Presidential Medal of Freedom

Presidential Medal of Freedom Updated September 11, 2026 (R47639) Jump to Main Text of Report Contents Introduction Background History Design and Protocol Nomination, Selection, and Presentation Role for Members of Congress Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom Related CRS Products Figures Figure 1. Presidential Medal of Freedom Tables Table 1. Number of Presidential Medals of Freedom, by President Table 2. Presidential Medals of Freedom: Donald J. Trump (2017-2021, 2025-Present) Table 3. Presidential Medals of Freedom: Joseph R. Biden Jr. (2021-2025) Table 4. Presidential Medals of Freedom: Barack H. Obama (2009-2017) Table 5. Presidential Medals of Freedom: George W. Bush (2001-2009) Table 6. Presidential Medals of Freedom: William J. Clinton (1993-2001) Table 7. Presidential Medals of Freedom: George H. W. Bush (1989-1993) Table 8. Presidential Medals of Freedom: Ronald W. Reagan (1981-1989) Table 9. Presidential Medals of Freedom: James E. Carter Jr. (1977-1981) Table 10. Presidential Medals of Freedom: Gerald R. Ford Jr. (1974-1977) Table 11. Presidential Medals of Freedom: Richard M. Nixon (1969-1974) Table 12. Presidential Medals of Freedom: Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969) Table 13. Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipients, 1963-2025 Summary 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 2026, the Presidential Medal of Freedom was awarded 675 times to 672 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." 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 84 th Congress 5 and H.R. 488 in the 85 th 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 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 Figure 1. Presidential Medal of Freedom Front of the medal awarded to Rosa Parks in 1996 Source: Library of Congress. 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 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 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 675 times between 1963 and 2026. 27 The recipients included 672 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. Table 1. Number of Presidential Medals of Freedom, by President President Number Awarded Lyndon B. Johnson 89 a 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 26 b Total 675 Source s : 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. Note s : Current as of September 2026. a. Includes 31 honorees selected by President John F. Kennedy before his assassination. b. Incumbent. Table s 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 Welles Crowther 2026 Dan Gable 2020 Orrin G. Hatch 2018 Lou Holtz 2020 Jim Jordan 2021 Jack Keane 2020 Charlie Kirk 2025 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 ; "President Trump Hosts Medal of Freedom Ceremony for Charlie Kirk," C-SPAN, October 14, 2025, https://www.c-span.org/program/white-house-event/president-trump-hosts-medal-of-freedom-ceremony-for-charlie-kirk/667148 ; White House, "President Trump Honors 9/11 Heroes and Renews America's Vow to Never Forget," press release, September 8, 2026, https://www.whitehouse.gov/releases/2026/09/president-trump-honors-9-11-heroes-and-renews-americas-vow-to-never-forget . Notes: Current as of September 2026. 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 I a 2025 Michael J. Fox 2025 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 Richard Trumka 2022 Wilma L. Vaught 2022 Denzel Washington 2022 b Anna Wintour 2025 Michelle Yeoh 2024 Raul Yzaguirre 2022 Source s : 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 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 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 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 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 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 . 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 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 Powell a 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 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. Reagan a 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 Source s : 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 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 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 Weinberger a 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 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 Abel a 1977 John Bardeen a 1977 Irving Berlin a 1977 Norman Ernest Borlaug a 1977 Omar Nelson Bradley a 1977 David Kirkpatrick Este Bruce a 1976 Arleigh Albert Burke a 1977 Alexander Calder a 1977 Bruce Catton a 1977 Joe DiMaggio a 1977 Ariel Durant a 1977 Will Durant a 1977 Arthur Fiedler a 1977 Henry Jacob Friendly a 1977 Martha Graham a 1976 Lady Bird Johnson a 1977 Henry Alfred Kissinger a 1977 Archibald MacLeish a 1977 James A. Michener a 1977 Georgia O'Keeffe a 1977 Jesse Owens a 1976 Nelson A. Rockefeller a 1977 Norman Rockwell a 1977 Arthur Rubinstein a 1976 Donald Henry Rumsfeld a 1977 Catherine Filene Shouse a 1977 Lowell Jackson Thomas a 1977 James Watson a 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 Aldrin a 1969 Apollo 13 Mission Operations Team 1970 Neil Alden Armstrong a 1969 Earl C. Behrens 1970 Manilo Giovanni Brosio 1971 Michael Collins a 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 Acheson a 1964 Marian Anderson 1963 Eugene Robert Black a 1969 Detlev W. Bronk 1964 Ralph Johnson Bunche a 1963 McGeorge Bundy 1969 Ellsworth Bunker a 1963 Ellsworth Bunker a 1967 Pablo Casals 1963 Genevieve Caulfield 1963 Clark Clifford a 1969 James B. Conant a 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 Frankfurter a 1963 John William Gardner 1964 W. Averell Harriman a 1969 Theodore M. Hesburgh 1964 Karl Holton 1963 Bob Hope 1969 Pope John XXIII a 1963 Clarence Leonard Johnson 1964 Edgar Fosburgh Kaiser 1969 Frederick Russell Kappel 1964 Helen Keller 1964 John F. Kennedy a 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 Lovett a 1963 Alfred Lunt 1964 J. Clifford MacDonald 1963 John Williams Macy 1969 Luis Munoz Marin a 1963 John J. McCloy a 1963 Ralph McGill 1964 Robert S. McNamara 1968 George Meany 1963 Alexander Meiklejohn 1963 Ludwig Mies van der Rohe 1963 Jean Monnet a 1963 Samuel Eliot Morison 1964 Lewis Mumford 1964 Edward R. Murrow a 1964 Reinhold Niebuhr 1964 Gregory Peck 1969 Leontyne Price 1964 Clarence Belden Randall 1963 A. Philip Randolph 1964 Laurance S. Rockefeller 1969 Walt Rostow a 1969 Dean Rusk a 1969 Carl Sandburg 1964 Rudolf Serkin 1963 Merriman Smith 1969 Edward Steichen 1963 John Steinbeck 1964 Helen Taussig 1964 George William Taylor 1963 Cyrus Vance a 1969 Carl Vinson a 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 675 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 Abel a 1977 Gerald R. Ford Jr. Dean Gooderham Acheson a 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 Aldrin a 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 Anne Legendre Armstrong 1987 Ronald W. Reagan Neil Alden Armstrong a 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 Bardeen a 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 Berlin a 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 Black a 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 Borlaug a 1977 Gerald R. Ford Jr. Greg Boyle 2024 Joseph R. Biden Jr. Ben Bradlee 2013 Barack H. Obama Omar Nelson Bradley a 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 Bruce a 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 Bunche a 1963 Lyndon B. Johnson McGeorge Bundy 1969 Lyndon B. Johnson Ellsworth Bunker a 1963 Lyndon B. Johnson Ellsworth Bunker a 1967 Lyndon B. Johnson Warren E. Burger 1988 Ronald W. Reagan Arleigh Albert Burke a 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 Calder a 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 Rosalynn Carter 1999 William J. Clinton Pablo Casals 1963 Lyndon B. Johnson Bruce Catton a 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 Clifford a 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 Collins a 1969 Richard M. Nixon Ruth Johnson Colvin 2006 George W. Bush James B. Conant a 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 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 Welles Crowther 2026 Donald J. Trump 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 DiMaggio a 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 Durant a 1977 Gerald R. Ford Jr. Will Durant a 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 Fiedler a 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 I a 2025 Joseph R. Biden Jr. Norman C. Francis 2006 George W. Bush Billy Frank 2015 Barack H. Obama Felix Frankfurter a 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 Friendly a 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 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 Graham a 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 Suzan Shown Harjo 2014 Barack H. Obama Bryce N. Harlow 1981 Ronald W. Reagan W. Averell Harriman a 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. 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 XXIII a 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 Johnson a 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 John F. Kennedy a 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 Charlie Kirk 2025 Donald J. Trump Lane Kirkland 1994 William J. Clinton Jeane Duane Jordan Kirkpatrick 1985 Ronald W. Reagan Lincoln Kirstein 1984 Ronald W. Reagan Henry Alfred Kissinger a 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 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 Lovett a 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 MacLeish a 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 Marin a 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. McCloy a 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. Michener a 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 Monnet a 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 Edward R. Murrow a 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'Keeffe a 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 Owens a 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 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 Powell a 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. Reagan a 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 Laurance S. Rockefeller 1969 Lyndon B. Johnson Nelson A. Rockefeller a 1977 Gerald R. Ford Jr. Norman Rockwell a 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 Rostow a 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 Rubinstein a 1976 Gerald R. Ford Jr. William Doyle Ruckelshaus 2015 Barack H. Obama Donald Henry Rumsfeld a 1977 Gerald R. Ford Jr. Paul Rusesabagina 2005 George W. Bush Dean Rusk a 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 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 Shouse a 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 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 Thomas a 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 Vance a 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 Vinson a 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 2022 b 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 Watson a 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 Weinberger a 1987 Ronald W. Reagan Eudora Welty 1980 James E. 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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 ; " President Trump Hosts Medal of Freedom Ceremony for Charlie Kirk, " C-SPAN, October 14, 2025, https://www.c-span.org/program/white-house-event/president-trump-hosts-medal-of-freedom-ceremony-for-charlie-kirk/667148 ; White House, "President Trump Honors 9/11 Heroes and Renews America's Vow to Never Forget," press release, September 8, 2026, https://www.whitehouse.gov/releases/2026/09/president-trump-honors-9-11-heroes-and-renews-americas-vow-to-never-forget . a. Medals known to be awarded "with distinction." b. Announced in July 2022, presented in January 2025. Related CRS Products CRS Report R47020, A Guide to Major Congressional and Presidential Awards , by Barbara Salazar Torreon and Ben Leubsdorf. CRS Report R43539, Commemorations in Congress: Options for Honoring Individuals, Groups, and Events , coordinated by Jacob R. Straus. CRS Report R45101, Congressional Gold Medals: Background, Legislative Process, and Issues for Congress , by Jacob R. Straus. CRS Report 95-519, Medal of Honor: History and Issues , by Barbara Salazar Torreon. Footnotes 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. 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. 15 . "Presidential Medal of Freedom" in The Presidency A to Z , 5 th 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 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 (107 th Cong.) for Benjamin Elijah Mays, H.Con.Res. 313 (108 th Cong.) for Pope John Paul II, S.Con.Res. 91 (109 th Cong.) for Satchel Paige, H.Res. 926 (114 th Cong.) for Henrietta Lacks, and S.Con.Res. 20 (116 th Cong.) for Harry W. Colmery. 24 . For example, see S.Res. 310 (107 th Cong.) for Justin Dart Jr., H.Res. 708 (111 th Cong.) for Nancy Brinker, H.Res. 1743 (111 th Cong.) for Gerda Weissmann Klein, and S.Res. 61 (117 th Cong.) for George P. Shultz. 25 . H.R. 4354 (114 th Cong.) and H.R. 6810 (115 th 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. 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. 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.

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