| Presidential Citizens Medal | |
| Presenter: | President of the United States |
| Type: | Medal |
| Eligibility: | Citizens of the United States |
| Awarded For: | "Exemplary deeds or services [performed] for his or her country or fellow citizens." |
| Status: | Active |
| Established: | 1969 |
| Firstawarded: | 1973 |
| Higher: | Presidential Medal of Freedom |
| Lower: | Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor |
The Presidential Citizens Medal is an award bestowed by the president of the United States. It is the second-highest civilian award in the United States and is second only to the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Established by executive order on November 13, 1969, by President Richard Nixon, it recognizes an individual "who has performed exemplary deeds or services for his or her country or fellow citizens." Only United States citizens are eligible for the medal, which may be awarded posthumously. The medal is a disc of gilt and enamel, based on the seal of the president of the United States, with the eagle surrounded by a wreath of leaves. The medal is suspended on a ribbon, dark blue with a light blue central stripe and white edge stripes. Despite being a civilian award, it may be worn on some military uniforms.[1]
| Recipient | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Henry "Hank" Aaron | 2001 | |
| Albert Abramson | 1998 | |
| 2011 | ||
| 2001 | ||
| Juan Andrade Jr. | 2001 | |
| Richard Lee Armitage | 1989[2] | |
| 1988 | ||
| Hubert Dickey Ballantine | 1981 | |
| 1989 | ||
| 1989 | ||
| Jocelyn Benson | 2023[3] | |
| Mitchell Besser | 2008 | |
| 2008 | ||
| 2008 | ||
| Milly Bloomquist | 2011 | |
| Rusty Bowers | 2023 | |
| 1989 | ||
| 2012 | ||
| 2008 | ||
| 2001 | ||
| Roberta Diaz Brinton | 2010 | |
| Daisy M. Brooks | 2010 | |
| 2001 | (posthumous) | |
| William F. Buckley Jr. | 1989 | |
| Adam Burke | 2012 | |
| Don R. Cameron | 2001 | |
| 1983 | ||
| 1995 | ||
| 2008 | ||
| 2010 | ||
| Cynthia M. Church | 2010 | |
| 1973 | (posthumous) | |
| 2008 | ||
| 2008 | ||
| Mary Jo Copeland | 2012 | |
| Carol Coston, O.P. | 2001 | |
| 2001 | ||
| 1989 | ||
| 1989 | ||
| Rachel D'Avino | 2012 | (posthumous) |
| 1983 | (posthumous) | |
| 2001 | ||
| 1989 | ||
| Michael Dorman | 2012 | |
| General Wayne A. Downing, USA (Ret.) | 2008 | |
| Samuel Nelson Drew | 1995 | (posthumous) |
| 1989 | ||
| Harry Dunn | 2023 | |
| 1991 | ||
| Caroline Edwards | 2023 | |
| 2011 | (posthumous) | |
| 1988 | ||
| Michael Fanone | 2023 | |
| 2008 | ||
| 1989 | ||
| Arnold Fisher | 2008 | |
| 1989 | ||
| 1995 | ||
| Marlin Fitzwater | 1993 | |
| John P. Foley, S.J. | 2008 | |
| 1989 | ||
| 1989 | (posthumous) | |
| 1995 | (posthumous) | |
| Ruby Freeman | 2023 | |
| 1992 | ||
| 2008 | ||
| Susan Retik Ger | 2010 | |
| 2008 | ||
| Maria Gomez | 2012 | |
| Aquillino Gonell | 2023 | |
| Eugene Goodman | 2023 | |
| 1993 | ||
| Jack Greenberg | 2001 | |
| 1997 | ||
| 1991 | ||
| 1989 | ||
| 1989 | ||
| 2000 | (posthumous) | |
| 1989 | ||
| 2008 | ||
| Colonel William R. (Rich) Higgins | 1992 | (posthumous) |
| David D. Ho | 2001 | |
| Dawn Hochsprung | 2012 | (posthumous) |
| 1989 | ||
| Daniel Hodges | 2023 | |
| Mary K. Hoodhood | 2010 | |
| 1984 | ||
| Janice Jackson | 2012 | |
| Pamela Green Jackson | 2012 | |
| Bernice Young Jones | 1996 | |
| 2001 | ||
| 1989 | (posthumous) | |
| 1989 | ||
| Dennis Keogh | 1984 | (posthumous) |
| 1991 | ||
| 1991 | ||
| 1989 | ||
| 1989 | ||
| 2008 | ||
| Joseph C. Kruzel | 1995 | |
| Donald W. Landry | 2008 | |
| 2011 | ||
| Patience Lehrman | 2012 | |
| Dave Levin | 2008 | |
| 2001 | ||
| Howard Liebengood | 2023 | (posthumous) |
| 1981 | ||
| 2012 | ||
| 2008 | ||
| 2008 | ||
| 1989 | ||
| 2008 | ||
| Martin Mathews | 1981 | |
| 1995 | ||
| Kimberly McGuiness | 2010 | |
| Chelle McIntyre-Brewer | 2012 | |
| 1995 | (posthumous) | |
| 1989 | ||
| Jeffery L. Miller | 2008 | |
| 2012 | ||
| 2001 | ||
| Erwin Morse | 2008 | |
| Shaye Moss | 2023 | |
| 2001 | ||
| Jorge Muñoz | 2010 | |
| Anne Marie Murphy | 2012 | (posthumous) |
| 1994 | ||
| Lisa Nigro | 2010 | |
| David Paton | 1987 | |
| 1994 | ||
| 2000 | ||
| Mary Ann Phillips | 2010 | |
| General Colin Powell USA (Ret) | 1989 | |
| Donald E. Powell | 2008 | |
| Elizabeth Cushman Titus Putnam | 2010 | |
| Anne-Imelda Radice | 2008 | |
| 1989 | (posthumous) | |
| Rick Rescorla | 2019 | (posthumous) |
| 2010 | ||
| Rozanne L. Ridgeway | 1989 | |
| Helen Rodriguez-Trias | 2001 | |
| Adele Langston Rogers | 1973 | |
| John F. W. Rogers | 1985 | |
| 1989 | ||
| 2001 | ||
| 2001 | ||
| 2001 | ||
| 2001 | (posthumous) | |
| Myrtle Faye Rumph | 2010 | |
| Lauren Rousseau | 2012 | (posthumous) |
| Elbert Rutan | 1986 | |
| Richard Rutan | 1986 | |
| Al Schmidt | 2023 | |
| 2001 | ||
| Timothy R. Scully, C.S.C. | 2008 | |
| 2001 | ||
| 2001 | ||
| 2001 | (posthumous) | |
| Mary Sherlach | 2012 | (posthumous) |
| Terry Shima | 2012 | |
| 2001 | ||
| Brian Sicknick | 2023 | (posthumous) |
| 2008 | ||
| Jeffrey L. Smith | 2023 | (posthumous) |
| 2012 | (posthumous) | |
| 1987 | ||
| Stuart K. Spencer | 1989 | |
| Adrian St. John | 1995 | |
| William Howard Taft IV | 1989 | |
| 2001 | ||
| 1989 | ||
| 1989 | ||
| 1989 | ||
| 1989 | ||
| 1983 | ||
| 1989 | ||
| Admiral James D. Watkins, USN (Ret.) | 2008 | |
| Raymond Weeks | 1982 | |
| Geo. J. Weiss Jr. | 2010 | |
| 1989 | ||
| 1989 | ||
| Marion Wiesel | 2001 | |
| 2012 | ||
| Robert L. Woodson, Sr. | 2008 | |
| 2001 | ||
| 1989 | ||
| 1993 | ||
| 1986 | ||
| Tony Zale | 1990 | |
Hubert Dickey Ballantine and Martin Mathews were jointly awarded the 1981 Citizens Medal as founders of the Mathews-Dickey Boy's Club.
The teachers Rachel D'Avino, Anne Marie Murphy, Lauren Rousseau, and Victoria Soto and school administrators Mary Sherlach and Dawn Hochsprung, who perished in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting defending their students, were jointly awarded the 2012 Citizens Medal posthumously.[4]
Most of the recipients of the 2023 Citizens Medal were awarded for their respective roles in the 2020 United States presidential election or their response to the subsequent January 6 United States Capitol attack in 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, their awards were delayed in 2021 and 2022.