5th United States National Security Advisor Clark Clifford WD 9th United States Secretary of Defense amp Chair of the President s Intelligence Advisory Board Michael DeBakey Chairman of the Department of Surgery President and Chancellor of Baylor College of Medicine at the Texas Medical Center David Dubinsky President of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union Ralph Ellison Writer amp Literary Critic Henry Ford II President CEO and Chairman of the Board of the Ford Motor Company W Averell Harriman WD 48th Governor of New York amp 11th United States Secretary of Commerce Bob Hope Comedian amp Vaudevillian 22 Edgar Kaiser Member of the Committee on Urban Housing amp General Manager of the Kaiser Frazer Corporation Mary Lasker Philanthropist amp Founder of the Lasker Foundation John Macy President of the United States Civil Service Commission Gregory Peck Actor amp Humanitarian Laurance Rockefeller Conservationist amp Philanthropist Dean Rusk WD 54th United States Secretary of State Walt Whitman Rostow 6th United States National Security Advisor Merriman Smith White House Correspondent for United Press International amp Pulitzer Prize Winning Journalist 23 Cyrus Vance 7th United States Secretary of the Army amp 11th United States Deputy Secretary of Defense William S White Pulitzer Prize Winning Journalist for the United Feature Syndicate Roy Wilkins Executive Director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People 23 Whitney Young Civil Rights Leader amp Member of the National Urban League Awarded by Richard Nixon edit Richard Nixon awarded 28 medals between 1969 and 1974 Recipient Year Notes Notable as Ref Buzz Aldrin 1969 WD Astronaut Pilot amp Apollo 11 Crew Member Neil Armstrong WD Astronaut Aeronautical Engineer amp Apollo 11 Crew Member 24 Michael Collins WD Astronaut Pilot amp Apollo 11 Crew Member 24 Duke Ellington Jazz Pianist amp Composer Earl Charles Behrens 1970 Political Editor for the San Francisco Chronicle 25 Edward T Folliard Pulitzer Prize Winning Journalist for The Washington Post Fred Haise Astronaut Pilot amp Apollo 13 Crew Member 26 William Henry Journalist amp Daily Columnist for the Los Angeles Times 25 Arthur Krock 3x Pulitzer Prize Winning Journalist for The New York Times 25 David Lawrence Founder of U S News amp World Report 25 G Gould Lincoln Political Reporter for The Washington Evening Star 25 Jim Lovell Astronaut Pilot amp Apollo 8 Crew Member 26 Mission Operations Team 27 Raymond Moley Political Economist Presidential Advisor to Franklin D Roosevelt amp Columnist for Newsweek amp National Review 25 Eugene Ormandy Violinist Conductor amp Music Director of the Philadelphia Orchestra Adela Rogers St Johns Journalist for Photoplay Magazine 25 Jack Swigert Astronaut Pilot amp Apollo 13 Crew Member 26 Manlio Brosio 1971 4th Secretary General of NATO Samuel Goldwyn Film Producer amp Founder of Goldwyn Pictures amp Samuel Goldwyn Productions William J Hopkins Executive Clerk of the White House John Paul Vann 1972 Lieutenant Colonel of the United States Army amp Member of the United States Agency for International Development Lila Acheson Wallace Philanthropist amp Co founder of Reader s Digest DeWitt Wallace Co founder of Reader s Digest John Ford 1973 Film Director Naval Officer amp Head of the Photography Unit of the Office of Strategic Services William P Rogers 63rd United States Attorney General amp 55th United States Secretary of State Paul G Hoffman 1974 1st Administrator of the Economic Cooperation Administration amp 1st Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme Melvin Laird 10th United States Secretary of Defense amp Member of the U S House of Representatives Charles Lowman Orthopedic Surgeon amp Founder of California s First Orthopedic Hospital 28 Awarded by Gerald Ford edit Gerald Ford awarded 26 medals between 1974 and 1977 Recipient Year Notes Notable as Ref David K E Bruce 1976 WD U S Ambassador to France Germany The United Kingdom the People s Republic of China amp NATO Martha Graham WD Modern Dancer Choreographer amp Inventor of the Graham Technique 29 Jesse Owens Olympic Track and Field Athlete 30 Arthur Rubinstein WD Classical Pianist 31 Iorwith Wilbur Abel 1977 3rd President of the United Steelworkers John Bardeen 2x Nobel Prize Winning Physicist amp Engineer Irving Berlin Composer amp Songwriter 31 Norman Borlaug Nobel Prize Winning Agronomist amp Leader of the Green Revolution Omar Bradley Senior Officer of the United States Army amp 1st Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff 31 Arleigh Burke Admiral of the United States Navy amp Chief of Naval Operations Alexander Calder Mobiles Sculptor 32 Bruce Catton Pulitzer Prize Winning Popular Historian of the American Civil War Joe DiMaggio Professional Baseball Player 31 Ariel Durant Pulitzer Prize Winning Researcher amp Writer Will Durant Pulitzer Prize Winning Historian amp Philosopher 32 Arthur Fiedler Conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Boston Pops Orchestra 31 Henry Friendly Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit Lady Bird Johnson First Lady of the United States 33 Henry Kissinger 56th United States Secretary of State amp 7th United States National Security Advisor Archibald MacLeish Modernist Poet 9th Librarian of Congress amp 1st Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs 32 James A Michener Pulitzer Prize Winning Writer amp Philanthropist 32 Georgia O Keeffe Modernist Artist amp Painter 34 Nelson Rockefeller 41st Vice President of the United States amp 49th Governor of New York 32 Norman Rockwell Painter amp Illustrator 32 Donald Rumsfeld WD 13th United States Secretary of Defense amp Member of the U S House of Representatives Catherine Filene Shouse Philanthropist Member of the Women s Division of the U S Employment Service of the Department of Labor amp First Woman appointed to the Democratic National Committee Lowell Thomas Writer Broadcaster amp Leading Investor of Capital Cities Television Corporation 32 James Watson Nobel Prize Winning Molecular Biologist amp Geneticist who Co developed the Double Helix Structure Theory for the DNA Molecule Awarded by Jimmy Carter edit Jimmy Carter awarded 34 medals between 1977 and 1981 Recipient Year Notes Notable as Ref Martin Luther King Jr 1977 Baptist Minister Prominent Leader in the Civil Rights Movement amp 1st President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference Jonas Salk Virologist amp Developer of the Polio Vaccine Arthur Goldberg 1978 9th United States Secretary of Labor 6th U S Ambassador to the United Nations amp Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Margaret Mead 1979 Cultural Anthropologist amp President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science 35 Ansel Adams 1980 Landscape Photographer amp Environmentalist 36 Horace M Albright 2nd Director of the National Park Service amp Conservationist 37 Rachel Carson Marine Biologist Conservationist amp Leader in the Global Environmental Movement 36 Lucia Chase Ballet Director Dancer amp Co founder of the American Ballet Theatre 36 Hubert Humphrey 38th Vice President of the United States amp United States Senator from Minnesota 36 Iakovos Primate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America amp Civil Rights Activist 36 Lyndon B Johnson 36th President of the United States 36 Clarence Mitchell Jr Civil Rights Activist amp Chief Lobbyist and National Director for NAACP 36 Roger Tory Peterson Naturalist Ornithologist amp One of the Founding Inspiration of the Environmental Movement 36 Hyman G Rickover Admiral in the U S Navy amp Director of the U S Naval Reactors Office 36 Beverly Sills Operatic Soprano 36 Robert Penn Warren Poet Literary Critic Co founder of New Criticism amp Charter Member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers 36 John Wayne Actor 36 Eudora Welty Pulitzer Prize Winning Novelist amp Short Story Writer 36 Tennessee Williams Playwright amp Screenwriter 36 Roger Nash Baldwin 1981 Co founder and 1st Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union 38 Harold Brown 14th United States Secretary of Defense Zbigniew Brzezinski 9th United States National Security Advisor 38 Warren Christopher 5th United States Deputy Secretary of State amp 9th United States Deputy Attorney General Walter Cronkite Broadcast Journalist amp Anchorman for CBS Evening News 38 Kirk Douglas Actor amp Philanthropist 38 Margaret McNamara Founder of Reading Is Fundamental 38 Karl Menninger Psychiatrist amp Co founder of the Menninger Foundation and Menninger Clinic Edmund Muskie 58th United States Secretary of State amp United States Senator from Maine Esther Peterson 2nd Director of the Office of Consumer Affairs amp 4th Director of the United States Women s Bureau 38 Gerard C Smith Chief U S Delegate to the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks amp 1st U S Chairman of the Trilateral Commission 38 Robert S Strauss 6th United States Trade Representative amp United States Special Envoy for the Middle East 38 Elbert Tuttle Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit 38 Earl Warren 14th Chief Justice of the United States 38 Andrew Young Executive Director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference amp Member of the U S House of Representatives 38 Awarded by Ronald Reagan edit Ronald Reagan awarded 89 medals between 1981 and 1989 Recipient Year Notes Notable as Ref Eubie Blake 1981 Jazz Pianist amp Composer 39 Ella Grasso 83rd Governor of Connecticut amp Member of the U S House of Representatives Bryce Harlow Counselor to the President Walter Judd Member of the U S House of Representatives Morris I Leibman Civilian Aide At Large to the United States Army amp Partner at Sidley Austin Tex Thornton Founder of Litton Industries Philip Habib 1982 9th Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs amp 9th U S Ambassador to Korea Kate Smith Classical Contralto George Balanchine 1983 Ballet Choreographer amp Co founder of the New York City Ballet 40 Clare Boothe Luce U S Ambassador to Italy amp Member of the U S House of Representatives 31 Bear Bryant College Football Player amp Head Coach of the University of Alabama Football Team James Burnham Political Theorist Philosopher Chair of the Philosophy Department at New York University amp Leader of the American Conservative Movement 31 James E Cheek President of Howard University Buckminster Fuller Architect Systems Theorist Inventor Philosopher amp Futurist 41 Billy Graham Evangelist Ordained Southern Baptist Minister amp President of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association Eric Hoffer Moral and Social Philosopher Jacob Javits United States Senator from New York amp 58th Attorney General of New York 31 Dumas Malone Pulitzer Prize Winning Historian amp Biographer Mabel Mercer Cabaret Singer Simon Ramo Engineer considered to be the Father of the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Howard Baker 1984 United States Senator from Tennessee 42 Pierre Baruzy French Boxer amp Manager James Cagney Actor Dancer amp 6th President of the Screen Actors Guild 42 Whittaker Chambers Journalist for Time Magazine Senior Editor at National Review amp Key Witness against the Ware Group during the Hiss Case for Perjury 43 44 Leo Cherne Head of the International Rescue Committee amp Chair of the President s Intelligence Advisory Board 31 Terence Cooke Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church amp Archbishop of New York Denton Cooley Heart and Cardiothoracic Surgeon amp Founder and Surgeon In Chief of The Texas Heart Institute who performed the first Artificial Heart Implantation 42 Tennessee Ernie Ford Country and Western Singer 42 Hector Garcia Physician World War II Veteran Civil Rights Advocate amp Founder of the American GI Forum 42 Andrew Goodpaster United States Army General Supreme Allied Commander Europe amp Commander in Chief of the United States European Command 45 Henry M Jackson United States Senator from Washington amp Member of the U S House of Representatives Lincoln Kirstein Writer Impresario Philanthropist amp Co founder of the New York City Ballet 42 Louis L Amour Novelist amp Short Story Writer 42 Joseph Luns 5th Secretary General of NATO amp Minister of Foreign Affairs Norman Vincent Peale Protestant Clergyman Pastor of Marble Collegiate Church New York amp Author who popularized the concept of Positive Thinking 42 Jackie Robinson Professional Baseball Player amp Civil Rights Advocate 42 Carlos P Romulo President of the United Nations General Assembly amp Co founder of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines Anwar el Sadat 3rd President of Egypt 46 Eunice Kennedy Shriver Philanthropist amp Founder of the Special Olympics 42 Count Basie 1985 Jazz Pianist Composer amp Bandleader of the Count Basie Orchestra Albert Coady Wedemeyer United States Army Commander General amp Member of the War Planning Board which formulated plans for the Invasion of Normandy during World War II Jacques Cousteau French Naval Officer Oceanographer amp Co Inventor of the Aqua Lung Jerome H Holland President of Delaware State College 9th President of Hampton University amp U S Ambassador to Sweden Sidney Hook Philosopher of the Pragmatist School 31 Jeane Kirkpatrick 16th U S Ambassador to the United Nations George Low 14th President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute amp 4th Deputy Administrator of NASA Paul Nitze 12th United States Deputy Secretary of Defense amp 58th United States Secretary of the Navy Frank Reynolds Television Journalist for CBS and ABC News Frank Sinatra Singer amp Actor James Stewart Actor amp Brigadier General Mother Teresa Catholic Nun Humanitarian amp Founder of the Missionaries of Charity Juan Trippe Commercial Aviation Pioneer Entrepreneur amp Founder of Pan American World Airways Albert Wohlstetter Political Scientist influential to the U S Nuclear Strategy during the Cold War Roberta Wohlstetter Historian of American Military Intelligence Chuck Yeager United States Air Force Officer Flying Ace amp Record Setting Test Pilot who was the First Confirmed Pilot in History to Exceed the Speed of Sound during Flight Walter Annenberg 1986 Businessman Philanthropist Owner of Triangle Publications amp U S Ambassador to the United Kingdom Earl Blaik American Football Player amp Head Coach at Dartmouth College and the United States Military Academy Barry Goldwater United States Senator from Arizona amp United States Air Force Officer Helen Hayes Actress Vladimir Horowitz Classical Pianist amp Composer Matthew Ridgway United States Army Senior Officer Supreme Allied Commander of Europe amp 19th Chief of Staff of the United States Army Joseph Rochefort Naval Officer amp Cryptanalyst for the United States Navy during World War II Vermont C Royster Editor of The Wall Street Journal Albert Sabin Medical Researcher President of the Weizmann Institute of Science amp Developer of the Oral Polio Vaccine An Wang Computer Engineer Co founder of Wang Laboratories amp Contributing Developer of the Magnetic Core Memory Anne Armstrong 1987 First Female Counselor to the President U S Ambassador to the United Kingdom amp Chair of the President s Intelligence Advisory Board Justin Whitlock Dart Sr President of Dart Industries amp Executive Director of Store Industries for Walgreens Irving Kaufman Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit amp District Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York Danny Kaye Actor Comedian amp Singer Lyman Lemnitzer United States Army General 4th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff amp Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO John A McCone 6th Director of Central Intelligence Frederick Patterson President of Tuskegee University amp Founder of the United Negro College Fund Nathan Perlmutter 4th Director of the Anti Defamation League Mstislav Rostropovich Cellist Conductor amp Human Rights Advocate William B Walsh Founder of Project HOPE USA Caspar Weinberger WD 15th United States Secretary of Defense amp 10th United States Secretary of Health Education and Welfare Meredith Willson Flutist Bandleader Composer Conductor amp Playwright Pearl Bailey 1988 Broadway Actress amp Singer Malcolm Baldrige Jr 25th United States Secretary of Commerce Irving Brown Trade Unionist amp Leader of the American Federation of Labor and the AFL CIO Warren E Burger 15th Chief Justice of the United States Peter Carington 6th Secretary General of NATO amp Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Edward DeBartolo Businessman amp Real Estate Developer Milton Friedman Economist amp Statistician Jean MacArthur Philanthropist J Willard Marriott Entrepreneur amp Founder of the Marriott Corporation David Packard Co founder President CEO and Chairman of the Board of Hewlett Packard 13th United States Deputy Secretary of Defense amp President of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences Roger L Stevens Founding Chairman of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts Mike Mansfield 1989 United States Senator from Montana George Shultz 60th United States Secretary of State Awarded by George H W Bush edit George H W Bush awarded 39 medals between 1989 and 1993 Recipient Year Notes Notable as Ref Lucille Ball 1989 Actress Comedian amp Producer C Douglas Dillon 57th United States Secretary of the Treasury amp the U S Ambassador to France Jimmy Doolittle Military General amp Commander of the Doolittle Raid George F Kennan 1st Director of Policy Planning amp the U S Ambassador to the Soviet Union amp Yugoslavia Claude Pepper Member of the U S House of Representatives amp United States Senator from Florida Margaret Chase Smith United States Senator from Maine Lech Walesa Chairman of the Solidarity Walker Hancock 1990 Sculptor of the Pennsylvania Railroad World War II Memorial and the World War I Soldiers Memorial 47 James Baker 1991 10th and 16th White House Chief of Staff William F Buckley Jr Founder of the National Review Magazine Dick Cheney 17th United States Secretary of Defense amp Member of the U S House of Representatives 48 Luis A Ferre Governor of Puerto Rico Betty Ford First Lady of the United States 49 Hanna Holborn Gray 9th President of the University of Chicago Friedrich Hayek Economist amp Legal Theorist Tip O Neill 47th Speaker of the U S House of Representatives Javier Perez de Cuellar Secretary General of the United Nations Colin Powell 12th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Norman Schwarzkopf Jr Commander of the United States Central Command Brent Scowcroft 8th and 16th United States National Security Advisor Leon Sullivan Baptist Minister amp Civil Rights and Social Activist Margaret Thatcher Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Russell E Train 2nd Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency Vernon A Walters 10th Deputy Director of Central Intelligence amp the U S Ambassador to the United Nations West Germany and Germany William Webster 14th Director of Central Intelligence amp the 3rd Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Ted Williams Professional Baseball Player David Brinkley 1992 Newscaster for NBC and ABC Johnny Carson Television Host Ella Fitzgerald Jazz Singer Audrey Hepburn Actress amp Humanitarian Richard Petty Seven Time Champion of the NASCAR Cup Series Seven Time Winner of the Daytona 500 Harry W Shlaudeman U S Ambassador to Venezuela Peru Argentina Brazil and Nicaragua Isaac Stern Violinist John W Vessey 10th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Sam Walton Founder of Walmart and Sam s Club Elie Wiesel Political Activist Writer amp Holocaust Survivor I M Pei Architect 50 Ronald Reagan 1993 WD 40th President of the United States amp Governor of California 51 Strom Thurmond United States Senator from South Carolina Awarded by Bill Clinton edit Bill Clinton awarded 89 medals between 1993 and 2001 Recipient Year Notes Notable as Ref Arthur Ashe 1993 Professional Tennis Player William J Brennan Jr Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Marjory Stoneman Douglas Journalist Woman s Suffrage Advocate amp Conservationist J William Fulbright United States Senator from Arkansas Thurgood Marshall Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States amp the Supreme Court s First African American Justice Colin Powell WD 12th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff 6 Joseph L Rauh Jr Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Lawyer Martha Raye Comic Actress amp Singer 5 John Minor Wisdom Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Herbert L Block 1994 Editorial Cartoonist Cesar Chavez Labor Leader Civil Rights Activist amp Co founder of the National Farm Workers Association Arthur Sherwood Flemming 3rd United States Secretary of Health Education and Welfare James P Grant Executive Director of the United Nations Children s Emergency Fund Dorothy Height Civil Rights and Women s Rights Activist amp President of the National Council of Negro Women Barbara Jordan Member of the U S House of Representatives Lane Kirkland Labour Union Leader amp President of AFL CIO Robert H Michel Member of the U S House of Representatives Sargent Shriver 1st Director of the Peace Corps amp Founder of the Job Corps Head Start VISTA and Upward Bound Peggy Charren 1995 Founder of Action for Children s Television 5 William T Coleman Jr 4th United States Secretary of Transportation John Hope Franklin President of Phi Beta Kappa the Organization of American Historians the American Historical Association and the Southern Historical Association Joan Ganz Cooney Founder of Sesame Workshop 5 A Leon Higginbotham Jr Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit Frank Minis Johnson Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit C Everett Koop 13th Surgeon General of the United States Gaylord Nelson United States Senator from Wisconsin Walter Reuther 4th President of the United Automobile Workers James Rouse Founder of The Rouse Company Willie Velasquez Founder of the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project Lew Wasserman President of MCA Inc 5 Joseph Bernardin 1996 Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church amp Archbishop of Cincinnati amp Chicago James Brady 17th White House Press Secretary Millard Fuller Co founder and President for Habitat For Humanity International David A Hamburg President of the Carnegie Corporation of New York John H Johnson Founder of the Johnson Publishing Company Eugene Lang Founder of REFAC Technology Development Corporation Jan Nowak Jezioranski Polish Journalist amp Writer Antonia Pantoja Founder of ASPIRA amp Boricua College Rosa Parks Civil Rights Activist Ginetta Sagan Human Rights Activist Mo Udall Member of the U S House of Representatives Bob Dole 1997 United States Senator from Kansas William J Perry 19th United States Secretary of Defense John Shalikashvili 13th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff amp the Supreme Allied Commander Europe Arnold Aronson 1998 Founder of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Brooke Astor Philanthropist amp Chairwoman of the Vincent Astor Foundation Robert Coles Child Psychiatrist amp Professor at Harvard University Justin Dart Jr Co founder of the American Association of People with Disabilities James Farmer 1st National Director of the Congress of Racial Equality Dante Fascell Member of the U S House of Representatives Zachary Fisher Philanthropist Frances Hesselbein CEO of the Girl Scouts of the USA Fred Korematsu Civil Rights Activist Sol Linowitz Diplomat amp Lawyer Wilma Mankiller Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation 52 Margaret Murie Conservationist Mario G Obledo Civil Rights Leader amp 41st President of LULAC Elliot Richardson 69th United States Attorney General David Rockefeller CEO of Chase Manhattan Corporation Albert Shanker President of the United Federation of Teachers and the American Federation of Teachers Elmo Zumwalt 19th Chief of Naval Operations Lloyd Bentsen 1999 United States Senator from Texas amp 69th United States Secretary of the Treasury Edgar Bronfman Sr President of the World Jewish Congress Jimmy Carter 39th President of the United States amp Humanitarian 5 Rosalynn Carter First Lady of the United States amp Humanitarian 5 Evelyn Dubrow Labour Lobbyist for the International Ladies Garment Workers Union Isolina Ferre Roman Catholic Religious Sister amp Humanitarian 5 Gerald Ford 38th President of the United States 5 Oliver Hill Civil Rights Attorney Max Kampelman Counselor of the United States Department of State Helmut Kohl Chancellor of Germany George J Mitchell United States Special Envoy for Northern Ireland amp United States Senator from Maine Edgar Wayburn Environmentalist amp President of the Sierra Club James E Burke 2000 CEO of Johnson amp Johnson John Chafee United States Senator from Rhode Island Wesley Clark Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO William J Crowe 11th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff amp the 29th U S Ambassador to the United Kingdom Marian Wright Edelman Founder and President of the Children s Defense Fund 53 John Kenneth Galbraith 7th U S Ambassador to India George G Higgins Catholic Priest amp Labor Activist Jesse Jackson Political Activist amp United States Shadow Senator from the District of Columbia Mildred Jeffrey Political and Social Activist Mathilde Krim Founding Chairman of amfAR the American Foundation for AIDS Research George McGovern United States Senator from South Dakota Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Senator from New York Cruz Reynoso Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of California Aung San Suu Kyi General Secretary of the National League for Democracy Gardner C Taylor Baptist Preacher 5 Simon Wiesenthal Holocaust Survivor amp Nazi Hunter Awarded by George W Bush edit George W Bush awarded 83 medals between 2001 and 2009 Recipient Year Notes Notable as Ref Hank Aaron 2002 Professional Baseball Player Bill Cosby Stand Up Comedian amp Actor 5 Placido Domingo Opera Singer amp Conductor Peter Drucker Management Consultant amp Educator Katharine Graham President of The Washington Post Donald Henderson Epidemiologist amp Dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health Irving Kristol Journalist amp Godfather of Neoconservativism Nelson Mandela Anti Apartheid Activist amp President of South Africa Gordon Moore Co founder and Chairman of Intel Corporation 54 Nancy Reagan First Lady of the United States 5 Fred Rogers Television Host amp Presbyterian Minister 5 A M Rosenthal Journalist amp Executive Editor of The New York Times Robert Bartley 2003 Editor of the Editorial Page of The Wall Street Journal Jacques Barzun Historian Julia Child Cooking Teacher amp Television Personality Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball Player Van Cliburn Pianist Vaclav Havel President of Czechoslovakia amp the Czech Republic Charlton Heston Actor amp Political Activist 5 George Robertson 10th Secretary General of NATO Edward Teller Theoretical Physicist Dave Thomas Founder and CEO of Wendy s Byron White Professional Football Player amp Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States 55 James Q Wilson Political Scientist John Wooden Basketball Coach Paul Bremer 2004 Administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority of Iraq Edward Brooke United States Senator from Massachusetts Doris Day Actress Singer amp Activist 5 Tommy Franks Commander of the United States Central Command Charlie Daniels Singer Songwriter Vartan Gregorian 12th President of the Carnegie Corporation of New York Gilbert Melville Grosvenor President and Chairman of the National Geographic Society Gordon B Hinckley 15th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints 5 John Paul II WD Pope 5 Estee Lauder Co founder of the Estee Lauder Companies Rita Moreno Actress Dancer amp Singer 5 Arnold Palmer Professional Golfer Arnall Patz Medical Doctor amp Research Professor at Johns Hopkins University Norman Podhoretz Magazine Editor amp Writer for Commentary Magazine George Tenet 18th Director of Central Intelligence Muhammad Ali 2005 Professional Boxer amp Human Rights Activist Walter Wriston Chairman and CEO of Citicorp Carol Burnett Actress amp Comedian 5 Vint Cerf Co Developer of the Transmission Control Protocol and the Internet Protocol 56 Robert Conquest Historian amp Poet Aretha Franklin Singer Songwriter amp Pianist Alan Greenspan 13th Chair of the Federal Reserve Andy Griffith Actor amp Comedian 5 Paul Harvey Radio Broadcaster for ABC News Radio 5 Bob Kahn Co Developer of the Transmission Control Protocol and the Internet Protocol 57 Sonny Montgomery Member of the U S House of Representatives amp Major General of the Mississippi National Guard Richard Myers 15th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Jack Nicklaus Professional Golfer Frank Robinson Professional Baseball Player Paul Rusesabagina Rwandan politician amp Manager of the Hotel des Mille Collines in Kigali during the Rwandan Genocide protecting 1 268 Hutu and Tutsi refugees Ruth Johnson Colvin 2006 Founder of ProLiteracy Worldwide 58 Norman Francis President of Xavier University of Louisiana 58 Paul Johnson Journalist 58 B B King Blues Singer Songwriter 58 Joshua Lederberg Molecular Biologist 58 David McCullough Popular Historian 58 Norman Mineta 14th United States Secretary of Transportation amp Member of the U S House of Representatives 58 Buck O Neil Professional Baseball Player 58 William Safire Political Columnist for The New York Times 58 Natan Sharansky Israeli Politician amp Human Rights Activist 58 Gary Becker 2007 Economist oscar Elias Biscet Human Rights and Democratic Freedoms Advocate in Cuba Francis Collins 2nd Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute Benjamin Hooks Executive Director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Henry Hyde Member of the U S House of Representatives Brian Lamb Founder Executive Chairman and CEO of C SPAN 5 Harper Lee Novelist amp Civil Rights Activist Ellen Johnson Sirleaf 24th President of Liberia Ben Carson 2008 Neurosurgeon amp Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins Children s Center 59 Anthony Fauci 5th Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases 59 Tom Lantos Member of the U S House of Representatives 59 Peter Pace 16th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff 59 Donna Shalala 18th United States Secretary of Health and Human Services 59 Laurence Silberman Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit 59 Tony Blair 2009 Prime Minister of the United Kingdom 60 Ryan Crocker United States Ambassador to Lebanon Kuwait Syria Afghanistan Pakistan amp Iraq 61 John Howard 25th Prime Minister of Australia Alvaro Uribe 31st President of Colombia Awarded by Barack Obama edit Barack Obama awarded 117 medals between 2009 and 2017 Recipient Year Notes Notable as Ref Nancy Brinker 2009 Founder of the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation 62 Joe Medicine Crow War Chief of the Crow Nation 63 Pedro Jose Greer Physician amp Founding Dean for the Roseman University Health Sciences College of Medicine 63 Stephen Hawking Theoretical Physicist 63 Jack Kemp Member of the U S House of Representatives 63 Ted Kennedy United States Senator from Massachusetts 63 Billie Jean King Professional Tennis Player 63 Joseph Lowery Co founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference 63 Harvey Milk Member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors amp Gay Rights Activist 63 Sandra Day O Connor Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court 64 Sidney Poitier Actor amp First African American amp Bahamian to Win an Academy Award 5 Chita Rivera Actress Singer amp Dancer 63 Mary Robinson 7th President of Ireland 63 Janet Rowley Geneticist amp First Scientist to Identify a Chromosomal Translocation as the Cause of Leukemia and other Cancers 63 Desmond Tutu Anglican Bishop Theologian amp Human Rights Activist 63 Muhammad Yunus Founder of Grameen Bank John H Adams 2011 Founder of the Natural Resources Defense Council 4 Maya Angelou Poet amp Civil Rights Activist 4 Warren Buffett Philanthropist amp CEO of Berkshire Hathaway 4 George H W Bush 41st President of the United States 4 Robert Gates 22nd United States Secretary of Defense 65 Jasper Johns Abstract Expressionist Painter amp Printmaker 4 John Lewis Civil Rights Activist amp Member of the U S House of Representatives 4 Tom Little Optometrist amp Leader of an International Assistance Mission killed during the 2010 Badakhshan Massacre 4 Yo Yo Ma Cellist amp United Nations Messenger of Peace 4 Sylvia Mendez Civil Rights Activist 4 Angela Merkel Chancellor of Germany 4 Stan Musial Professional Baseball Player 4 Bill Russell Professional Basketball Player 4 Jean Kennedy Smith United States Ambassador to Ireland 4 John J Sweeney President of AFL CIO amp Labor Leader 4 Gerda Weissmann Klein Author Human Rights Activist amp Holocaust Educator 4 Madeleine Albright 2012 64th United States Secretary of State 66 Bob Dylan Singer Songwriter 66 William Foege 10th Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 66 John Glenn Astronaut and United States Senator from Ohio 66 Juliette Gordon Low Founder of the Girl Scouts of the USA 66 Gordon Hirabayashi Sociologist Civil Rights Activist amp Plaintiff in Hirabayashi v United States 66 Dolores Huerta Labor Leader amp Co founder of the National Farmworkers Association 66 Jan Karski Resistance Fighter during WWII amp Diplomat 66 Toni Morrison Novelist amp Civil Rights Activist 66 Shimon Peres 9th President of Israel 66 John Paul Stevens Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States 66 Pat Summitt Women s College Basketball Head Coach 66 Patricia Wald Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit 66 Ernie Banks 2013 Professional Baseball Player 67 Ben Bradlee Executive Editor of The Washington Post 68 Bill Clinton 42nd President of the United States 68 John Doar Lawyer amp Lead Special Counsel for the U S House Judiciary Committee s Impeachment Inquiry Staff during the Impeachment Process Against Richard Nixon 68 Daniel Inouye United States Senator from Hawaii 68 Daniel Kahneman Psychologist amp Economist 68 Richard Lugar United States Senator from Indiana 68 Loretta Lynn Singer Songwriter 68 Mario J Molina Chemist who discovered the Antarctic Ozone Hole 68 Sally Ride Astronaut amp Physicist 69 Bayard Rustin Human Rights Activist 68 Arturo Sandoval Jazz Trumpeter Pianist amp Composer 68 Dean Smith Men s College Basketball Head Coach 68 Gloria Steinem Journalist amp Social Political Activist 68 C T Vivian Minister amp Civil Rights Activist 68 Oprah Winfrey Talk Show Host Actress amp Philanthropist 68 Alvin Ailey 2014 Dancer amp Founder of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater 70 Isabel Allende Author 70 Tom Brokaw Network Television Journalist 70 James Chaney Civil Rights Activist 70 John Dingell Member of the U S House of Representatives Mildred Dresselhaus Nanotechnologist amp Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Andrew Goodman Civil Rights Activist 70 Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Activist amp Founder of the Robert F Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights 70 Abner Mikva Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit Patsy Mink Member of the U S House of Representatives Edward Roybal Member of the U S House of Representatives Michael Schwerner Civil Rights Activist 70 Suzan Shown Harjo President of the National Council of American Indians 70 Charlie Sifford Professional Golfer amp the First African American to play on the PGA Tour 70 Robert Solow Economist amp Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology 71 Meryl Streep Actress 70 Marlo Thomas Actress Producer amp Social Activist 70 Stevie Wonder Singer Songwriter 70 Steven Spielberg 2015 Director Producer amp Screenwriter 72 Emilio Estefan Musician amp Producer 72 Gloria Estefan Singer amp Actress 72 Itzhak Perlman Violinist amp Conductor 72 Stephen Sondheim Composer amp Lyricist of Musical Theater 72 Barbra Streisand Singer amp Actress 72 James Taylor Singer Songwriter 72 Minoru Yasui Lawyer amp Plaintiff in Yasui v United States 72 Billy Frank Jr Environmental Leader amp Treaty Rights Activist 72 Shirley Chisholm Member of the U S House of Representatives amp First African American Woman Elected to Congress 72 Lee H Hamilton Member of the U S House of Representatives 72 Barbara Mikulski United States Senator from Maryland 72 William Ruckelshaus 1st amp 5th Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency 72 Katherine Johnson Mathematician whose calculations helped with the First successful U S Crewed Spaceflight 72 Yogi Berra Professional Baseball Player 72 Bonnie Carroll Founder and President of the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors 72 Willie Mays Professional Baseball Player 72 Frank Gehry 2016 Architect 73 Richard Garwin Physicist amp Author of the First Hydrogen Bomb Design 73 Maya Lin Designer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D C 73 Robert Redford Actor amp Filmmaker 73 Robert De Niro Actor amp Producer 73 Tom Hanks Actor 73 Cicely Tyson Actress 73 Diana Ross Singer amp Actress 73 Bruce Springsteen Singer Songwriter 74 Grace Hopper Computer Scientist amp Developer of the FLOW MATIC programming language 73 Margaret Hamilton Director of the Software Engineering Division of the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory 73 Eduardo J Padron President of Miami Dade College 73 Newton N Minow Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission 73 Lorne Michaels Comedian amp Film and Television Producer 73 Ellen DeGeneres Comedian Television Host amp Gay Rights Activist 73 Bill Gates Philanthropist amp Co founder of Microsoft 73 Melinda French Gates Philanthropist amp Co founder of the Bill amp Melinda Gates Foundation 73 Elouise P Cobell Tribal Elder Activist amp Lead Plaintiff in Cobell v Salazar 73 Vin Scully Sportscaster 73 Kareem Abdul Jabbar Basketball Player 73 Michael Jordan Olympic Basketball Player 73 Joe Biden 2017 WD 47th Vice President of the United States 75 76 Awarded by Donald Trump edit Donald Trump awarded 24 medals between 2017 and 2021 Recipient Year Notes Notable as Ref Miriam Adelson 2018 Publisher of the Israel Hayom Physician amp Political Donor 77 Orrin Hatch United States Senator from Utah 77 Alan Page Associate Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court and Football Player 77 Elvis Presley Singer amp Actor 77 Babe Ruth Professional Baseball Player 77 Antonin Scalia Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States 77 Roger Staubach Professional Football Player 77 Bob Cousy 2019 Professional Basketball Player 78 Arthur Laffer Political Economist 79 Edwin Meese 75th United States Attorney General 80 Roger Penske Professional Auto Racing Team Owner Driver amp Businessman 81 Mariano Rivera Professional Baseball Player 82 Jerry West Basketball Executive amp Olympic Professional Basketball Player 83 Tiger Woods Professional Golfer 84 Dan Gable 2020 Olympic Wrestler 85 Lou Holtz Professional Football Coach 86 Jack Keane Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army 87 Rush Limbaugh b Political Commentator 89 Jim Ryun Member of the U S House of Representatives and Olympic athlete 90 Babe Didrikson Zaharias 2021 Olympic Athlete 91 Devin Nunes Member of the U S House of Representatives 92 Jim Jordan Member of the U S House of Representatives 93 Gary Player Professional Golfer 91 Annika Sorenstam Professional Golfer 91 Awarded by Joe Biden edit Joe Biden has awarded 36 medals since 2022 Recipient Year Notes Notable as Ref Simone Biles 2022 Olympic Gymnast amp Human Rights Activist 94 Simone Campbell Roman Catholic Religious Sister amp Member of the Sisters of Social Service 94 Julieta Garcia President of Texas Southmost College 94 Gabrielle Giffords Member of the U S House of Representatives amp Gun Control Activist 94 Fred Gray Civil Rights Attorney amp President of the Alabama State Bar 94 Steve Jobs Entrepreneur amp Co founder and CEO of Apple 94 Alexander Karloutsos Protopresbyter in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America 94 Khizr Khan Member of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom amp Activist 94 Sandra Lindsay Critical Care Nurse amp First American to receive the COVID 19 Vaccine 94 John McCain United States Senator from Arizona amp Purple Heart Recipient 94 Diane Nash Civil Rights Activist amp Co founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee 94 Megan Rapinoe Olympic Professional Soccer Player amp Human Rights Activist 94 Alan Simpson United States Senator from Wyoming 94 Richard Trumka President of the United Mine Workers amp Secretary General of the AFL CIO 94 Wilma Vaught Brigadier General 94 Denzel Washington Actor Producer amp National Spokesperson for the Boys amp Girls Clubs of America 94 Raul Yzaguirre U S Ambassador to the Dominican Republic amp President and CEO of the National Council of La Raza 94 Michael Bloomberg 2024 Entrepreneur philanthropist and three term Mayor of New York City 95 Greg Boyle Jesuit Catholic priest and founder and director of the rehabilitation program Homeboy Industries 95 Jim Clyburn Member of the U S House of Representatives from South Carolina and former House Majority Whip 95 Elizabeth Dole United States Senator from North Carolina from 2003 to 2009 Transportation Secretary and Labor Secretary 95 Phil Donahue Former daytime talk show host 95 Medgar Evers Famed Civil rights activist who was murdered at age 37 in 1963 95 Al Gore 45th Vice President of the United States and environmentalist 95 Clarence B Jones Civil rights activist 95 John Kerry 1st U S Special Presidential Envoy for Climate Former U S Secretary of State and Former Massachusetts Senator from 1985 to 2013 95 Frank Lautenberg United States Senator from New Jersey 95 Katie Ledecky Winner of seven Olympic gold medals and 21 world championship gold medals 95 Opal Lee Educator and activist who pushed to make Juneteenth a national holiday 95 Ellen Ochoa Astronaut and second female director of NASA s Johnson Space Center 95 Nancy Pelosi 52nd and first female Speaker of the United States House of Representatives 95 Jane Rigby Chief scientist of the James Webb Space Telescope 95 Teresa Romero President of the United Farm Workers union 95 Judy Shepard Co founder of the Matthew Shepard Foundation 95 Jim Thorpe First Native American to win an Olympic gold medal 95 Michelle Yeoh First Asian actor to win the Academy Award for Best Actress 95 Notes edit Lehman died the day before the ceremony 15 Awarded during 2020 State of the Union Address 88 Bibliography editWetterau Bruce 1996 The Presidential Medal of Freedom Winners and Their Achievements Congressional Quarterly p 513 ISBN 978 1 56802 128 7 contains a list of awardees from 1963 to approximately 1995References edit Executive Order 11085 The Presidential Medal of Freedom retrieved July 30 2009 Archived May 30 2009 at the Wayback Machine a b c d e f Woolley John T Peters Gerhard Remarks With Under Secretary of State George W Ball at the Presentation of the Medal of Freedom Awards December 6 1963 The American Presidency Project University of California Santa Barbara Archived from the original on March 7 2021 Retrieved December 2 2020 Medal of Freedom Ceremony August 12 2009 Archived August 12 2009 at the Wayback Machine a news release August 12 2009 from the White House Press Secretary at whitehouse gov Archived April 10 2011 at the Wayback Machine the White House s official website Retrieved August 22 2009 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p President Obama Names Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipients whitehouse gov November 17 2010 Archived from the original on January 26 2017 Retrieved November 18 2010 via National Archives a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Secretary of the Senate United States Congress Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipients Official Website of the United States Senate United States Senate Government of the United States Archived from the original on July 14 2004 Retrieved November 14 2011 a b Clinton W J September 30 1993 Remarks on the Retirement of General Colin Powell in Arlington Virginia University of California Santa Barbara The American Presidency Project Archived from the original on September 19 2016 Retrieved September 18 2016 Obama asked if Bill Cosby s Medal of Freedom will be revoked PBS NewsHour Archived from the original on December 13 2021 Bill Cosby s sex assault conviction overturned by court CTV News The Associated Press June 30 2021 Archived from the original on June 30 2021 Retrieved June 30 2021 Kindelan Katie Simone Biles awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom Good Morning America Archived from the original on July 8 2022 Retrieved July 10 2022 Ruiz Grossman Sarah January 11 2021 New England Patriots Coach Bill Belichick Refuses Medal Of Freedom HuffPost Archived from the original on August 26 2023 Retrieved January 11 2021 Pengelly Martin February 2 2021 Dolly Parton turned down presidential medal of freedom twice from Trump The Guardian Archived from the original on February 2 2021 Retrieved February 2 2021 The National First Ladies Library November 16 2010 Heroes of the Presidential Medal of Freedom PDF Canton Ohio p 3 Archived from the original PDF on February 14 2011 Retrieved February 11 2011 Marian Anderson 1897 1993 Presidential Medal of Freedom received December 6 1963 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link Distinguished Cellists in the White House WHHA en US Archived from the original on April 9 2020 Retrieved March 20 2020 a b c Woolley John T Gerhard Peters Remarks With Under Secretary of State George W Ball at the Presentation of the Medal of Freedom Awards December 6 1963 The American Presidency Project University of California Santa Barbara Archived from the original on March 7 2021 Retrieved December 2 2020 Woolley John T Gerhard Peters Remarks With Under Secretary of State George W Ball at the Presentation of the Medal of Freedom Awards December 6 1963 The American Presidency Project University of California Santa Barbara Archived from the original on September 27 2012 Retrieved February 9 2011 Clarence B Randall 76 Dies Chicago Tribune August 6 1967 Archived from the original on March 7 2021 Retrieved January 13 2017 The National First Ladies Library November 16 2010 Heroes of the Presidential Medal of Freedom PDF Canton Ohio p 3 Archived from the original PDF on February 14 2011 Retrieved February 11 2011 Annie Wauneka 1910 1997 Presidential Medal of Freedom received December 6 1963 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link Presidential Medal of Freedom John F Kennedy Presidential Library amp Museum Jfklibrary org December 6 1963 Archived from the original on August 16 2009 Retrieved January 5 2011 30 Receive Freedom Medal at the White House www nytimes com Archived from the original on December 1 2017 Retrieved November 21 2017 a b c Woolley John T Gerhard Peters Lyndon B Johnson XXXVI President of the United States 1963 1969 Remarks at the Presentation of the 1964 Presidential Medal of Freedom Awards March 26 1964 The American Presidency Project University of California Santa Barbara Archived from the original on February 21 2015 Retrieved May 22 2011 Presidential Medal of Freedom 1968 James Webb March 14 2016 Archived from the original on February 23 2020 Retrieved December 10 2017 Public Service Bob Hope and American Variety Exhibitions Library of Congress www loc gov May 10 2000 Archived from the original on September 25 2017 Retrieved November 21 2017 a b Muhlberg Judy June 14 1976 Medal of Freedom PDF Gerald R Ford Presidential Library amp Museum p 43 Archived PDF from the original on October 16 2020 Retrieved May 11 2020 a b Richard Nixon Remarks at a Dinner in Los Angeles Honoring the Apollo 11 Astronauts The American Presidency Project August 13 1969 Archived from the original on May 14 2020 Retrieved November 20 2018 a b c d e f g Nixon Richard April 22 1970 Remarks on Presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Eight Journalists Online by Gerhard Peters and John T Woolley The American Presidency Project Archived from the original on October 1 2011 Retrieved December 25 2011 a b c 3 Astronauts get Heroes Welcome to Hawaii The Philadelphia Inquirer Associated Press April 19 1970 p 14 Archived from the original on June 21 2019 Retrieved June 21 2019 via Newspapers com Nixon Richard April 18 1970 Remarks on Presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Apollo 13 Mission Operations Team in Houston Speech Manned Spacecraft Center Houston Texas The American Presidency Project M Nixon Richard January 1 1975 Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States Richard M Nixon 1974 Best Books on ISBN 978 1 62376 923 9 Archived from the original on September 7 2023 Retrieved October 21 2020 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link Woolley John T Gerhard Peters Gerald R Ford XXXVIII President of the United States 1974 1977 Remarks Upon Presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Martha Graham October 14 1976 The American Presidency Project University of California Santa Barbara Archived from the original on July 20 2011 Retrieved February 9 2011 Koren Marina September 29 2016 White House Finally Honors the African American Athletes of the 1936 Olympics The Atlantic Archived from the original on July 24 2023 Retrieved September 7 2023 a b c d e f g h i j Nordlinger Jay December 17 2007 Medals of Freedom National Review Archived from the original on January 16 2017 Retrieved October 14 2019 a b c d e f g Wolley John T Gerhard Peters January 10 1977 Gerald R Ford 38th President of the United States 1974 1977 Remarks Upon Presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom The American Presidency Project www presidency ucsb edu Archived from the original on February 11 2020 Retrieved March 29 2020 Lady Bird Johnson Biography Lbjlib utexas edu Archived from the original on December 5 2010 Retrieved January 5 2011 for date of award see The National First Ladies Library November 16 2010 Heroes of the Presidential Medal of Freedom PDF Canton Ohio p 3 Archived from the original PDF on February 14 2011 Retrieved February 11 2011 Lady Bird Johnson 1912 2007 Presidential Medal of Freedom received January 10 1977 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link The National First Ladies Library November 16 2010 Heroes of the Presidential Medal of Freedom PDF Canton Ohio p 3 Archived from the original PDF on February 14 2011 Retrieved February 11 2011 Georgia O Keeffe 1887 1986 Presidential Medal of Freedom received January 10 1977 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link The National First Ladies Library November 16 2010 Heroes of the Presidential Medal of Freedom PDF Canton Ohio p 3 Archived from the original PDF on February 14 2011 Retrieved February 11 2011 Dr Margaret Mead 1901 1978 Presidential Medal of Freedom received January 19 1979 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Wolley John T Gerhard Peters June 9 1980 Jimmy Carter XXXIX President of the United States 1977 1981 Presidential Medal of Freedom Remarks at the Presentation Ceremony June 9 1980 The American Presidency Project www presidency ucsb edu Archived from the original on March 7 2021 Retrieved December 2 2020 About Horace M Albright UC Berkeley Rausser College of Natural Resources Archived from the original on January 10 2021 Retrieved December 2 2020 a b c d e f g h i j k Wolley John T Gerhard Peters January 16 1981 Jimmy Carter Presidential Medal of Freedom Remarks at the Presentation Ceremony January 16 1981 The American Presidency Project www presidency ucsb edu Archived from the original on March 7 2021 Retrieved December 2 2020 Reagan Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient List www reaganlibrary gov Archived from the original on February 28 2023 Retrieved February 28 2023 Ronald Reagan Remarks at the Presentation Ceremony for the Presidential Medal of Freedom www presidency ucsb edu Archived from the original on December 1 2017 Retrieved November 21 2017 Frank Gehry and Maya Lin Awarded Obama s Presidential Medal of Freedom ArchDaily November 17 2016 Archived from the original on December 1 2017 Retrieved November 21 2017 a b c d e f g h i j Woolley John T Gerhard Peters Ronald Reagan XL President of the United States 1981 1989 Remarks at the Presentation Ceremony for the Presidential Medal of Freedom March 26 1984 The American Presidency Project University of California Santa Barbara Archived from the original on July 20 2011 Retrieved February 11 2011 White House Freedom Medal Set for Whittaker Chambers The New York Times February 22 1984 Archived from the original on April 10 2009 Retrieved January 16 2011 Sterling Dorothy March 9 1984 Whittaker Chambers Odd Choice for the Medal of Freedom The New York Times Archived from the original on March 4 2016 Retrieved January 16 2011 Archived copy Archived from the original on June 4 2011 Retrieved March 9 2011 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint archived copy as title link Woolley John T Gerhard Peters Ronald Reagan XL President of the United States 1981 1989 Remarks at the Presentation Ceremony for the Presidential Medal of Freedom March 26 1984 The American Presidency Project University of California Santa Barbara Archived from the original on July 20 2011 Retrieved February 11 2011 Capt Walker Kirtland Hancock 1901 1998 Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art Archived from the original on February 23 2018 Retrieved June 24 2018 Woolley John T Gerhard Peters George Bush XLI President of the United States 1989 1993 Remarks at the Presentation Ceremony for the Presidential Medals of Freedom and Presidential Citizen s Medals July 3 1991 The American Presidency Project University of California Santa Barbara Archived from the original on July 20 2011 Retrieved February 11 2011 The National First Ladies Library November 16 2010 Heroes of the Presidential Medal of Freedom PDF Canton Ohio p 3 Archived from the original PDF on February 14 2011 Retrieved February 11 2011 Betty Ford 1918 Presidential Medal of Freedom received November 18 1991 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link Curriculum Vitae of I M Pei Pei Cobb Freed amp Partners Archived from the original on February 16 2009 Retrieved July 20 2009 Remarks on presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom to President Ronald Reagan President George Bush Transcript The White House Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents January 18 1993 Archived from the original on November 16 2010 Retrieved December 31 2007 The National First Ladies Library November 16 2010 Heroes of the Presidential Medal of Freedom PDF Canton Ohio p 3 Archived from the original PDF on February 14 2011 Retrieved February 11 2011 Chief Wilma Mankiller 1945 2010 Presidential Medal of Freedom received January 15 1998 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link The National First Ladies Library November 16 2010 Heroes of the Presidential Medal of Freedom PDF Canton Ohio p 3 Archived from the original PDF on February 14 2011 Retrieved February 11 2011 Marian Wright Edelman 1939 Presidential Medal of Freedom received August 9 2000 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link McFeatters Ann July 10 2002 Fred Rogers gets Presidential Medal of Freedom Pittsburgh Post Gazette www post gazette com Archived from the original on October 19 2011 Retrieved February 9 2011 President Honors 2003 Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipients whitehouse gov Archived from the original on February 25 2018 Retrieved September 3 2017 via National Archives Vargas Jose Antonio November 10 2005 At the White House Prizes for 14 Champs Medal of Freedom Ceremony Shows Ali as Fast as Ever The Washington Post washingtonpost com Archived from the original on May 15 2011 Retrieved February 9 2011 Net pioneers receive top honour BBC News www bbc com November 10 2005 Archived from the original on April 3 2011 Retrieved February 9 2011 a b c d e f g h i j President Bush Honors Medal of Freedom Recipients whitehouse gov Archived from the original on October 21 2020 Retrieved March 20 2020 via National Archives a b c d e f President Bush Honors Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipients whitehouse gov Archived from the original on March 23 2020 Retrieved March 14 2020 via National Archives Mayer Catherine January 13 2009 A Presidential Medal for Tony Blair Time www time com Archived from the original on January 14 2009 Retrieved February 9 2011 President Bush Commemorates Foreign Policy Achievements and Presents Medal of Freedom to Ambassador Ryan Crocker whitehouse gov January 15 2009 Archived from the original on February 4 2009 Retrieved January 16 2009 via National Archives The Presidential Medal of Freedom whitehouse gov Archived from the original on May 4 2017 Retrieved August 20 2017 via National Archives a b c d e f g h i j k l President Obama Names Medal of Freedom Recipients 16 Agents of Change to Receive Top Civilian Honor whitehouse gov July 30 2009 Archived from the original on December 15 2009 Retrieved August 12 2009 via National Archives The National First Ladies Library November 16 2010 Heroes of the Presidential Medal of Freedom PDF Canton Ohio p 3 Archived from the original PDF on February 14 2011 Retrieved February 11 2011 Justice Sandra Day O Connor 1930 Presidential Medal of Freedom received August 12 2009 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link Gates receives Presidential Medal of Freedom as he leaves post CNN June 30 2011 Archived from the original on August 6 2023 Retrieved August 6 2023 a b c d e f g h i j k l m Albright World War II hero among 13 to receive Presidential Medal of Freedom CNN Archived from the original on January 21 2014 Retrieved May 29 2012 Banks receives Medal of Freedom 11 20 2013 MLB com Archived from the original on July 12 2018 Retrieved July 12 2018 a b c d 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the original on December 5 2016 Retrieved November 16 2015 via National Archives a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t President Obama Names Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom whitehouse gov November 16 2016 Archived from the original on May 3 2022 Retrieved November 16 2016 via National Archives The Presidential Medal of Freedom whitehouse gov Archived from the original on December 3 2018 Retrieved November 25 2016 via National Archives Biden surprised with Presidential Medal of Freedom The Miami Herald January 12 2017 Archived from the original on January 13 2017 Retrieved January 12 2017 Obama jokes about bromance with Biden as he surprises then VP with Presidential Medal of Freedom Archived from the original on January 13 2017 Retrieved January 13 2017 a b c d e f g Trump names Medal of Freedom recipients 11 10 2018 kinja com Archived from the original on November 10 2018 Retrieved November 10 2018 Krantz Laura August 22 2019 Celtics legend Bob Cousy receives Presidential Medal of Freedom Boston Globe Archived from the original on December 4 2019 Retrieved November 12 2019 Trump awards Presidential Medal of Freedom to economist Arthur Laffer Washington Post June 19 2019 Archived from the original on June 12 2022 Retrieved June 20 2019 Remarks by President Trump at Presentation of the Medal of Freedom to Edwin Meese whitehouse gov Archived from the original on July 9 2021 Retrieved March 21 2020 via National Archives Rambaran Vandana October 24 2019 Trump gives Presidential Medal of Freedom to racing icon Roger Penske Fox News Archived from the original on October 25 2019 Retrieved October 25 2019 Tillett Emily September 16 2019 Trump honors Yankees great Mariano Rivera with Medal of Freedom CBS News Archived from the original on September 18 2019 Retrieved September 16 2019 Remarks by President Trump at Presentation of the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Jerry West whitehouse gov Archived from the original on January 20 2021 Retrieved March 20 2020 via National Archives Chamberlain Samuel May 6 2019 Trump presents true legend Tiger Woods with Presidential Medal of Freedom Fox News Archived from the original on May 6 2019 Retrieved May 6 2019 President Donald J Trump to Award the Medal of Freedom to Dan Gable whitehouse gov Archived from the original on March 7 2021 Retrieved December 4 2020 via National Archives President Donald J Trump to Award the Medal of Freedom to Lou Holtz whitehouse gov Archived from the original on January 20 2021 Retrieved December 2 2020 via National Archives Remarks by President Trump at the Presentation of the Presidential Medal of Freedom to General Jack Keane whitehouse gov Archived from the original on January 20 2021 Retrieved March 14 2020 via National Archives Slisco Aila February 7 2020 Lt Col Vindman Gets Standing Ovation At Dem Debate After Biden Says He Should Have Gotten Medal Of Freedom Instead Of Limbaugh Newsweek Archived from the original on March 26 2020 Retrieved March 26 2020 President Trump Awards Presidential Medal of Freedom to Rush Limbaugh at SOTU Business Insider Archived from the original on February 5 2020 Retrieved April 11 2020 Former track star Ryun given Medal of Freedom ESPN com July 24 2020 Archived from the original on January 10 2021 Retrieved November 17 2020 a b c Statement from the Press Secretary whitehouse gov Archived from the original on January 20 2021 Retrieved January 7 2021 via National Archives Trump Gives Medal Of Freedom To Loyalist GOP Congressman Nunes National Public Radio Archived from the original on January 4 2021 Retrieved January 4 2021 Trump awarding Medal of Freedom to allies Devin Nunes and Jim Jordan CBS News January 5 2021 Archived from the original on January 9 2021 Retrieved January 9 2021 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q President Biden Announces Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom The White House July 1 2022 Archived from the original on July 6 2022 Retrieved July 1 2022 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s President Biden Announces Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom The White House May 3 2024 Archived from the original on May 3 2024 Retrieved May 3 2024 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom Medal of Freedom Official site for the Medal of Freedom for the Obama administration Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipients 1963 2002 chronological by president pp 5 21 alphabetical pp 24 4 Congressional Research Service via the Federation of American Scientists Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipients 1993 2009 United States Senate Politicians Who Received the Medal of Freedom The Political Graveyard Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title List of Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients amp oldid 1223265055, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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