Presidential Medal of Freedom
Presidential Medal of Freedom
Updated November 21, 2024
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 2024, the Presidential Medal of Freedom was awarded 654 times to 651 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 when a medal is known to have been awarded “with distinction.”
R47639
November 21, 2024
Ben Leubsdorf Senior Research Librarian
Presidential Medal of Freedom
Congressional Research Service
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 ................................................................................................................... 42
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: Joseph R. Biden Jr. (2021-Present) ............................... 5
Table 3. Presidential Medals of Freedom: Donald J. Trump (2017-2021) ...................................... 7 Table 4. Presidential Medals of Freedom: Barack H. Obama (2009-2017) .................................... 7 Table 5. Presidential Medals of Freedom: George W. Bush (2001-2009) ...................................... 11
Table 6. Presidential Medals of Freedom: William J. Clinton (1993-2001) .................................. 13
Table 7. Presidential Medals of Freedom: George H.W. Bush (1989-1993) ................................. 15 Table 8. Presidential Medals of Freedom: Ronald W. Reagan (1981-1989) ................................. 17 Table 9. Presidential Medals of Freedom: James E. Carter Jr. (1977-1981) ................................. 19 Table 10. Presidential Medals of Freedom: Gerald R. Ford Jr. (1974-1977) ................................ 20 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, 1963-2024 ................................................. 24
Contacts
Author Information ........................................................................................................................ 43
Presidential Medal of Freedom
Congressional Research Service 1
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 654 times between 1963 and 2024.27
The recipients included 651 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
Donald J. Trump 24
Joseph R. Biden Jr. 38b
Total 653
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 November 2024. 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: Joseph R. Biden Jr. (2021-Present)
Name Year
Simone Biles 2022
Michael Bloomberg 2024
Greg Boyle 2024
Simone Campbell 2022
James Clyburn 2024
Elizabeth Dole 2024
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. The 55 instances of “with distinction” noted in this report may not be comprehensive.
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Name Year
Phil Donahue 2024
Medgar Evers 2024
Juliet García 2022
Gabrielle Giffords 2022
Albert Gore Jr. 2024
Fred Gray Sr. 2022
Steve Jobs 2022
Clarence B. Jones 2024
Alexander Karloutsos 2022
John Kerry 2024
Khizr Khan 2022
Frank R. Lautenberg 2024
Katie Ledecky 2024
Opal Lee 2024
Sandra Lindsay 2022
John McCain 2022
Diane Nash 2022
Ellen Ochoa 2024
Nancy Pelosi 2024
Megan Rapinoe 2022
Cecile Richards 2024
Jane Rigby 2024
Teresa Romero 2024
Judy Shepard 2024
Alan Simpson 2022
Jens Stoltenberg 2024
Jim Thorpe 2024
Richard Trumka 2022
Wilma L. Vaught 2022
Denzel Washington 2022
Michelle Yeoh 2024
Raul Yzaguirre 2022
Sources: Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents; President Biden (@POTUS), “Today, I had the honor of awarding Cecile Richards the Presidential Medal of Freedom,” X post, November 20, 2024, https://x.com/POTUS/status/1859360271073956115. Note: List current as of November 2024.
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Table 3. Presidential Medals of Freedom: Donald J. Trump (2017-2021)
Name Year
Miriam Adelson 2018
Bob Cousy 2019
Dan Gable 2020
Orrin G. Hatch 2018
Lou Holtz 2020
Jim Jordan 2021
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.
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
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Name Year
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
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
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Name Year
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
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
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Name Year
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
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.”
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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
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
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Name Year
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
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
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Name Year
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.
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
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Name Year
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
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
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Name Year
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
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
Presidential Medal of Freedom
Congressional Research Service 16
Name Year
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
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.”
Presidential Medal of Freedom
Congressional Research Service 17
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
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
Presidential Medal of Freedom
Congressional Research Service 18
Name Year
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
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
Presidential Medal of Freedom
Congressional Research Service 19
Name Year
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.”
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
Presidential Medal of Freedom
Congressional Research Service 20
Name Year
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.
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
Presidential Medal of Freedom
Congressional Research Service 21
Name Year
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
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
Presidential Medal of Freedom
Congressional Research Service 22
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
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
Presidential Medal of Freedom
Congressional Research Service 23
Name Year
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
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
Presidential Medal of Freedom
Congressional Research Service 24
Name Year
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
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 653 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, 1963-2024
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
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. The 55 instances of “with distinction” noted in this report may not be comprehensive.
Presidential Medal of Freedom
Congressional Research Service 25
Name Year President
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
Maya Angelou 2011 Barack H. Obama
Walter H. Annenberg 1986 Ronald W. Reagan
Apollo 13 Mission Operations Team 1970 Richard M. Nixon
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
Presidential Medal of Freedom
Congressional Research Service 26
Name Year President
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.
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.
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.
Presidential Medal of Freedom
Congressional Research Service 27
Name Year President
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.
James E. Carter Jr. 1999 William J. Clinton
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
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
Presidential Medal of Freedom
Congressional Research Service 28
Name Year President
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
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.
Presidential Medal of Freedom
Congressional Research Service 29
Name Year President
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
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
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
Presidential Medal of Freedom
Congressional Research Service 30
Name Year President
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
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.
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
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
Lee H. Hamilton 2015 Barack H. Obama
Margaret Hamilton 2016 Barack H. Obama
Presidential Medal of Freedom
Congressional Research Service 31
Name Year President
Tom Hanks 2016 Barack H. Obama
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
Presidential Medal of Freedom
Congressional Research Service 32
Name Year President
Archbishop Iakovos 1980 James E. Carter Jr.
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.
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 33
Name Year President
John F. Kennedya 1963 Lyndon B. Johnson
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
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
Morris I. Leibman 1981 Ronald W. Reagan
Lyman Louis Lemnitzer 1987 Ronald W. Reagan
Presidential Medal of Freedom
Congressional Research Service 34
Name Year President
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.
John J. McCloya 1963 Lyndon B. Johnson
John A. McCone 1987 Ronald W. Reagan
Presidential Medal of Freedom
Congressional Research Service 35
Name Year President
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
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
Daniel Patrick Moynihan 2000 William J. Clinton
Lewis Mumford 1964 Lyndon B. Johnson
Margaret Murie 1998 William J. Clinton
Presidential Medal of Freedom
Congressional Research Service 36
Name Year President
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
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
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
Presidential Medal of Freedom
Congressional Research Service 37
Name Year President
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
Frank Robinson 2005 George W. Bush
Jackie Robinson 1984 Ronald W. Reagan
Mary Robinson 2009 Barack H. Obama
David Rockefeller 1998 William J. Clinton
Presidential Medal of Freedom
Congressional Research Service 38
Name Year President
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.
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
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
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
Presidential Medal of Freedom
Congressional Research Service 39
Name Year President
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
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
John Steinbeck 1964 Lyndon B. Johnson
Gloria Steinem 2013 Barack H. Obama
Isaac Stern 1992 George H.W. Bush
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.
Presidential Medal of Freedom
Congressional Research Service 40
Name Year President
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
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
Presidential Medal of Freedom
Congressional Research Service 41
Name Year President
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 2022 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
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
Presidential Medal of Freedom
Congressional Research Service 42
Name Year President
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; President Biden (@POTUS), “Today, I had the honor of awarding Cecile Richards the Presidential Medal of Freedom,” X post, November 20, 2024, https://x.com/POTUS/status/1859360271073956115. a. Medals known to be awarded “with distinction.”
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Presidential Medal of Freedom
Congressional Research Service R47639 · VERSION 5 · UPDATED 43
Author Information
Ben Leubsdorf Senior Research Librarian
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