Presidential Medal of Freedom

Presidential Medal of Freedom

Presidential Medal of Freedom

Updated January 23, 2025

Congressional Research Service

https://crsreports.congress.gov

R47639

Congressional Research Service

SUMMARY

Presidential Medal of Freedom

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is considered the U.S. government’s highest civilian honor. Awarded by the President, it is often presented to individuals to recognize a lifetime of significant achievements in the arts, public service, science, or other fields.

Created by President Harry S. Truman in 1945 as the Medal of Freedom, the medal was renamed by President John F. Kennedy in 1963 as the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Executive Order 11085 (February 22, 1963) allows the President to recognize “any person who has made an 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.”

The medal is a white star over a red pentagon, surrounded by five gold eagles. At the star’s center is a blue circle with 13 gold stars. The Presidential Medal of Freedom comes in two degrees, with the more prestigious version known as the Presidential Medal of Freedom “with distinction.”

There is no formal procedure for nominating and selecting recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The President has wide latitude under Executive Order 11515 (March 13, 1970) to award the medal to “any person recommended to the President for award of the Medal or any person selected by the President upon his own initiative.” Selections often reflect the President’s political and personal interests.

Numerous Members of Congress have sent nominations to the President. Some Members have made floor remarks about potential or past recipients and introduced resolutions congratulating honorees or urging the President to recognize a specific individual.

Between 1963 and 2025, the Presidential Medal of Freedom was awarded 673 times to 670 individuals and one group (the Apollo 13 Mission Operations Team); two people (Ellsworth Bunker and Colin Powell) received the medal twice. This report contains a comprehensive list of honorees and indicates the 56 medals known to have been awarded “with distinction.”

R47639

January 23, 2025

Ben Leubsdorf Senior Research Librarian

Presidential Medal of Freedom

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Contents

Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Background ..................................................................................................................................... 1

History ....................................................................................................................................... 1

Design and Protocol .................................................................................................................. 2 Nomination, Selection, and Presentation .................................................................................. 3 Role for Members of Congress ................................................................................................. 3

Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom ........................................................................... 4 Related CRS Products ................................................................................................................... 44

Figures

Figure 1. Presidential Medal of Freedom ........................................................................................ 2

Tables

Table 1. Number of Presidential Medals of Freedom, by President ................................................ 5 Table 2. Presidential Medals of Freedom: Donald J. Trump (2017-2021, 2025-Present) ............... 5 Table 3. Presidential Medals of Freedom: Joseph R. Biden Jr. (2021-2025) .................................. 6 Table 4. Presidential Medals of Freedom: Barack H. Obama (2009-2017) .................................... 8 Table 5. Presidential Medals of Freedom: George W. Bush (2001-2009) ...................................... 11

Table 6. Presidential Medals of Freedom: William J. Clinton (1993-2001) .................................. 14

Table 7. Presidential Medals of Freedom: George H. W. Bush (1989-1993) ................................ 16 Table 8. Presidential Medals of Freedom: Ronald W. Reagan (1981-1989) ................................. 17 Table 9. Presidential Medals of Freedom: James E. Carter Jr. (1977-1981) ................................. 20 Table 10. Presidential Medals of Freedom: Gerald R. Ford Jr. (1974-1977) ................................ 21 Table 11. Presidential Medals of Freedom: Richard M. Nixon (1969-1974) ................................ 21 Table 12. Presidential Medals of Freedom: Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969) .............................. 22 Table 13. Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipients, 1963-2025 ................................................. 25

Contacts

Author Information ........................................................................................................................ 44

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Introduction

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is considered the U.S. government’s highest civilian honor. Awarded by the President, it is often presented to individuals to recognize a lifetime of significant achievements in the arts, public service, science, or other fields.

This report describes the history of the medal, provides information about its design and related protocol, and discusses the nomination and selection process. It concludes with tables containing a comprehensive list of honorees since 1963.

Background

History

In July 1945, President Harry S. Truman issued an executive order, near the end of World War II, to create the Medal of Freedom. In establishing the award, he sought to honor civilians who “performed a meritorious act or service which has aided the United States” or one of its allies overseas during wartime, “and for which an award of another United States medal or decoration is considered inappropriate.”¹ During the Korean War, President Truman expanded the medal’s eligibility to include actions during “any period of national emergency.”² It was awarded thousands of times, mostly by federal officials other than the President.³

In his 1955 State of the Union address, President Dwight D. Eisenhower called for “awards of merit … whereby we can honor our fellow citizens who make great contribution to the advancement of our civilization.”⁴ The House twice passed bills to create a Medal for Distinguished Civilian Achievement: H.R. 11923 in the 84th Congress⁵ and H.R. 488 in the 85th Congress.⁶ In each case, the Senate referred the bill to committee and took no further action.⁷

In 1963, President John F. Kennedy issued Executive Order 11085 to modify the Medal of Freedom, including by giving it a new name: the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It would now be awarded solely by the President to “any person who has made an 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.”⁸

President Kennedy said at the time that

in a period when the national government must call upon an increasing portion of the talents and energies of its citizens, it is clearly appropriate to provide ways to recognize and reward

1 Executive Order 9586, “The Medal of Freedom,” 10 Federal Register 8523, July 6, 1945.

2 Executive Order 10336, “Amendment of Executive Order No. 9586 of July 6, 1945, Establishing the Medal of Freedom,” 17 Federal Register 2957, April 3, 1952.

3 Bruce Wetterau, The Presidential Medal of Freedom: Winners and Their Achievements (Washington: Congressional Quarterly Inc., 1996), p. 9.

4 “Annual Message to the Congress on the State of the Union” (January 6, 1955) in U.S. National Archives and Records Service, Office of the Federal Register, Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1955, pp. 7-30.

5 Congressional Record, vol. 102, part 9 (July 2, 1956), p. 11609.

6 Congressional Record, vol. 104, part 11 (July 23, 1958), p. 14794.

7 Congressional Record, vol. 102, part 9 (July 3, 1956), p. 11678 and vol. 104, part 11 (July 24, 1958), p. 14895.

8 Executive Order 11085, “The Presidential Medal of Freedom,” 28 Federal Register 1759, February 22, 1963. Also, in the United States Code at 5 U.S.C. §4504 note.

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the work of persons, within and without the government, who contribute significantly to the quality of American life.⁹

On July 4, 1963, President Kennedy announced the first slate of 31 honorees.¹⁰ President Lyndon B. Johnson presented the initial Presidential Medals of Freedom two weeks after President Kennedy’s assassination, with two posthumous additions to the list: Pope John XXIII and President Kennedy.¹¹

Design and Protocol

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is a white star over a red pentagon, surrounded by five gold eagles. At the star’s center is a blue circle with 13 gold stars.

Harry D. Temple, the head of the Army’s Institute of Heraldry, designed the medal with input from President Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy.¹² A contemporary White House document described the white star—a symbol displayed on military vehicles—as “the identifying emblem of United States elements in the defense of freedom” and “recognized universally as a symbol of our selfless determination to maintain the freedom and democracy of mankind.”¹³

The Presidential Medal of Freedom comes in two degrees, with the more prestigious version known as the Presidential Medal of Freedom “with distinction.”

At the first White House awards ceremony, President Johnson described the Presidential Medal of Freedom as “the Nation’s highest civil honor.”¹⁴ It has also been described as “the

9 “Statement by the President Upon Issuing Order Relating to the Medal of Freedom” (February 22, 1963) in Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: John F. Kennedy, 1963, pp. 209-210.

10 Ibid., p. 210 (in note).

11 “Remarks With Under Secretary of State George W. Ball at the Presentation of the Medal of Freedom Awards” (December 6, 1963) in Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Lyndon B. Johnson, 1963-1964, Book I, pp. 29-34.

12 Jenifer V. Buckman, “H.D. Temple, Military Author, Designer, Dies; Heraldry Expert Did Redesign of Medal, Chronicled History,” Richmond Times-Dispatch, January 27, 2004, p. B7; Wetterau, Presidential Medal of Freedom, p. 15.

13 “Symbolism of the Design of the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction and the Presidential Medal of Freedom,” n.d., series 8, box 102, folder 6, no. 21, President’s Office Files, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, at https://www.jfklibrary.org/asset-viewer/archives/JFKPOF/102/JFKPOF-102-006.

14 “Remarks With Under Secretary of State George W. Ball at the Presentation of the Medal of Freedom Awards,” p. 30.

Figure 1. Presidential Medal of Freedom Front of the medal awarded to Rosa Parks in 1996

Source: Library of Congress.

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civilian equivalent of the Congressional Medal of Honor”¹⁵ and “the highest civil award that can be presented by the President of the United States.”¹⁶

Guides to etiquette and precedence typically list the Presidential Medal of Freedom first among nonmilitary U.S. awards.¹⁷

Nomination, Selection, and Presentation

There is no formal procedure for nominations or the evaluation of potential recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.¹⁸

The President can award the medal to “any person recommended to the President for award of the Medal or any person selected by the President upon his own initiative.”¹⁹ Selections often reflect the President’s political and personal interests.

The medal is often, though not always, presented at an annual White House ceremony.²⁰

Role for Members of Congress

Numerous Members have sent nominations to the President, often in a formal written letter.²¹

Some Members have also made floor remarks and inserted statements into the Congressional Record about potential or past recipients.²²

15 “Presidential Medal of Freedom” in The Presidency A to Z, 5th ed., eds. Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley (Thousand Oaks, CA: CQ Press, 2013), pp. 451-452.

16 Lawrence M. Watson, The Presidential Medal of Freedom (Claymont, DE: Orders and Medals Society of America, 2014), p. 39.

17 Mary Mel French, United States Protocol: The Guide to Official Diplomatic Etiquette (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2010), pp. 271, 275; Department of the Army, Guide to the Wear and Appearance of Army Uniforms and Insignia, Pamphlet 670-1, January 26, 2021, p. 260, at https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/ ARN30948-PAM_670-1-000-WEB-1.pdf#page=277; and Article 5307 in Navy Personnel Command, United States Navy Uniform Regulations, NAVPERS 15665J, at https://www.mynavyhr.navy.mil/References/US-Navy-Uniforms/ Uniform-Regulations/Chapter-5/5301-Awards/#5307.

18 Juliet Eilperin, “One of the Last Washington Mysteries: How to Get the Medal of Freedom,” The Washington Post, November 23, 2015, at https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/one-of-the-last-washington-mysteries-how-to-get-the- medal-of-freedom/2015/11/23/d3351fa2-91f3-11e5-b5e4-279b4501e8a6_story.html.

19 Executive Order 11515, “Terminating Certain Bodies Established by the President,” 35 Federal Register 4543, March 13, 1970. This executive order eliminated a nomination process through the now-defunct Distinguished Civilian Service Awards Board that had been created in President Kennedy’s 1963 executive order.

20 For example, see videos available online from the 1981 ceremony (at https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/archives/video/ medal-freedom-ceremony-president-reagan-gives-remarks-and-presents-awards-east-room) and the 2022 ceremony (at https://www.c-span.org/video/?521521-1/presidential-medal-freedom-ceremony).

21 For example, see Rep. Lee H. Hamilton, “Nominating Dante B. Fascell for the Presidential Medal of Freedom,” extension of remarks, Congressional Record, daily edition, vol. 144 (October 21, 1998), p. E2287; Sen. Roger Wicker, “Miss. Delegation Requests Presidential Medal of Freedom for Civil Rights Leader Medgar Evers,” press release, November 4, 2016, at https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2016/11/miss-delegation-requests-presidential-medal-of- freedom-for-civil-rights-leader-medgar-evers; and Rep. Joaquin Castro, “Congressman Castro Recommends Veteran Advocates Le Roy and Rosie Torres for the Presidential Medal of Freedom,” press release, January 31, 2023, at https://castro.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-castro-recommends-veteran-advocates-le-roy-and- rosie-torres-for-the-presidential-medal-of-freedom.

22 For example, see Sen. Max Cleland, “Senate Resolution 23—Expressing the Sense of the Senate That the President Should Award the Presidential Medal of Freedom Posthumously to Dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays in Honor of His Distinguished Career as An Educator, Civil and Human Rights Leader, and Public Theologian,” remarks in the Senate, Congressional Record, daily edition, vol. 147 (February 14, 2001), pp. S1434-S1435; “Expressing the Sense of (continued...)

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In addition, some Members have introduced resolutions urging the President to recognize specific people with the award,²³ and to congratulate or memorialize honorees.²⁴

In recent years, some Members have also asked the President to revoke a previously awarded medal.²⁵ President Barack H. Obama said in 2015 there was “no precedent for revoking the medal.”²⁶

Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom

The Presidential Medal of Freedom was awarded 673 times between 1963 and 2025.²⁷

The recipients included 670 individuals and one group, the Apollo 13 Mission Operations Team.²⁸ Two people received the medal twice: Ellsworth Bunker (in 1963 and 1967) and Colin Powell (in 1991 and 1993).

An academic analysis of recipients through 2013 found the most common primary area of achievement was political and public service (about 27% of recipients), followed by art, acting, and music (about 15%) and academia and science (about 14%). Additional areas of achievement included civil rights (about 9% of recipients), humanitarianism and philanthropy (about 6%), military service (about 6%), and journalism and broadcasting (about 6%). Smaller numbers of recipients were recognized for achievements in writing and literature, athletics, labor, business, religion, conservation and environmentalism, and architecture and engineering.²⁹

Table 1 shows the total number of medals awarded by each President. An initial slate of 31 honorees announced by President Kennedy received their medals from his successor, President Johnson, and are included in the latter’s total.

Congress That the President Posthumously Award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Harry W. Colmery,” House debate, Congressional Record, daily edition, vol. 150 (July 6, 2004), pp. H5162-H5165; Rep. Barbara Comstock, “In Honor of Bonnie Carroll, Recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom for Her Commitment to Healing Families of Fallen Members of the Armed Services,” extension of remarks, Congressional Record, daily edition, vol. 161 (December 1, 2015), p. E1684; and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, “Recognizing Dr. Eduardo J. Padron on Receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom,” Congressional Record, daily edition, vol. 162 (December 7, 2016), p. H7285.

23 For example, see S.Res. 23 (107th Cong.) for Benjamin Elijah Mays, H.Con.Res. 313 (108th Cong.) for Pope John Paul II, S.Con.Res. 91 (109th Cong.) for Satchel Paige, H.Res. 926 (114th Cong.) for Henrietta Lacks, and S.Con.Res. 20 (116th Cong.) for Harry W. Colmery.

24 For example, see S.Res. 310 (107th Cong.) for Justin Dart Jr., H.Res. 708 (111th Cong.) for Nancy Brinker, H.Res. 1743 (111th Cong.) for Gerda Weissmann Klein, and S.Res. 61 (117th Cong.) for George P. Shultz.

25 H.R. 4354 (114th Cong.) and H.R. 6810 (115th Cong.) expressed the sense of Congress that Bill Cosby’s medal, awarded in 2002, should be revoked.

26 Krishnadev Calamur, “Obama: ‘No Precedent’ To Revoke Bill Cosby’s Presidential Medal Of Freedom,” National Public Radio, July 15, 2015, at https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/07/15/423258004/obama-no-precedent- to-revoke-bill-cosby-s-presidential-medal-of-honor.

27 To compile this list, CRS searched Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States volumes for 1963 to 2016, and the Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents for 2017 to the present, for mentions of the medal. Additional recipients were identified using the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, contemporaneous news reports, and White House press releases. In compiling this list, CRS attempted to be thorough; however, the list of medals in this report may not be comprehensive.

28 While awarding the medal to the Apollo 13 Mission Operations Team, President Richard M. Nixon mentioned five individuals: Sig Sjoberg, Glynn Lunney, Milt Windler, Gerald Griffin, and Gene Krantz. See “Remarks on Presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Apollo 13 Mission Operations Team in Houston” (April 18, 1970) in Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Richard M. Nixon, 1970, pp. 366-369.

29 Kyle C. Kopko et al., “The Politics of the Presidential Medal of Freedom: A Fifty-Year Analysis, 1963-2013,” New England Journal of Political Science, vol. 8, no. 2 (Fall 2015), pp. 156-184. See Table 4, pp. 174-175.

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Table 1. Number of Presidential Medals of Freedom, by President

President Number Awarded

Lyndon B. Johnson 89a

Richard M. Nixon 28

Gerald R. Ford Jr. 28

James E. Carter Jr. 34

Ronald W. Reagan 86

George H. W. Bush 38

William J. Clinton 89

George W. Bush 82

Barack H. Obama 118

Joseph R. Biden Jr. 57

Donald J. Trump 24b

Total 673

Sources: CRS analysis based on information from the Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents, Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, news reports, and White House press releases. Notes: Current as of January 2025. a. Includes 31 honorees selected by President John F. Kennedy before his assassination.

b. Incumbent.

Tables 2-12 list honorees by the President who presented their medal. Recipients are listed in alphabetical order by last name.³⁰ The recipients who are known to have been awarded the medal “with distinction” are marked with a table note (a).³¹

Table 2. Presidential Medals of Freedom: Donald J. Trump (2017-2021, 2025-Present)

Name Year

Miriam Adelson 2018

Bob Cousy 2019

Dan Gable 2020

Orrin G. Hatch 2018

Lou Holtz 2020

Jim Jordan 2021

30 Names are generally presented as they appear in biographical reference sources. For names that varied from source to source, CRS typically selected the most common option. For example, Babe Ruth (posthumously recognized in 2018) appears under that name in the Almanac of Famous People, American Decades, Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, and St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture, though he is “George Herman Ruth” in the Dictionary of American Biography and Merriam Webster’s Biographical Dictionary, and “George Herman Ruth Jr.” in the Encyclopedia of World Biography Online.

31 Information about whether the Presidential Medal of Freedom was awarded “with distinction” comes from Glenn P. Hogan, The Presidential Medal of Freedom (Ann Arbor, MI: Glenn P. Hogan, 1996), pp. 155-156; Candace Elizabeth Todd, “Designating Heroes: Theory and Analysis of Presidential Epideictic Awards” (PhD diss., University of Iowa, 1998), pp. 189-203; Wetterau, Presidential Medal of Freedom; and contemporaneous presidential remarks and announcements. The 56 instances of “with distinction” noted in this report may not be comprehensive.

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Name Year

Jack Keane 2020

Arthur Betz Laffer 2019

Rush Limbaugh 2020

Edwin Meese 2019

Devin Nunes 2021

Alan Cedric Page 2018

Roger Penske 2019

Gary Jim Player 2021

Elvis Presley 2018

Mariano Rivera 2019

Babe Ruth 2018

Jim Ryun 2020

Antonin Scalia 2018

Annika Sorenstam 2021

Roger Thomas Staubach 2018

Jerry West 2019

Tiger Woods 2019

Mildred Didrikson Zaharias 2021

Source: Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents. Notes: Current as of January 2025.

Table 3. Presidential Medals of Freedom: Joseph R. Biden Jr. (2021-2025)

Name Year

José Andrés 2025

Simone Biles 2022

Michael Bloomberg 2024

Bono 2025

Greg Boyle 2024

Simone Campbell 2022

Ashton B. Carter 2025

Hillary Rodham Clinton 2025

James Clyburn 2024

Elizabeth Dole 2024

Phil Donahue 2024

Medgar Evers 2024

Pope Francis Ia 2025

Michael J. Fox 2025

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Name Year

Juliet García 2022

Gabrielle Giffords 2022

Tim Gill 2025

Jane Goodall 2025

Albert Gore Jr. 2024

Fred Gray Sr. 2022

Fannie Lou Hamer 2025

Steve Jobs 2022

Magic Johnson 2025

Clarence B. Jones 2024

Alexander Karloutsos 2022

Robert Francis Kennedy 2025

John Kerry 2024

Khizr Khan 2022

Ralph Lauren 2025

Frank R. Lautenberg 2024

Katie Ledecky 2024

Opal Lee 2024

Sandra Lindsay 2022

John McCain 2022

Lionel Messi 2025

Diane Nash 2022

Bill Nye 2025

Ellen Ochoa 2024

Nancy Pelosi 2024

Megan Rapinoe 2022

Cecile Richards 2024

Jane Rigby 2024

Teresa Romero 2024

George W. Romney 2025

David M. Rubenstein 2025

Judy Shepard 2024

Alan Simpson 2022

George Soros 2025

George Stevens Jr. 2025

Jens Stoltenberg 2024

Jim Thorpe 2024

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Name Year

Richard Trumka 2022

Wilma L. Vaught 2022

Denzel Washington 2022b

Anna Wintour 2025

Michelle Yeoh 2024

Raul Yzaguirre 2022

Sources: Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents; White House, “President Biden Announces Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom,” press release, January 4, 2025, https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing- room/statements-releases/2025/01/04/president-biden-announces-recipients-of-the-presidential-medal-of- freedom-3; White House, “President Biden Awards Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction to His Holiness Pope Francis,” press release, January 11, 2025, https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing- room/statements-releases/2025/01/11/president-biden-awards-presidential-medal-of-freedom-with-distinction-to- his-holiness-pope-francis. a. Medal known to be awarded “with distinction.”

b. Announced in July 2022, presented in January 2025.

Table 4. Presidential Medals of Freedom: Barack H. Obama (2009-2017)

Name Year

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 2016

John H. Adams 2011

Alvin Ailey 2014

Madeleine Albright 2012

Isabel Allende 2014

Maya Angelou 2011

Ernie Banks 2013

Yogi Berra 2015

Joseph R. Biden Jr.a 2017

Ben Bradlee 2013

Nancy Brinker 2009

Tom Brokaw 2014

Warren Buffett 2011

George H. W. Bush 2011

Bonnie Carroll 2015

James Earl Chaney 2014

Shirley Chisholm 2015

William J. Clinton 2013

Elouise Cobell 2016

Robert De Niro 2016

Ellen DeGeneres 2016

John David Dingell 2014

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Name Year

John Michael Doar 2012

Mildred Spiewak Dresselhaus 2014

Bob Dylan 2012

Emilio Estefan Jr. 2015

Gloria Estefan 2015

William H. Foege 2012

Billy Frank 2015

Richard Lawrence Garwin 2016

Bill Gates 2016

Melinda Gates 2016

Robert M. Gates 2011

Frank O. Gehry 2016

John Glenn 2012

Andrew Goodman 2014

Pedro Jose Greer Jr. 2009

Lee H. Hamilton 2015

Margaret Hamilton 2016

Tom Hanks 2016

Suzan Shown Harjo 2014

Stephen Hawking 2009

Gordon Hirabayashi 2012

Grace Hopper 2016

Dolores Huerta 2012

Daniel Inouye 2013

Jasper Johns 2011

Katherine Johnson 2015

Michael Jordan 2016

Daniel Kahneman 2013

Jan Karski 2012

Jack French Kemp 2009

Edward M. Kennedy 2009

Ethel Kennedy 2014

Billie Jean King 2009

Gerda Weissmann Klein 2011

John Robert Lewis 2011

Maya Lin 2016

Tom Little 2011

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Name Year

Juliette Gordon Low 2012

Joseph E. Lowery 2009

Richard Green Lugar 2013

Loretta Lynn 2013

Yo-Yo Ma 2011

Willie Mays 2015

Joseph Medicine Crow 2009

Sylvia Mendez 2011

Angela Merkel 2011

Lorne Michaels 2016

Barbara Mikulski 2015

Abner Joseph Mikva 2014

Harvey Milk 2009

Patsy Takemoto Mink 2014

Newton Minow 2016

Mario Molina 2013

Toni Morrison 2012

Stan Musial 2011

Sandra Day O’Connor 2009

Eduardo Padrón 2016

Shimon Peres 2012

Itzhak Perlman 2015

Sidney Poitier 2009

Robert Redford 2016

Sally K. Ride 2013

Chita Rivera 2009

Mary Robinson 2009

Diana Ross 2016

Janet D. Rowley 2009

Edward Roybal 2014

William Doyle Ruckelshaus 2015

Bill Russell 2011

Bayard Rustin 2013

Arturo Sandoval 2013

Michael Henry Schwerner 2014

Vin Scully 2016

Charlie Sifford 2014

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Name Year

Dean Smith 2013

Jean Kennedy Smith 2011

Robert M. Solow 2014

Stephen Sondheim 2015

Steven Spielberg 2015

Bruce Springsteen 2016

Gloria Steinem 2013

John Paul Stevens 2012

Meryl Streep 2014

Barbra Streisand 2015

Pat Summitt 2012

John J. Sweeney 2011

James Taylor 2015

Marlo Thomas 2014

Desmond Tutu 2009

Cicely Tyson 2016

C. T. Vivian 2013

Patricia M. Wald 2013

Oprah Winfrey 2013

Stevie Wonder 2014

Minoru Yasui 2015

Muhammad Yunus 2009

Source: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States. a. Medal known to be awarded “with distinction.”

Table 5. Presidential Medals of Freedom: George W. Bush (2001-2009)

Name Year

Hank Aaron 2002

Muhammad Ali 2005

Robert LeRoy Bartley 2003

Jacques Barzun 2003

Gary Becker 2007

Oscar Elias Biscet 2007

Tony Blair 2009

L. Paul Bremer 2004

Edward W. Brooke 2004

Carol Burnett 2005

Ben Carson 2008

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Name Year

Vinton G. Cerf 2005

Julia Child 2003

Roberto Clemente 2003

Van Cliburn 2003

Francis Collins 2007

Ruth Johnson Colvin 2006

Robert Conquest 2005

Bill Cosby 2002

Ryan C. Crocker 2009

Doris Day 2004

Placido Domingo 2002

Peter F. Drucker 2002

Anthony S. Fauci 2008

Norman C. Francis 2006

Aretha Franklin 2005

Tommy R. Franks 2004

Katharine Graham 2002

Alan Greenspan 2005

Vartan Gregorian 2004

Andy Griffith 2005

Gilbert Melville Grosvenor 2004

Paul Harvey 2005

Vaclav Havel 2003

Donald A. Henderson 2002

Charlton Heston 2003

Gordon B. Hinckley 2004

Benjamin L. Hooks 2007

John Howard 2009

Henry Hyde 2007

Pope John Paul II 2004

Paul Johnson 2006

Robert E. Kahn 2005

B. B. King 2006

Irving William Kristol 2002

Brian Lamb 2007

Tom Lantos 2008

Estee Lauder 2004

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Name Year

Joshua Lederberg 2006

Harper Lee 2007

Nelson Mandela 2002

David McCullough 2006

Norman Yoshio Mineta 2006

Gillespie V. (“Sonny”) Montgomery

2005

Gordon E. Moore 2002

Rita Moreno 2004

Richard B. Myers 2005

Jack Nicklaus 2005

Buck O’Neil 2006

Peter Pace 2008

Arnold Palmer 2004

Arnall Patz 2004

Norman Podhoretz 2004

Nancy Reagan 2002

George Islay MacNeill Robertson

2003

Frank Robinson 2005

Fred Rogers 2002

A. M. Rosenthal 2002

Paul Rusesabagina 2005

William L. Safire 2006

Donna Shalala 2008

Natan Sharansky 2006

Laurence H. Silberman 2008

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf 2007

Edward Teller 2003

George Tenet 2004

Dave Thomas 2003

Alvaro Uribe 2009

Byron R. White 2003

James Q. Wilson 2003

John Wooden 2003

Walter Wriston 2004

Source: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States.

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Table 6. Presidential Medals of Freedom: William J. Clinton (1993-2001)

Name Year

Arnold Aronson 1998

Arthur Ashe 1993

Brooke Astor 1998

Lloyd Bentsen 1999

Joseph Bernardin 1996

Herbert “Herblock” Block 1994

James Scott Brady 1996

William J. Brennan Jr. 1993

Edgar M. Bronfman Sr. 1999

James E. Burke 2000

James E. Carter Jr. 1999

Rosalynn Carter 1999

John Hubbard Chafee 2000

Peggy Charren 1995

Cesar Chavez 1994

Wesley Clark 2000

William T. Coleman Jr. 1995

Robert Coles 1998

Joan Ganz Cooney 1995

William James Crowe 2000

Justin Dart Jr. 1998

Bob Dole 1997

Marjory Stoneman Douglas 1993

Evelyn Dubrow 1999

Marian Wright Edelman 2000

James Farmer 1998

Dante Bruno Fascell 1998

Maria Isolina Ferre 1999

Zachary Fisher 1998

Arthur Sherwood Flemming 1994

Gerald R. Ford Jr. 1999

John Hope Franklin 1995

J. William Fulbright 1993

Millard Fuller 1996

John Kenneth Galbraith 2000

James P. Grant 1994

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Name Year

David A. Hamburg 1996

Dorothy Irene Height 1994

Frances Hesselbein 1998

Leon A. Higginbotham Jr. 1995

George G. Higgins 2000

Oliver W. Hill 1999

Jesse Jackson 2000

Mildred Jeffrey 2000

Frank Johnson Jr. 1995

John H. Johnson 1996

Barbara Jordan 1994

Max M. Kampelman 1999

Lane Kirkland 1994

Helmut Kohl 1999

C. Everett Koop 1995

Fred Korematsu 1998

Mathilde Krim 2000

Eugene M. Lang 1996

Sol Myron Linowitz 1998

Wilma Mankiller 1998

Thurgood Marshall 1993

George Stanley McGovern 2000

Bob Michel 1994

George John Mitchell 1999

Daniel Patrick Moynihan 2000

Margaret Murie 1998

Gaylord Nelson 1995

Jan Nowak 1996

Mario G. Obledo 1998

Antonia Pantoja 1996

Rosa Parks 1996

William James Perry 1997

Colin Powella 1993

Joseph L. Rauh Jr. 1993

Martha Raye 1993

Walter Philip Reuther 1995

Cruz Reynoso 2000

Presidential Medal of Freedom

Congressional Research Service 16

Name Year

Elliot Richardson 1998

David Rockefeller 1998

James W. Rouse 1995

Ginetta Sagan 1996

John Shalikashvili 1997

Albert Shanker 1998

Sargent Shriver 1994

Aung San Suu Kyi 2000

Gardner C. Taylor 2000

Mo Udall 1996

William C. Velasquez 1995

Lew R. Wasserman 1995

Edgar Wayburn 1999

Simon Wiesenthal 2000

John Minor Wisdom 1993

Elmo R. Zumwalt 1998

Source: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States. a. Medal known to be awarded “with distinction.”

Table 7. Presidential Medals of Freedom: George H. W. Bush (1989-1993)

Name Year

James Addison Baker III 1991

Lucille Ball 1989

David Brinkley 1992

William F. Buckley Jr. 1991

Johnny Carson 1992

Dick Cheney 1991

Javier Perez de Cuellar 1991

C. Douglas Dillon 1989

James Harold Doolittle 1989

Luis A. Ferre 1991

Ella Fitzgerald 1992

Betty Ford 1991

Hannah Holborn Gray 1991

Friedrich August von Hayek 1991

Audrey Hepburn 1992

George F. Kennan 1989

Presidential Medal of Freedom

Congressional Research Service 17

Name Year

Tip O’Neill 1991

I. M. Pei 1992

Claude Pepper 1989

Richard Petty 1992

Colin Powell 1991

Ronald W. Reagana 1993

Harry W. Schlaudeman 1992

H. Norman Schwarzkopf 1991

Brent Scowcroft 1991

Margaret Chase Smith 1989

Isaac Stern 1992

Leon Sullivan 1991

Margaret Thatcher 1991

Strom Thurmond 1993

Russell Eroll Train 1991

John William Vessey 1992

Lech Walesa 1989

Vernon Anthony Walters 1991

Sam Walton 1992

William Hedgcock Webster 1991

Elie Wiesel 1992

Ted Williams 1991

Sources: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States; Associated Press, “Bush Honors Webster,” July 25, 1991; Christopher Connell, “Bush Gives Thurmond An Award,” Associated Press, January 12, 1993. a. Medal known to be awarded “with distinction.”

Table 8. Presidential Medals of Freedom: Ronald W. Reagan (1981-1989)

Name Year

Walter H. Annenberg 1986

Anne Legendre Armstrong 1987

Pearl Bailey 1988

Howard Henry Baker Jr. 1984

George Balanchine 1983

Malcolm Baldrige 1988

Count Basie 1985

Red Blaik 1986

Eubie Blake 1981

Irving Brown 1988

Presidential Medal of Freedom

Congressional Research Service 18

Name Year

Paul William Bryant 1983

Warren E. Burger 1988

James Burnham 1983

James Cagney 1984

Peter Alexander Rupert Carrington

1988

Whittaker Chambers 1984

James Edward Cheek 1983

Leo Cherne 1984

Terence James Cooke 1984

Denton Arthur Cooley 1984

Jacques-Yves Cousteau 1985

Justin Whitlock Dart 1987

Tennessee Ernie Ford 1984

Milton Friedman 1988

R. Buckminster Fuller 1983

Hector Perez Garcia 1984

Barry Goldwater 1986

Andrew Jackson Goodpaster 1984

Billy Graham 1983

Ella Grasso 1981

Philip Charles Habib 1982

Bryce N. Harlow 1981

Helen Hayes 1986

Eric Hoffer 1983

Jerome Heartwell Holland 1985

Sidney Hook 1985

Vladimir Horowitz 1986

Henry M. Jackson 1984

Jacob Koppel Javits 1983

Walter Henry Judd 1981

Irving Robert Kaufman 1987

Danny Kaye 1987

Jeane Duane Jordan Kirkpatrick 1985

Lincoln Kirstein 1984

Louis L’Amour 1984

Morris I. Leibman 1981

Lyman Louis Lemnitzer 1987

George Michael Low 1985

Clare Boothe Luce 1983

Presidential Medal of Freedom

Congressional Research Service 19

Name Year

Joseph Luns 1984

Jean Marie Faircloth MacArthur 1988

Dumas Malone 1983

Mike Mansfield 1989

J. Willard Marriott 1988

John A. McCone 1987

Mabel Mercer 1983

Paul Henry Nitze 1985

David Packard 1988

Frederick Douglass Patterson 1987

Norman Vincent Peale 1984

Nathan Perlmutter 1987

Simon Ramo 1983

Frank Reynolds 1985

Matthew Bunker Ridgway 1986

S. Dillon Ripley 1985

Jackie Robinson 1984

Carlos Pena Romulo 1984

Mstislav Rostropovich 1987

Vermont Connecticut Royster 1986

Albert Bruce Sabin 1986

Anwar Sadat 1984

Eunice Kennedy Shriver 1984

George P. Shultz 1989

Frank Sinatra 1985

Kate Smith 1982

Roger L. Stevens 1988

Jimmy Stewart 1985

Mother Teresa 1985

Charles Bates Thornton 1981

William Bertalan Walsh 1987

Albert Coady Wedemeyer 1985

Caspar Willard Weinbergera 1987

Meredith Willson 1987

Albert J. Wohlstetter 1985

Roberta Wohlstetter 1985

Chuck Yeager 1985

Source: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States. a. Medal known to be awarded “with distinction.”

Presidential Medal of Freedom

Congressional Research Service 20

Table 9. Presidential Medals of Freedom: James E. Carter Jr. (1977-1981)

Name Year

Ansel Adams 1980

Horace Marden Albright 1980

Roger Nash Baldwin 1981

Harold Brown 1981

Zbigniew Brzezinski 1981

Rachel Louise Carson 1980

Lucia Chase 1980

Warren Christopher 1981

Walter Leland Cronkite Jr. 1981

Kirk Douglas 1981

Arthur Joseph Goldberg 1978

Hubert H. Humphrey 1980

Archbishop Iakovos 1980

Lyndon B. Johnson 1980

Martin Luther King Jr. 1977

Margaret Craig McNamara 1981

Margaret Mead 1979

Karl Menninger 1981

Clarence M. Mitchell Jr. 1980

Edmund S. Muskie 1981

Esther Peterson 1981

Roger Tory Peterson 1980

Hyman George Rickover 1980

Jonas Edward Salk 1977

Beverly Sills 1980

Gerald Coad Smith 1981

Robert Schwarz Strauss 1981

Elbert P. Tuttle 1981

Earl Warren 1981

Robert Penn Warren 1980

John Wayne 1980

Eudora Welty 1980

Tennessee Williams 1980

Andrew Young 1981

Source: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States.

Presidential Medal of Freedom

Congressional Research Service 21

Table 10. Presidential Medals of Freedom: Gerald R. Ford Jr. (1974-1977)

Name Year

Iorwith Wilbur Abela 1977

John Bardeena 1977

Irving Berlina 1977

Norman Ernest Borlauga 1977

Omar Nelson Bradleya 1977

David Kirkpatrick Este Brucea 1976

Arleigh Albert Burkea 1977

Alexander Caldera 1977

Bruce Cattona 1977

Joe DiMaggioa 1977

Ariel Duranta 1977

Will Duranta 1977

Arthur Fiedlera 1977

Henry Jacob Friendlya 1977

Martha Grahama 1976

Lady Bird Johnsona 1977

Henry Alfred Kissingera 1977

Archibald MacLeisha 1977

James A. Michenera 1977

Georgia O’Keeffea 1977

Jesse Owensa 1976

Nelson A. Rockefellera 1977

Norman Rockwella 1977

Arthur Rubinsteina 1976

Donald Henry Rumsfelda 1977

Catherine Filene Shousea 1977

Lowell Jackson Thomasa 1977

James Watsona 1977

Sources: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents. a. Medals known to be awarded “with distinction.”

Table 11. Presidential Medals of Freedom: Richard M. Nixon (1969-1974)

Name Year

Edwin Aldrina 1969

Apollo 13 Mission Operations Team

1970

Neil Alden Armstronga 1969

Presidential Medal of Freedom

Congressional Research Service 22

Name Year

Earl C. Behrens 1970

Manilo Giovanni Brosio 1971

Michael Collinsa 1969

Duke Ellington 1969

Edward Thomas Folliard 1970

John Ford 1973

Samuel Goldwyn 1971

Fred W. Haise 1970

William M. Henry 1970

Paul G. Hoffman 1974

William J. Hopkins 1971

Arthur Krock 1970

Melvin Robert Laird Jr. 1974

David Lawrence 1970

George Gould Lincoln 1970

Jim Lovell 1970

Charles LeRoy Lowman 1974

Raymond Charles Moley 1970

Eugene Ormandy 1970

William P. Rogers 1973

Adela Rogers St. Johns 1970

Jack Swigert 1970

John Paul Vann 1972

DeWitt Wallace 1972

Lila Bell Acheson Wallace 1972

Source: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States. a. Medals known to be awarded “with distinction.”

Table 12. Presidential Medals of Freedom: Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969)

Name Year

Dean Gooderham Achesona 1964

Marian Anderson 1963

Eugene Robert Blacka 1969

Detlev W. Bronk 1964

Ralph Johnson Bunchea 1963

McGeorge Bundy 1969

Ellsworth Bunkera 1963

Presidential Medal of Freedom

Congressional Research Service 23

Name Year

Ellsworth Bunkera 1967

Pablo Casals 1963

Genevieve Caulfield 1963

Clark Clifforda 1969

James B. Conanta 1963

Aaron Copland 1964

Willem de Kooning 1964

Michael E. DeBakey 1969

Walt Disney 1964

James Frank Dobie 1964

David Dubinsky 1969

Lena Frances Edwards 1964

T. S. Eliot 1964

Ralph Ellison 1969

John Franklin Enders 1963

Lynn Fontanne 1964

Henry Ford II 1969

Felix Frankfurtera 1963

John William Gardner 1964

W. Averell Harrimana 1969

Theodore M. Hesburgh 1964

Karl Holton 1963

Bob Hope 1969

Pope John XXIIIa 1963

Clarence Leonard Johnson 1964

Edgar Fosburgh Kaiser 1969

Frederick Russell Kappel 1964

Helen Keller 1964

John F. Kennedya 1963

Robert John Herman Kiphuth 1963

Robert William Komer 1967

Edwin Herbert Land 1963

Mary Woodward Lasker 1969

Herbert Henry Lehman 1963

John Llewellyn Lewis 1964

Walter Lippmann 1964

Eugene M. Locke 1967

Presidential Medal of Freedom

Congressional Research Service 24

Name Year

Robert Abercrombie Lovetta 1963

Alfred Lunt 1964

J. Clifford MacDonald 1963

John Williams Macy 1969

Luis Munoz Marina 1963

John J. McCloya 1963

Ralph McGill 1964

Robert S. McNamara 1968

George Meany 1963

Alexander Meiklejohn 1963

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe 1963

Jean Monneta 1963

Samuel Eliot Morison 1964

Lewis Mumford 1964

Edward R. Murrowa 1964

Reinhold Niebuhr 1964

Gregory Peck 1969

Leontyne Price 1964

Clarence Belden Randall 1963

A. Philip Randolph 1964

Laurance S. Rockefeller 1969

Walt Rostowa 1969

Dean Ruska 1969

Carl Sandburg 1964

Rudolf Serkin 1963

Merriman Smith 1969

Edward Steichen 1963

John Steinbeck 1964

Helen Taussig 1964

George William Taylor 1963

Cyrus Vancea 1969

Carl Vinsona 1964

Alan T. Waterman 1963

Thomas J. Watson Jr. 1964

Mark S. Watson 1963

Annie Dodge Wauneka 1963

James Edwin Webb 1968

Presidential Medal of Freedom

Congressional Research Service 25

Name Year

E. B. White 1963

Paul Dudley White 1964

William Smith White 1969

Thornton Niven Wilder 1963

Roy Wilkins 1969

Edmund Wilson 1963

Andrew Wyeth 1963

Whitney M. Young Jr. 1969

Sources: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents. a. Medals known to be awarded “with distinction.”

Table 13 lists all 673 awards of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, listed in alphabetical order by recipient’s last name. The recipients who are known to have been awarded the medal “with distinction” are marked with a table note (a).³²

Table 13. Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipients, 1963-2025

Name Year President

Hank Aaron 2002 George W. Bush

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 2016 Barack H. Obama

Iorwith Wilbur Abela 1977 Gerald R. Ford Jr.

Dean Gooderham Achesona 1964 Lyndon B. Johnson

Ansel Adams 1980 James E. Carter Jr.

John H. Adams 2011 Barack H. Obama

Miriam Adelson 2018 Donald J. Trump

Alvin Ailey 2014 Barack H. Obama

Horace Marden Albright 1980 James E. Carter Jr.

Madeleine Albright 2012 Barack H. Obama

Edwin Aldrina 1969 Richard M. Nixon

Muhammad Ali 2005 George W. Bush

Isabel Allende 2014 Barack H. Obama

Marian Anderson 1963 Lyndon B. Johnson

José Andrés 2025 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Maya Angelou 2011 Barack H. Obama

Walter H. Annenberg 1986 Ronald W. Reagan

Apollo 13 Mission Operations Team 1970 Richard M. Nixon

32 As in Tables 2-12, information about whether the Presidential Medal of Freedom was awarded “with distinction” comes from Hogan, Presidential Medal of Freedom, pp. 155-156; Todd, “Designating Heroes,” pp. 189-203; Wetterau, Presidential Medal of Freedom; and contemporaneous presidential remarks and announcements. The 56 instances of “with distinction” noted in this report may not be comprehensive.

Presidential Medal of Freedom

Congressional Research Service 26

Name Year President

Anne Legendre Armstrong 1987 Ronald W. Reagan

Neil Alden Armstronga 1969 Richard M. Nixon

Arnold Aronson 1998 William J. Clinton

Arthur Ashe 1993 William J. Clinton

Brooke Astor 1998 William J. Clinton

Pearl Bailey 1988 Ronald W. Reagan

James Addison Baker III 1991 George H. W. Bush

Howard Henry Baker Jr. 1984 Ronald W. Reagan

George Balanchine 1983 Ronald W. Reagan

Malcolm Baldrige 1988 Ronald W. Reagan

Roger Nash Baldwin 1981 James E. Carter Jr.

Lucille Ball 1989 George H. W. Bush

Ernie Banks 2013 Barack H. Obama

John Bardeena 1977 Gerald R. Ford Jr.

Robert LeRoy Bartley 2003 George W. Bush

Jacques Barzun 2003 George W. Bush

Count Basie 1985 Ronald W. Reagan

Gary Becker 2007 George W. Bush

Earl C. Behrens 1970 Richard M. Nixon

Lloyd Bentsen 1999 William J. Clinton

Irving Berlina 1977 Gerald R. Ford Jr.

Joseph Bernardin 1996 William J. Clinton

Yogi Berra 2015 Barack H. Obama

Joseph R. Biden Jr.a 2017 Barack H. Obama

Simone Biles 2022 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Oscar Elias Biscet 2007 George W. Bush

Eugene Robert Blacka 1969 Lyndon B. Johnson

Red Blaik 1986 Ronald W. Reagan

Tony Blair 2009 George W. Bush

Eubie Blake 1981 Ronald W. Reagan

Herbert “Herblock” Block 1994 William J. Clinton

Michael Bloomberg 2024 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Bono 2025 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Norman Ernest Borlauga 1977 Gerald R. Ford Jr.

Greg Boyle 2024 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Ben Bradlee 2013 Barack H. Obama

Omar Nelson Bradleya 1977 Gerald R. Ford Jr.

Presidential Medal of Freedom

Congressional Research Service 27

Name Year President

James Scott Brady 1996 William J. Clinton

L. Paul Bremer 2004 George W. Bush

William J. Brennan Jr. 1993 William J. Clinton

Nancy Brinker 2009 Barack H. Obama

David Brinkley 1992 George H. W. Bush

Tom Brokaw 2014 Barack H. Obama

Edgar M. Bronfman Sr. 1999 William J. Clinton

Detlev W. Bronk 1964 Lyndon B. Johnson

Edward W. Brooke 2004 George W. Bush

Manilo Giovanni Brosio 1971 Richard M. Nixon

Harold Brown 1981 James E. Carter Jr.

Irving Brown 1988 Ronald W. Reagan

David Kirkpatrick Este Brucea 1976 Gerald R. Ford Jr.

Paul William Bryant 1983 Ronald W. Reagan

Zbigniew Brzezinski 1981 James E. Carter Jr.

William F. Buckley Jr. 1991 George H. W. Bush

Warren Buffett 2011 Barack H. Obama

Ralph Johnson Bunchea 1963 Lyndon B. Johnson

McGeorge Bundy 1969 Lyndon B. Johnson

Ellsworth Bunkera 1963 Lyndon B. Johnson

Ellsworth Bunkera 1967 Lyndon B. Johnson

Warren E. Burger 1988 Ronald W. Reagan

Arleigh Albert Burkea 1977 Gerald R. Ford Jr.

James E. Burke 2000 William J. Clinton

Carol Burnett 2005 George W. Bush

James Burnham 1983 Ronald W. Reagan

George H. W. Bush 2011 Barack H. Obama

James Cagney 1984 Ronald W. Reagan

Alexander Caldera 1977 Gerald R. Ford Jr.

Simone Campbell 2022 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Peter Alexander Rupert Carrington 1988 Ronald W. Reagan

Bonnie Carroll 2015 Barack H. Obama

Ben Carson 2008 George W. Bush

Johnny Carson 1992 George H. W. Bush

Rachel Louise Carson 1980 James E. Carter Jr.

Ashton B. Carter 2025 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

James E. Carter Jr. 1999 William J. Clinton

Presidential Medal of Freedom

Congressional Research Service 28

Name Year President

Rosalynn Carter 1999 William J. Clinton

Pablo Casals 1963 Lyndon B. Johnson

Bruce Cattona 1977 Gerald R. Ford Jr.

Genevieve Caulfield 1963 Lyndon B. Johnson

Vinton G. Cerf 2005 George W. Bush

John Hubbard Chafee 2000 William J. Clinton

Whittaker Chambers 1984 Ronald W. Reagan

James Earl Chaney 2014 Barack H. Obama

Peggy Charren 1995 William J. Clinton

Lucia Chase 1980 James E. Carter Jr.

Cesar Chavez 1994 William J. Clinton

James Edward Cheek 1983 Ronald W. Reagan

Dick Cheney 1991 George H. W. Bush

Leo Cherne 1984 Ronald W. Reagan

Julia Child 2003 George W. Bush

Shirley Chisholm 2015 Barack H. Obama

Warren Christopher 1981 James E. Carter Jr.

Wesley Clark 2000 William J. Clinton

Roberto Clemente 2003 George W. Bush

Van Cliburn 2003 George W. Bush

Clark Clifforda 1969 Lyndon B. Johnson

Hillary Rodham Clinton 2025 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

William J. Clinton 2013 Barack H. Obama

James Clyburn 2024 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Elouise Cobell 2016 Barack H. Obama

William T. Coleman Jr. 1995 William J. Clinton

Robert Coles 1998 William J. Clinton

Francis Collins 2007 George W. Bush

Michael Collinsa 1969 Richard M. Nixon

Ruth Johnson Colvin 2006 George W. Bush

James B. Conanta 1963 Lyndon B. Johnson

Robert Conquest 2005 George W. Bush

Terence James Cooke 1984 Ronald W. Reagan

Denton Arthur Cooley 1984 Ronald W. Reagan

Joan Ganz Cooney 1995 William J. Clinton

Aaron Copland 1964 Lyndon B. Johnson

Bill Cosby 2002 George W. Bush

Presidential Medal of Freedom

Congressional Research Service 29

Name Year President

Jacques-Yves Cousteau 1985 Ronald W. Reagan

Bob Cousy 2019 Donald J. Trump

Ryan C. Crocker 2009 George W. Bush

Walter Leland Cronkite Jr. 1981 James E. Carter Jr.

William James Crowe 2000 William J. Clinton

Justin Dart Jr. 1998 William J. Clinton

Justin Whitlock Dart 1987 Ronald W. Reagan

Doris Day 2004 George W. Bush

Javier Perez de Cuellar 1991 George H. W. Bush

Willem de Kooning 1964 Lyndon B. Johnson

Robert De Niro 2016 Barack H. Obama

Michael E. DeBakey 1969 Lyndon B. Johnson

Ellen DeGeneres 2016 Barack H. Obama

C. Douglas Dillon 1989 George H. W. Bush

Joe DiMaggioa 1977 Gerald R. Ford Jr.

John David Dingell 2014 Barack H. Obama

Walt Disney 1964 Lyndon B. Johnson

John Michael Doar 2012 Barack H. Obama

James Frank Dobie 1964 Lyndon B. Johnson

Bob Dole 1997 William J. Clinton

Elizabeth Dole 2024 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Placido Domingo 2002 George W. Bush

Phil Donahue 2024 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

James Harold Doolittle 1989 George H. W. Bush

Kirk Douglas 1981 James E. Carter Jr.

Marjory Stoneman Douglas 1993 William J. Clinton

Mildred Spiewak Dresselhaus 2014 Barack H. Obama

Peter F. Drucker 2002 George W. Bush

David Dubinsky 1969 Lyndon B. Johnson

Evelyn Dubrow 1999 William J. Clinton

Ariel Duranta 1977 Gerald R. Ford Jr.

Will Duranta 1977 Gerald R. Ford Jr.

Bob Dylan 2012 Barack H. Obama

Marian Wright Edelman 2000 William J. Clinton

Lena Frances Edwards 1964 Lyndon B. Johnson

T. S. Eliot 1964 Lyndon B. Johnson

Duke Ellington 1969 Richard M. Nixon

Presidential Medal of Freedom

Congressional Research Service 30

Name Year President

Ralph Ellison 1969 Lyndon B. Johnson

John Franklin Enders 1963 Lyndon B. Johnson

Emilio Estefan Jr. 2015 Barack H. Obama

Gloria Estefan 2015 Barack H. Obama

Medgar Evers 2024 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

James Farmer 1998 William J. Clinton

Dante Bruno Fascell 1998 William J. Clinton

Anthony S. Fauci 2008 George W. Bush

Luis A. Ferre 1991 George H. W. Bush

Maria Isolina Ferre 1999 William J. Clinton

Arthur Fiedlera 1977 Gerald R. Ford Jr.

Zachary Fisher 1998 William J. Clinton

Ella Fitzgerald 1992 George H. W. Bush

Arthur Sherwood Flemming 1994 William J. Clinton

William H. Foege 2012 Barack H. Obama

Edward Thomas Folliard 1970 Richard M. Nixon

Lynn Fontanne 1964 Lyndon B. Johnson

Henry Ford II 1969 Lyndon B. Johnson

Gerald R. Ford Jr. 1999 William J. Clinton

Betty Ford 1991 George H. W. Bush

John Ford 1973 Richard M. Nixon

Tennessee Ernie Ford 1984 Ronald W. Reagan

Michael J. Fox 2025 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Pope Francis Ia 2025 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Norman C. Francis 2006 George W. Bush

Billy Frank 2015 Barack H. Obama

Felix Frankfurtera 1963 Lyndon B. Johnson

Aretha Franklin 2005 George W. Bush

John Hope Franklin 1995 William J. Clinton

Tommy R. Franks 2004 George W. Bush

Milton Friedman 1988 Ronald W. Reagan

Henry Jacob Friendlya 1977 Gerald R. Ford Jr.

J. William Fulbright 1993 William J. Clinton

Millard Fuller 1996 William J. Clinton

R. Buckminster Fuller 1983 Ronald W. Reagan

Dan Gable 2020 Donald J. Trump

John Kenneth Galbraith 2000 William J. Clinton

Presidential Medal of Freedom

Congressional Research Service 31

Name Year President

Hector Perez Garcia 1984 Ronald W. Reagan

Juliet García 2022 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

John William Gardner 1964 Lyndon B. Johnson

Richard Lawrence Garwin 2016 Barack H. Obama

Bill Gates 2016 Barack H. Obama

Melinda Gates 2016 Barack H. Obama

Robert M. Gates 2011 Barack H. Obama

Frank O. Gehry 2016 Barack H. Obama

Gabrielle Giffords 2022 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Tim Gill 2025 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

John Glenn 2012 Barack H. Obama

Arthur Joseph Goldberg 1978 James E. Carter Jr.

Barry Goldwater 1986 Ronald W. Reagan

Samuel Goldwyn 1971 Richard M. Nixon

Jane Goodall 2025 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Andrew Goodman 2014 Barack H. Obama

Andrew Jackson Goodpaster 1984 Ronald W. Reagan

Albert Gore Jr. 2024 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Billy Graham 1983 Ronald W. Reagan

Katharine Graham 2002 George W. Bush

Martha Grahama 1976 Gerald R. Ford Jr.

James P. Grant 1994 William J. Clinton

Ella Grasso 1981 Ronald W. Reagan

Fred Gray Sr. 2022 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Hannah Holborn Gray 1991 George H. W. Bush

Alan Greenspan 2005 George W. Bush

Pedro Jose Greer Jr. 2009 Barack H. Obama

Vartan Gregorian 2004 George W. Bush

Andy Griffith 2005 George W. Bush

Gilbert Melville Grosvenor 2004 George W. Bush

Philip Charles Habib 1982 Ronald W. Reagan

Fred W. Haise 1970 Richard M. Nixon

David A. Hamburg 1996 William J. Clinton

Fannie Lou Hamer 2025 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Lee H. Hamilton 2015 Barack H. Obama

Margaret Hamilton 2016 Barack H. Obama

Tom Hanks 2016 Barack H. Obama

Presidential Medal of Freedom

Congressional Research Service 32

Name Year President

Suzan Shown Harjo 2014 Barack H. Obama

Bryce N. Harlow 1981 Ronald W. Reagan

W. Averell Harrimana 1969 Lyndon B. Johnson

Paul Harvey 2005 George W. Bush

Orrin G. Hatch 2018 Donald J. Trump

Vaclav Havel 2003 George W. Bush

Stephen Hawking 2009 Barack H. Obama

Friedrich August von Hayek 1991 George H. W. Bush

Helen Hayes 1986 Ronald W. Reagan

Dorothy Irene Height 1994 William J. Clinton

Donald A. Henderson 2002 George W. Bush

William M. Henry 1970 Richard M. Nixon

Audrey Hepburn 1992 George H. W. Bush

Theodore M. Hesburgh 1964 Lyndon B. Johnson

Frances Hesselbein 1998 William J. Clinton

Charlton Heston 2003 George W. Bush

Leon A. Higginbotham Jr. 1995 William J. Clinton

George G. Higgins 2000 William J. Clinton

Oliver W. Hill 1999 William J. Clinton

Gordon B. Hinckley 2004 George W. Bush

Gordon Hirabayashi 2012 Barack H. Obama

Eric Hoffer 1983 Ronald W. Reagan

Paul G. Hoffman 1974 Richard M. Nixon

Jerome Heartwell Holland 1985 Ronald W. Reagan

Karl Holton 1963 Lyndon B. Johnson

Lou Holtz 2020 Donald J. Trump

Sidney Hook 1985 Ronald W. Reagan

Benjamin L. Hooks 2007 George W. Bush

Bob Hope 1969 Lyndon B. Johnson

William J. Hopkins 1971 Richard M. Nixon

Grace Hopper 2016 Barack H. Obama

Vladimir Horowitz 1986 Ronald W. Reagan

John Howard 2009 George W. Bush

Dolores Huerta 2012 Barack H. Obama

Hubert H. Humphrey 1980 James E. Carter Jr.

Henry Hyde 2007 George W. Bush

Archbishop Iakovos 1980 James E. Carter Jr.

Presidential Medal of Freedom

Congressional Research Service 33

Name Year President

Daniel Inouye 2013 Barack H. Obama

Henry M. Jackson 1984 Ronald W. Reagan

Jesse Jackson 2000 William J. Clinton

Jacob Koppel Javits 1983 Ronald W. Reagan

Mildred Jeffrey 2000 William J. Clinton

Steve Jobs 2022 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Pope John Paul II 2004 George W. Bush

Pope John XXIIIa 1963 Lyndon B. Johnson

Jasper Johns 2011 Barack H. Obama

Frank Johnson Jr. 1995 William J. Clinton

Clarence Leonard Johnson 1964 Lyndon B. Johnson

John H. Johnson 1996 William J. Clinton

Katherine Johnson 2015 Barack H. Obama

Lady Bird Johnsona 1977 Gerald R. Ford Jr.

Lyndon B. Johnson 1980 James E. Carter Jr.

Magic Johnson 2025 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Paul Johnson 2006 George W. Bush

Clarence B. Jones 2024 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Barbara Jordan 1994 William J. Clinton

Jim Jordan 2021 Donald J. Trump

Michael Jordan 2016 Barack H. Obama

Walter Henry Judd 1981 Ronald W. Reagan

Robert E. Kahn 2005 George W. Bush

Daniel Kahneman 2013 Barack H. Obama

Edgar Fosburgh Kaiser 1969 Lyndon B. Johnson

Max M. Kampelman 1999 William J. Clinton

Frederick Russell Kappel 1964 Lyndon B. Johnson

Alexander Karloutsos 2022 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Jan Karski 2012 Barack H. Obama

Irving Robert Kaufman 1987 Ronald W. Reagan

Danny Kaye 1987 Ronald W. Reagan

Jack Keane 2020 Donald J. Trump

Helen Keller 1964 Lyndon B. Johnson

Jack French Kemp 2009 Barack H. Obama

George F. Kennan 1989 George H. W. Bush

Edward M. Kennedy 2009 Barack H. Obama

Ethel Kennedy 2014 Barack H. Obama

Presidential Medal of Freedom

Congressional Research Service 34

Name Year President

John F. Kennedya 1963 Lyndon B. Johnson

Robert Francis Kennedy 2025 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

John Kerry 2024 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Khizr Khan 2022 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. 1977 James E. Carter Jr.

B. B. King 2006 George W. Bush

Billie Jean King 2009 Barack H. Obama

Robert John Herman Kiphuth 1963 Lyndon B. Johnson

Lane Kirkland 1994 William J. Clinton

Jeane Duane Jordan Kirkpatrick 1985 Ronald W. Reagan

Lincoln Kirstein 1984 Ronald W. Reagan

Henry Alfred Kissingera 1977 Gerald R. Ford Jr.

Gerda Weissmann Klein 2011 Barack H. Obama

Helmut Kohl 1999 William J. Clinton

Robert William Komer 1967 Lyndon B. Johnson

C. Everett Koop 1995 William J. Clinton

Fred Korematsu 1998 William J. Clinton

Mathilde Krim 2000 William J. Clinton

Irving William Kristol 2002 George W. Bush

Arthur Krock 1970 Richard M. Nixon

Arthur Betz Laffer 2019 Donald J. Trump

Melvin Robert Laird Jr. 1974 Richard M. Nixon

Brian Lamb 2007 George W. Bush

Louis L’Amour 1984 Ronald W. Reagan

Edwin Herbert Land 1963 Lyndon B. Johnson

Eugene M. Lang 1996 William J. Clinton

Tom Lantos 2008 George W. Bush

Mary Woodward Lasker 1969 Lyndon B. Johnson

Estee Lauder 2004 George W. Bush

Ralph Lauren 2025 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Frank R. Lautenberg 2024 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

David Lawrence 1970 Richard M. Nixon

Katie Ledecky 2024 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Joshua Lederberg 2006 George W. Bush

Harper Lee 2007 George W. Bush

Opal Lee 2024 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Herbert Henry Lehman 1963 Lyndon B. Johnson

Presidential Medal of Freedom

Congressional Research Service 35

Name Year President

Morris I. Leibman 1981 Ronald W. Reagan

Lyman Louis Lemnitzer 1987 Ronald W. Reagan

John Llewellyn Lewis 1964 Lyndon B. Johnson

John Robert Lewis 2011 Barack H. Obama

Rush Limbaugh 2020 Donald J. Trump

Maya Lin 2016 Barack H. Obama

George Gould Lincoln 1970 Richard M. Nixon

Sandra Lindsay 2022 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Sol Myron Linowitz 1998 William J. Clinton

Walter Lippmann 1964 Lyndon B. Johnson

Tom Little 2011 Barack H. Obama

Eugene M. Locke 1967 Lyndon B. Johnson

Jim Lovell 1970 Richard M. Nixon

Robert Abercrombie Lovetta 1963 Lyndon B. Johnson

George Michael Low 1985 Ronald W. Reagan

Juliette Gordon Low 2012 Barack H. Obama

Joseph E. Lowery 2009 Barack H. Obama

Charles LeRoy Lowman 1974 Richard M. Nixon

Clare Boothe Luce 1983 Ronald W. Reagan

Richard Green Lugar 2013 Barack H. Obama

Joseph Luns 1984 Ronald W. Reagan

Alfred Lunt 1964 Lyndon B. Johnson

Loretta Lynn 2013 Barack H. Obama

Yo-Yo Ma 2011 Barack H. Obama

Jean Marie Faircloth MacArthur 1988 Ronald W. Reagan

J. Clifford MacDonald 1963 Lyndon B. Johnson

Archibald MacLeisha 1977 Gerald R. Ford Jr.

John Williams Macy 1969 Lyndon B. Johnson

Dumas Malone 1983 Ronald W. Reagan

Nelson Mandela 2002 George W. Bush

Wilma Mankiller 1998 William J. Clinton

Mike Mansfield 1989 Ronald W. Reagan

Luis Munoz Marina 1963 Lyndon B. Johnson

J. Willard Marriott 1988 Ronald W. Reagan

Thurgood Marshall 1993 William J. Clinton

Willie Mays 2015 Barack H. Obama

John McCain 2022 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Presidential Medal of Freedom

Congressional Research Service 36

Name Year President

John J. McCloya 1963 Lyndon B. Johnson

John A. McCone 1987 Ronald W. Reagan

David McCullough 2006 George W. Bush

Ralph McGill 1964 Lyndon B. Johnson

George Stanley McGovern 2000 William J. Clinton

Margaret Craig McNamara 1981 James E. Carter Jr.

Robert S. McNamara 1968 Lyndon B. Johnson

Margaret Mead 1979 James E. Carter Jr.

George Meany 1963 Lyndon B. Johnson

Joseph Medicine Crow 2009 Barack H. Obama

Edwin Meese 2019 Donald J. Trump

Alexander Meiklejohn 1963 Lyndon B. Johnson

Sylvia Mendez 2011 Barack H. Obama

Karl Menninger 1981 James E. Carter Jr.

Mabel Mercer 1983 Ronald W. Reagan

Angela Merkel 2011 Barack H. Obama

Lionel Messi 2025 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Lorne Michaels 2016 Barack H. Obama

Bob Michel 1994 William J. Clinton

James A. Michenera 1977 Gerald R. Ford Jr.

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe 1963 Lyndon B. Johnson

Barbara Mikulski 2015 Barack H. Obama

Abner Joseph Mikva 2014 Barack H. Obama

Harvey Milk 2009 Barack H. Obama

Norman Yoshio Mineta 2006 George W. Bush

Patsy Takemoto Mink 2014 Barack H. Obama

Newton Minow 2016 Barack H. Obama

Clarence M. Mitchell Jr. 1980 James E. Carter Jr.

George John Mitchell 1999 William J. Clinton

Raymond Charles Moley 1970 Richard M. Nixon

Mario Molina 2013 Barack H. Obama

Jean Monneta 1963 Lyndon B. Johnson

Gillespie V. (“Sonny”) Montgomery 2005 George W. Bush

Gordon E. Moore 2002 George W. Bush

Rita Moreno 2004 George W. Bush

Samuel Eliot Morison 1964 Lyndon B. Johnson

Toni Morrison 2012 Barack H. Obama

Presidential Medal of Freedom

Congressional Research Service 37

Name Year President

Daniel Patrick Moynihan 2000 William J. Clinton

Lewis Mumford 1964 Lyndon B. Johnson

Margaret Murie 1998 William J. Clinton

Edward R. Murrowa 1964 Lyndon B. Johnson

Stan Musial 2011 Barack H. Obama

Edmund S. Muskie 1981 James E. Carter Jr.

Richard B. Myers 2005 George W. Bush

Diane Nash 2022 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Gaylord Nelson 1995 William J. Clinton

Jack Nicklaus 2005 George W. Bush

Reinhold Niebuhr 1964 Lyndon B. Johnson

Paul Henry Nitze 1985 Ronald W. Reagan

Jan Nowak 1996 William J. Clinton

Devin Nunes 2021 Donald J. Trump

Bill Nye 2025 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Sandra Day O’Connor 2009 Barack H. Obama

Mario G. Obledo 1998 William J. Clinton

Ellen Ochoa 2024 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Georgia O’Keeffea 1977 Gerald R. Ford Jr.

Buck O’Neil 2006 George W. Bush

Tip O’Neill 1991 George H. W. Bush

Eugene Ormandy 1970 Richard M. Nixon

Jesse Owensa 1976 Gerald R. Ford Jr.

Peter Pace 2008 George W. Bush

David Packard 1988 Ronald W. Reagan

Eduardo Padrón 2016 Barack H. Obama

Alan Cedric Page 2018 Donald J. Trump

Arnold Palmer 2004 George W. Bush

Antonia Pantoja 1996 William J. Clinton

Rosa Parks 1996 William J. Clinton

Frederick Douglass Patterson 1987 Ronald W. Reagan

Arnall Patz 2004 George W. Bush

Norman Vincent Peale 1984 Ronald W. Reagan

Gregory Peck 1969 Lyndon B. Johnson

I. M. Pei 1992 George H. W. Bush

Nancy Pelosi 2024 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Roger Penske 2019 Donald J. Trump

Presidential Medal of Freedom

Congressional Research Service 38

Name Year President

Claude Pepper 1989 George H. W. Bush

Shimon Peres 2012 Barack H. Obama

Itzhak Perlman 2015 Barack H. Obama

Nathan Perlmutter 1987 Ronald W. Reagan

William James Perry 1997 William J. Clinton

Esther Peterson 1981 James E. Carter Jr.

Roger Tory Peterson 1980 James E. Carter Jr.

Richard Petty 1992 George H. W. Bush

Gary Jim Player 2021 Donald J. Trump

Norman Podhoretz 2004 George W. Bush

Sidney Poitier 2009 Barack H. Obama

Colin Powell 1991 George H. W. Bush

Colin Powella 1993 William J. Clinton

Elvis Presley 2018 Donald J. Trump

Leontyne Price 1964 Lyndon B. Johnson

Simon Ramo 1983 Ronald W. Reagan

Clarence Belden Randall 1963 Lyndon B. Johnson

A. Philip Randolph 1964 Lyndon B. Johnson

Megan Rapinoe 2022 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Joseph L. Rauh Jr. 1993 William J. Clinton

Martha Raye 1993 William J. Clinton

Nancy Reagan 2002 George W. Bush

Ronald W. Reagana 1993 George H. W. Bush

Robert Redford 2016 Barack H. Obama

Walter Philip Reuther 1995 William J. Clinton

Frank Reynolds 1985 Ronald W. Reagan

Cruz Reynoso 2000 William J. Clinton

Cecile Richards 2024 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Elliot Richardson 1998 William J. Clinton

Hyman George Rickover 1980 James E. Carter Jr.

Sally K. Ride 2013 Barack H. Obama

Matthew Bunker Ridgway 1986 Ronald W. Reagan

Jane Rigby 2024 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

S. Dillon Ripley 1985 Ronald W. Reagan

Chita Rivera 2009 Barack H. Obama

Mariano Rivera 2019 Donald J. Trump

George Islay MacNeill Robertson 2003 George W. Bush

Presidential Medal of Freedom

Congressional Research Service 39

Name Year President

Frank Robinson 2005 George W. Bush

Jackie Robinson 1984 Ronald W. Reagan

Mary Robinson 2009 Barack H. Obama

David Rockefeller 1998 William J. Clinton

Laurance S. Rockefeller 1969 Lyndon B. Johnson

Nelson A. Rockefellera 1977 Gerald R. Ford Jr.

Norman Rockwella 1977 Gerald R. Ford Jr.

Fred Rogers 2002 George W. Bush

William P. Rogers 1973 Richard M. Nixon

Teresa Romero 2024 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

George W. Romney 2025 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Carlos Pena Romulo 1984 Ronald W. Reagan

A. M. Rosenthal 2002 George W. Bush

Diana Ross 2016 Barack H. Obama

Walt Rostowa 1969 Lyndon B. Johnson

Mstislav Rostropovich 1987 Ronald W. Reagan

James W. Rouse 1995 William J. Clinton

Janet D. Rowley 2009 Barack H. Obama

Edward Roybal 2014 Barack H. Obama

Vermont Connecticut Royster 1986 Ronald W. Reagan

David M. Rubenstein 2025 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Arthur Rubinsteina 1976 Gerald R. Ford Jr.

William Doyle Ruckelshaus 2015 Barack H. Obama

Donald Henry Rumsfelda 1977 Gerald R. Ford Jr.

Paul Rusesabagina 2005 George W. Bush

Dean Ruska 1969 Lyndon B. Johnson

Bill Russell 2011 Barack H. Obama

Bayard Rustin 2013 Barack H. Obama

Babe Ruth 2018 Donald J. Trump

Jim Ryun 2020 Donald J. Trump

Albert Bruce Sabin 1986 Ronald W. Reagan

Anwar Sadat 1984 Ronald W. Reagan

William L. Safire 2006 George W. Bush

Ginetta Sagan 1996 William J. Clinton

Jonas Edward Salk 1977 James E. Carter Jr.

Carl Sandburg 1964 Lyndon B. Johnson

Arturo Sandoval 2013 Barack H. Obama

Presidential Medal of Freedom

Congressional Research Service 40

Name Year President

Antonin Scalia 2018 Donald J. Trump

Harry W. Schlaudeman 1992 George H. W. Bush

H. Norman Schwarzkopf 1991 George H. W. Bush

Michael Henry Schwerner 2014 Barack H. Obama

Brent Scowcroft 1991 George H. W. Bush

Vin Scully 2016 Barack H. Obama

Rudolf Serkin 1963 Lyndon B. Johnson

Donna Shalala 2008 George W. Bush

John Shalikashvili 1997 William J. Clinton

Albert Shanker 1998 William J. Clinton

Natan Sharansky 2006 George W. Bush

Judy Shepard 2024 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Catherine Filene Shousea 1977 Gerald R. Ford Jr.

Eunice Kennedy Shriver 1984 Ronald W. Reagan

Sargent Shriver 1994 William J. Clinton

George P. Shultz 1989 Ronald W. Reagan

Charlie Sifford 2014 Barack H. Obama

Laurence H. Silberman 2008 George W. Bush

Beverly Sills 1980 James E. Carter Jr.

Alan Simpson 2022 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Frank Sinatra 1985 Ronald W. Reagan

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf 2007 George W. Bush

Dean Smith 2013 Barack H. Obama

Gerald Coad Smith 1981 James E. Carter Jr.

Jean Kennedy Smith 2011 Barack H. Obama

Kate Smith 1982 Ronald W. Reagan

Margaret Chase Smith 1989 George H. W. Bush

Merriman Smith 1969 Lyndon B. Johnson

Robert M. Solow 2014 Barack H. Obama

Stephen Sondheim 2015 Barack H. Obama

Annika Sorenstam 2021 Donald J. Trump

George Soros 2025 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Steven Spielberg 2015 Barack H. Obama

Bruce Springsteen 2016 Barack H. Obama

Adela Rogers St. Johns 1970 Richard M. Nixon

Roger Thomas Staubach 2018 Donald J. Trump

Edward Steichen 1963 Lyndon B. Johnson

Presidential Medal of Freedom

Congressional Research Service 41

Name Year President

John Steinbeck 1964 Lyndon B. Johnson

Gloria Steinem 2013 Barack H. Obama

Isaac Stern 1992 George H. W. Bush

George Stevens Jr. 2025 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

John Paul Stevens 2012 Barack H. Obama

Roger L. Stevens 1988 Ronald W. Reagan

Jimmy Stewart 1985 Ronald W. Reagan

Jens Stoltenberg 2024 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Robert Schwarz Strauss 1981 James E. Carter Jr.

Meryl Streep 2014 Barack H. Obama

Barbra Streisand 2015 Barack H. Obama

Leon Sullivan 1991 George H. W. Bush

Pat Summitt 2012 Barack H. Obama

Aung San Suu Kyi 2000 William J. Clinton

John J. Sweeney 2011 Barack H. Obama

Jack Swigert 1970 Richard M. Nixon

Helen Taussig 1964 Lyndon B. Johnson

Gardner C. Taylor 2000 William J. Clinton

George William Taylor 1963 Lyndon B. Johnson

James Taylor 2015 Barack H. Obama

Edward Teller 2003 George W. Bush

George Tenet 2004 George W. Bush

Mother Teresa 1985 Ronald W. Reagan

Margaret Thatcher 1991 George H. W. Bush

Dave Thomas 2003 George W. Bush

Lowell Jackson Thomasa 1977 Gerald R. Ford Jr.

Marlo Thomas 2014 Barack H. Obama

Charles Bates Thornton 1981 Ronald W. Reagan

Jim Thorpe 2024 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Strom Thurmond 1993 George H. W. Bush

Russell Eroll Train 1991 George H. W. Bush

Richard Trumka 2022 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Elbert P. Tuttle 1981 James E. Carter Jr.

Desmond Tutu 2009 Barack H. Obama

Cicely Tyson 2016 Barack H. Obama

Mo Udall 1996 William J. Clinton

Alvaro Uribe 2009 George W. Bush

Presidential Medal of Freedom

Congressional Research Service 42

Name Year President

Cyrus Vancea 1969 Lyndon B. Johnson

John Paul Vann 1972 Richard M. Nixon

Wilma L. Vaught 2022 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

William C. Velasquez 1995 William J. Clinton

John William Vessey 1992 George H. W. Bush

Carl Vinsona 1964 Lyndon B. Johnson

C. T. Vivian 2013 Barack H. Obama

Patricia M. Wald 2013 Barack H. Obama

Lech Walesa 1989 George H. W. Bush

DeWitt Wallace 1972 Richard M. Nixon

Lila Bell Acheson Wallace 1972 Richard M. Nixon

William Bertalan Walsh 1987 Ronald W. Reagan

Vernon Anthony Walters 1991 George H. W. Bush

Sam Walton 1992 George H. W. Bush

Earl Warren 1981 James E. Carter Jr.

Robert Penn Warren 1980 James E. Carter Jr.

Denzel Washington 2022b Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Lew R. Wasserman 1995 William J. Clinton

Alan T. Waterman 1963 Lyndon B. Johnson

Thomas J. Watson Jr. 1964 Lyndon B. Johnson

James Watsona 1977 Gerald R. Ford Jr.

Mark S. Watson 1963 Lyndon B. Johnson

Annie Dodge Wauneka 1963 Lyndon B. Johnson

Edgar Wayburn 1999 William J. Clinton

John Wayne 1980 James E. Carter Jr.

James Edwin Webb 1968 Lyndon B. Johnson

William Hedgcock Webster 1991 George H. W. Bush

Albert Coady Wedemeyer 1985 Ronald W. Reagan

Caspar Willard Weinbergera 1987 Ronald W. Reagan

Eudora Welty 1980 James E. Carter Jr.

Jerry West 2019 Donald J. Trump

Byron R. White 2003 George W. Bush

E. B. White 1963 Lyndon B. Johnson

Paul Dudley White 1964 Lyndon B. Johnson

William Smith White 1969 Lyndon B. Johnson

Elie Wiesel 1992 George H. W. Bush

Simon Wiesenthal 2000 William J. Clinton

Presidential Medal of Freedom

Congressional Research Service 43

Name Year President

Thornton Niven Wilder 1963 Lyndon B. Johnson

Roy Wilkins 1969 Lyndon B. Johnson

Ted Williams 1991 George H. W. Bush

Tennessee Williams 1980 James E. Carter Jr.

Meredith Willson 1987 Ronald W. Reagan

Edmund Wilson 1963 Lyndon B. Johnson

James Q. Wilson 2003 George W. Bush

Oprah Winfrey 2013 Barack H. Obama

Anna Wintour 2025 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

John Minor Wisdom 1993 William J. Clinton

Albert J. Wohlstetter 1985 Ronald W. Reagan

Roberta Wohlstetter 1985 Ronald W. Reagan

Stevie Wonder 2014 Barack H. Obama

John Wooden 2003 George W. Bush

Tiger Woods 2019 Donald J. Trump

Walter Wriston 2004 George W. Bush

Andrew Wyeth 1963 Lyndon B. Johnson

Minoru Yasui 2015 Barack H. Obama

Chuck Yeager 1985 Ronald W. Reagan

Michelle Yeoh 2024 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Whitney M. Young Jr. 1969 Lyndon B. Johnson

Andrew Young 1981 James E. Carter Jr.

Muhammad Yunus 2009 Barack H. Obama

Raul Yzaguirre 2022 Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Mildred Didrikson Zaharias 2021 Donald J. Trump

Elmo R. Zumwalt 1998 William J. Clinton

Sources: Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents; Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States; Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents; Associated Press, “Bush Honors Webster,” July 25, 1991; Christopher Connell, “Bush Gives Thurmond An Award,” Associated Press, January 12, 1993; White House, “President Biden Announces Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom,” press release, January 4, 2025, https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2025/01/04/president-biden-announces- recipients-of-the-presidential-medal-of-freedom-3; White House, “President Biden Awards Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction to His Holiness Pope Francis,” press release, January 11, 2025, https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2025/01/11/president-biden-awards- presidential-medal-of-freedom-with-distinction-to-his-holiness-pope-francis. a. Medals known to be awarded “with distinction.”

b. Announced in July 2022, presented in January 2025.

Presidential Medal of Freedom

Congressional Research Service R47639 · VERSION 21 · UPDATED 44

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Author Information

Ben Leubsdorf Senior Research Librarian

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