This is a partial list of recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, listed chronologically within the aspect of life in which each recipient is or was renowned.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is awarded by the president of the United States to “any person recommended to the President for award of the Medal or any person selected by the President upon his own initiative."[1] Before 1970, honorees were either selected by the president or recommended to them by the Distinguished Civilian Service Awards Board.[2]
Typically the medal is bestowed upon the recipient by the sitting president who has chosen them. However, the first recipients selected by President John F. Kennedy before his assassination were formally awarded by his successor in office, Lyndon B. Johnson.[3]
President Barack Obama awarded 118 medals, the most of any president, followed by President Bill Clinton with 89 medal recipients.[4] Two people, Ellsworth Bunker and Colin Powell, are two-time recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Colin Powell received his second award with Distinction,[5] while Ellsworth Bunker was given both of his awards with Distinction.
Eight Presidents have themselves received the medal either posthumously, post-presidency, or prior to being elected:
In 2015, President Barack Obama stated that there was no precedent to revoke a Presidential Medal of Freedom, regarding the award given to stand-up comedian and actor Bill Cosby.[6] After being awarded the medal, Cosby was convicted of multiple counts of sexual assault, though the convictions were later overturned.[7]
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is related to, but distinct from, the Medal of Freedom, an earlier award issued between 1945 and 1963 to honor US civilian contributions to World War II.
At the age of 25, athlete and activist Simone Biles is the youngest person to receive this award as of 2022.[8]
Bill Belichick, coach of the New England Patriots, was offered the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Donald Trump, and initially accepted it, but changed his mind and turned down the medal after the January 6 United States Capitol attack.[9]
Country musician Dolly Parton turned down the medal twice from Donald Trump. Parton said she turned it down the first time because her husband was ill, and the second time because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[10]
John F. Kennedy selected 31 recipients to be awarded in 1963. After his assassination they were officially awarded by Lyndon B. Johnson.
| Recipient | Year | Notes | Notable as | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | [11] | |||
| Political Scientist, Mediator in Israel & First person of African descent to receive a Nobel Prize | ||||
| U.S. Ambassador to Argentina, Italy and India | ||||
| Cellist | [12] | |||
| Founder of the Bangkok School for the Blind in Thailand | ||||
| Chemist, 23rd President of Harvard University & 1st U.S. Ambassador to West Germany | ||||
| Biomedical Scientist & Developer of the Measles Vaccine | ||||
| Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States | ||||
| Head of the Los Angeles County Probation Department & Director of the California Youth Authority | ||||
| Head Coach for Men's Swimming at Yale University | ||||
| Co-founder of the Polaroid Corporation & Inventor of the Polaroid Instant Camera | ||||
| United States Senator from New York & 45th Governor of New York | ||||
| 4th United States Secretary of Defense | ||||
| Philanthropist & President of the Arc of the United States | ||||
| United States Assistant Secretary of War & U.S. High Commissioner For Occupied Germany | ||||
| 1st President of AFL-CIO | ||||
| Philosopher & President of Amherst College | ||||
| Architect | ||||
| Entrepreneur & Founding Father of the European Union | ||||
| 1st Elected Governor of Puerto Rico | ||||
| Chairman of The Board of Inland Steel Company & Presidential Advisor | [13] | |||
| Pianist | ||||
| Photographer | ||||
| Professor of Industrial Relations at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania | ||||
| 1st Director of the National Science Foundation | ||||
| Editor and Correspondent for The Baltimore Sun | ||||
| Member of the Navajo Nation Council | [14] | |||
| Writer | ||||
| 3x Pulitzer Prize Winning Playwright & Novelist | ||||
| Writer & Literary Critic | ||||
| Realist and Regionalist Painter & Visual Artist |
Lyndon B. Johnson awarded 58 medals between 1963 and 1969, excluding 31 which were selected by John F. Kennedy.
| Recipient | Year | Notes | Notable as | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Pope | [15] | ||
| 35th President of the United States | [16] | |||
| 1964 | 51st United States Secretary of State | |||
| 6th President of Johns Hopkins University, 16th President of the National Academy of Sciences & 3rd President of Rockefeller University | ||||
| Classical Composer | ||||
| Abstract Expressionist Artist | [17] | |||
| Co-founder and President of The Walt Disney Company | ||||
| Folklorist | ||||
| Physician & Medical Advisor to the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs | ||||
| Modernist Poet | ||||
| Actress | [18] | |||
| 6th United States Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare | ||||
| Ordained Priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross & 15th President of University of Notre Dame | ||||
| Aeronautical and Systems Engineer & Contributing Designer to the Lockheed U-2 and SR-71 Blackbird | ||||
| 9th President of Western Electric & Chairman of AT&T | ||||
| Disability Rights Advocate, Human Rights Activist & Member of the American Foundation for the Blind | ||||
| 9th President of the United Mine Workers & 1st President of the Congress of Industrial Organizations | ||||
| Founding Editor of New Republic & Political Commentator | ||||
| Actor & Director | ||||
| Editor of the Atlanta Constitution & Anti-Segregationist | ||||
| Maritime Historian | ||||
| Historian, Sociologist & Philosopher of Technology | ||||
| Broadcast Journalist & WWII War Correspondent | ||||
| Reformed Theologian, Ethicist & Professor at Union Theological Seminary | ||||
| Soprano & First African-American Soprano to Achieve International Acclaim | ||||
| Founder and President of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters | ||||
| 3x Pulitzer Prize Winning Poet | ||||
| Nobel Prize Winning Writer | ||||
| Cardiologist, Founder of Pediatric Cardiology & Co-developer of the Blalock-Thomas-Taussig shunt Surgical Procedure | ||||
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives & Father of the Two-Ocean Navy | ||||
| President of the International Business Machines Corporation | ||||
| Presidential Physician to Dwight D. Eisenhower & Co-founder of the American Heart Association | ||||
| 1967 | U.S. Ambassador to the Organization of American States and South Vietnam | |||
| 3rd Deputy National Security Advisor & U.S. Ambassador to Turkey | ||||
| U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan & South Vietnam | ||||
| 1968 | 8th United States Secretary of Defense | |||
| 2nd Administrator of NASA | [19] | |||
| 1969 | WD | 3rd President of the World Bank Group | ||
| 5th United States National Security Advisor | ||||
| 9th United States Secretary of Defense & Chair of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board | ||||
| Chairman of the Department of Surgery, President, and Chancellor of Baylor College of Medicine at the Texas Medical Center | ||||
| President of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union | ||||
| Writer & Literary Critic | ||||
| President, CEO and Chairman of the Board of the Ford Motor Company | ||||
| 48th Governor of New York & 11th United States Secretary of Commerce | ||||
| Comedian & Vaudevillian | [20] | |||
| Member of the Committee on Urban Housing & General Manager of the Kaiser-Frazer Corporation | ||||
| Philanthropist & Founder of the Lasker Foundation | ||||
| President of the United States Civil Service Commission | ||||
| Actor & Humanitarian | ||||
| Conservationist & Philanthropist | ||||
| 54th United States Secretary of State | ||||
| 6th United States National Security Advisor | ||||
| White House Correspondent for United Press International & Pulitzer Prize Winning Journalist | [21] | |||
| WD | 7th United States Secretary of the Army & 11th United States Deputy Secretary of Defense | |||
| Pulitzer Prize Winning Journalist for the United Feature Syndicate | ||||
| Executive Director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People | ||||
| Civil Rights Leader & Member of the National Urban League |
Richard Nixon awarded 28 medals between 1969 and 1974.
| Recipient | Year | Notes | Notable as | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Astronaut, Pilot & Apollo 11 Crew Member | |||
| Astronaut, Aeronautical Engineer & Apollo 11 Crew Member | [22] | |||
| Astronaut, Pilot & Apollo 11 Crew Member | ||||
| Jazz Pianist & Composer | ||||
| 1970 | Political Editor for the San Francisco Chronicle | [23] | ||
| Pulitzer Prize Winning Journalist for The Washington Post | ||||
| Astronaut, Pilot & Apollo 13 Crew Member | [24] | |||
| Journalist & Daily Columnist for the Los Angeles Times | ||||
| 3x Pulitzer Prize Winning Journalist for The New York Times | ||||
| Founder of U.S. News & World Report | ||||
| Political Reporter for The Washington Evening Star | ||||
| Astronaut, Pilot & Apollo 8 Crew Member | ||||
| [25] | ||||
| Political Economist, Presidential Advisor to Franklin D. Roosevelt & Columnist for Newsweek & National Review | ||||
| Violinist, Conductor & Music Director of the Philadelphia Orchestra | ||||
| Journalist for Photoplay Magazine | ||||
| Astronaut, Pilot & Apollo 13 Crew Member | ||||
| 1971 | 4th Secretary General of NATO | |||
| Film Producer & Founder of Goldwyn Pictures & Samuel Goldwyn Productions | ||||
| Executive Clerk of the White House | ||||
| 1972 | Lieutenant Colonel of the United States Army & Member of the United States Agency for International Development | |||
| Philanthropist & Co-founder of Reader's Digest | ||||
| Co-founder of Reader's Digest | ||||
| 1973 | Film Director, Naval Officer & Head of the Photography Unit of the Office of Strategic Services | |||
| 63rd United States Attorney General & 55th United States Secretary of State | ||||
| 1974 | 1st Administrator of the Economic Cooperation Administration & 1st Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme | |||
| 10th United States Secretary of Defense & Member of the U.S. House of Representatives | ||||
| Orthopedic Surgeon & Founder of California's First Orthopedic Hospital | [26] |
Gerald Ford awarded 28 medals between 1974 and 1977.
Jimmy Carter awarded 34 medals between 1977 and 1981.
| Recipient | Year | Notes | Notable as | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Baptist Minister, Prominent Leader in the Civil Rights Movement & 1st President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference | |||
| Virologist & Developer of the Polio Vaccine | ||||
| 1978 | 9th United States Secretary of Labor, 6th U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations & Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States | |||
| 1979 | Cultural Anthropologist & President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science | [33] | ||
| 1980 | Landscape Photographer & Environmentalist | |||
| 2nd Director of the National Park Service & Conservationist | [34] | |||
| Marine Biologist, Conservationist & Leader in the Global Environmental Movement | ||||
| Ballet Director, Dancer & Co-founder of the American Ballet Theatre | ||||
| 38th Vice President of the United States & United States Senator from Minnesota | ||||
| Primate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America & Civil Rights Activist | ||||
| 36th President of the United States | ||||
| Civil Rights Activist & Chief Lobbyist and National Director for NAACP | ||||
| Naturalist, Ornithologist & One of the Founding Inspiration of the Environmental Movement | ||||
| Admiral in the U.S. Navy & Director of the U.S. Naval Reactors Office | ||||
| Operatic Soprano | ||||
| Poet, Literary Critic, Co-founder of New Criticism & Charter Member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers | ||||
| Actor | [35] | |||
| Pulitzer Prize Winning Novelist & Short Story Writer | ||||
| Playwright & Screenwriter | ||||
| 1981 | Co-founder and 1st Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union | |||
| 14th United States Secretary of Defense | ||||
| 9th United States National Security Advisor | ||||
| 5th United States Deputy Secretary of State & 9th United States Deputy Attorney General | ||||
| Broadcast Journalist & Anchorman for CBS Evening News | ||||
| Actor & Philanthropist | ||||
| Founder of Reading Is Fundamental | ||||
| Psychiatrist & Co-founder of the Menninger Foundation and Menninger Clinic | ||||
| 58th United States Secretary of State & United States Senator from Maine | ||||
| 2nd Director of the Office of Consumer Affairs & 4th Director of the United States Women's Bureau | ||||
| Chief U.S. Delegate to the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks & 1st U.S. Chairman of the Trilateral Commission | ||||
| 6th United States Trade Representative & United States Special Envoy for the Middle East | ||||
| Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit | [36] | |||
| 14th Chief Justice of the United States | ||||
| Executive Director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference & Member of the U.S. House of Representatives |
Ronald Reagan awarded 86 medals between 1981 and 1989.
| Recipient | Year | Notes | Notable as | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Jazz Pianist & Composer | [37] | ||
| 83rd Governor of Connecticut & Member of the U.S. House of Representatives | ||||
| Counselor to the President | ||||
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives | ||||
| Civilian Aide-At-Large to the United States Army & Partner at Sidley Austin | ||||
| Founder of Litton Industries | ||||
| 1982 | 9th Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs & 9th U.S. Ambassador to Korea | |||
| Classical Contralto | ||||
| 1983 | Ballet Choreographer & Co-founder of the New York City Ballet | [38] | ||
| U.S. Ambassador to Italy & Member of the U.S. House of Representatives | ||||
| College Football Player & Head Coach of the University of Alabama Football Team | ||||
| Political Theorist, Philosopher, Chair of the Philosophy Department at New York University & Leader of the American Conservative Movement | ||||
| President of Howard University | ||||
| Architect, Systems Theorist, Inventor, Philosopher & Futurist | [39] | |||
| Evangelist, Ordained Southern Baptist Minister & President of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association | ||||
| Moral and Social Philosopher | ||||
| United States Senator from New York & 58th Attorney General of New York | ||||
| Pulitzer Prize Winning Historian & Biographer | ||||
| Cabaret Singer | ||||
| Engineer considered to be the Father of the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile | ||||
| 1984 | United States Senator from Tennessee | [40] | ||
| Actor, Dancer & 6th President of the Screen Actors Guild | ||||
| Journalist for Time Magazine, Senior Editor at National Review & Key Witness against the Ware Group during the Hiss Case for Perjury | [41] [42] | |||
| Head of the International Rescue Committee & Chair of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board | ||||
| Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church & Archbishop of New York | ||||
| Heart and Cardiothoracic Surgeon & Founder and Surgeon-In-Chief of The Texas Heart Institute who performed the first Artificial Heart Implantation | ||||
| Country and Western Singer | ||||
| Physician, World War II Veteran, Civil Rights Advocate & Founder of the American GI Forum | ||||
| United States Army General, Supreme Allied Commander Europe & Commander in Chief of the United States European Command | [43] | |||
| United States Senator from Washington & Member of the U.S. House of Representatives | ||||
| Writer, Impresario, Philanthropist & Co-founder of the New York City Ballet | ||||
| Novelist & Short Story Writer | ||||
| 5th Secretary General of NATO & Minister of Foreign Affairs | ||||
| Protestant Clergyman, Pastor of Marble Collegiate Church, New York & Author who popularized the concept of Positive Thinking | ||||
| Professional Baseball Player & Civil Rights Advocate | ||||
| President of the United Nations General Assembly & Co-founder of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines | ||||
| 3rd President of Egypt | [44] | |||
| Philanthropist & Founder of the Special Olympics | ||||
| 1985 | Jazz Pianist, Composer & Bandleader of the Count Basie Orchestra | |||
| United States Army Commander, General & Member of the War Planning Board which formulated plans for the Invasion of Normandy during World War II | ||||
| French Naval Officer, Oceanographer & Co-Inventor of the Aqua-Lung | ||||
| President of Delaware State College, 9th President of Hampton University & U.S. Ambassador to Sweden | ||||
| Philosopher of the Pragmatist School | ||||
| 16th U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations | ||||
| 14th President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute & 4th Deputy Administrator of NASA | ||||
| 12th United States Deputy Secretary of Defense & 58th United States Secretary of the Navy | ||||
| Television Journalist for CBS and ABC News | ||||
| Singer & Actor | ||||
| Actor & Brigadier General | ||||
| Catholic Nun, Humanitarian & Founder of the Missionaries of Charity | ||||
| Political Scientist influential to the U.S. Nuclear Strategy during the Cold War | ||||
| Historian of American Military Intelligence | ||||
| United States Air Force Officer, Flying Ace & Record-Setting Test Pilot who was the First Confirmed Pilot in History to Exceed the Speed of Sound during Flight | ||||
| 1986 | Businessman, Philanthropist, Owner of Triangle Publications & U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom | |||
| American Football Player & Head Coach at Dartmouth College and the United States Military Academy | ||||
| United States Senator from Arizona & United States Air Force Officer | ||||
| Actress | ||||
| Classical Pianist & Composer | ||||
| United States Army Senior Officer, Supreme Allied Commander of Europe & 19th Chief of Staff of the United States Army | ||||
| Editor of The Wall Street Journal | ||||
| Medical Researcher, President of the Weizmann Institute of Science & Developer of the Oral Polio Vaccine | ||||
| 1987 | First Female Counselor to the President, U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom & Chair of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board | |||
| President of Dart Industries & Executive Director of Store Industries for Walgreens | ||||
| Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit & District Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York | ||||
| Actor, Comedian & Singer | ||||
| United States Army General, 4th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff & Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO | ||||
| 6th Director of Central Intelligence | ||||
| President of Tuskegee University & Founder of the United Negro College Fund | ||||
| 4th Director of the Anti-Defamation League | ||||
| Cellist, Conductor & Human Rights Advocate | ||||
| Founder of Project HOPE (USA) | ||||
| 15th United States Secretary of Defense & 10th United States Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare | ||||
| Flutist, Bandleader, Composer, Conductor & Playwright | ||||
| 1988 | Broadway Actress & Singer | |||
| 25th United States Secretary of Commerce | ||||
| Trade Unionist & Leader of the American Federation of Labor and the AFL-CIO | ||||
| 15th Chief Justice of the United States | ||||
| 6th Secretary General of NATO & Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs | ||||
| Businessman & Real-Estate Developer | ||||
| Economist & Statistician | ||||
| Philanthropist | ||||
| Entrepreneur & Founder of the Marriott Corporation | ||||
| Co-founder, President, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Hewlett-Packard, 13th United States Deputy Secretary of Defense & President of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences | ||||
| Founding Chairman of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts | ||||
| 1989 | United States Senator from Montana | |||
| 60th United States Secretary of State |
George H. W. Bush awarded 38 medals between 1989 and 1993.
| Recipient | Year | Notes | Notable as | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Actress, Comedian & Producer | |||
| 57th United States Secretary of the Treasury & the U.S. Ambassador to France | ||||
| Military General & Commander of the Doolittle Raid | ||||
| 1st Director of Policy Planning & the U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union & Yugoslavia | ||||
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives & United States Senator from Florida | ||||
| United States Senator from Maine | ||||
| Chairman of the Solidarity | ||||
| 1991 | 10th and 16th White House Chief of Staff | |||
| Founder of the National Review Magazine | ||||
| 17th United States Secretary of Defense & Member of the U.S. House of Representatives | [45] | |||
| Governor of Puerto Rico | ||||
| First Lady of the United States | [46] | |||
| 9th President of the University of Chicago | ||||
| Economist & Legal Theorist | ||||
| 47th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives | ||||
| Secretary General of the United Nations | ||||
| 12th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff | ||||
| Commander of the United States Central Command | ||||
| 8th and 16th United States National Security Advisor | ||||
| Baptist Minister & Civil Rights and Social Activist | ||||
| Prime Minister of the United Kingdom | ||||
| 2nd Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency | ||||
| 10th Deputy Director of Central Intelligence & the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, West Germany and Germany | ||||
| 14th Director of Central Intelligence & the 3rd Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation | ||||
| Professional Baseball Player | ||||
| 1992 | Newscaster for NBC and ABC | |||
| Television Host | ||||
| Jazz Singer | ||||
| Actress & Humanitarian | ||||
| Seven Time Champion of the NASCAR Cup Series, Seven Time Winner of the Daytona 500 | ||||
| U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela, Peru, Argentina, Brazil and Nicaragua | ||||
| Violinist | ||||
| 10th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff | ||||
| Founder of Walmart and Sam's Club | ||||
| Political Activist, Writer & Holocaust Survivor | ||||
| Architect | [47] | |||
| 1993 | 40th President of the United States & Governor of California | [48] | ||
| United States Senator from South Carolina |
Bill Clinton awarded 89 medals between 1993 and 2001.
| Recipient | Year | Notes | Notable as | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Professional Tennis Player | |||
| Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States | ||||
| Journalist, Woman's Suffrage Advocate & Conservationist | ||||
| United States Senator from Arkansas | ||||
| Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States & the Supreme Court's First African-American Justice | ||||
| 12th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff | ||||
| Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Lawyer | ||||
| Comic Actress & Singer | [49] | |||
| Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit | ||||
| 1994 | Editorial Cartoonist | |||
| Labor Leader, Civil Rights Activist & Co-founder of the National Farm Workers Association | ||||
| 3rd United States Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare | ||||
| Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Emergency Fund | ||||
| Civil Rights and Women's Rights Activist & President of the National Council of Negro Women | ||||
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives | ||||
| Labour Union Leader & President of AFL-CIO | ||||
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives | ||||
| 1st Director of the Peace Corps & Founder of the Job Corps, Head Start, VISTA and Upward Bound | ||||
| 1995 | Founder of Action for Children's Television | |||
| 4th United States Secretary of Transportation | ||||
| President of Phi Beta Kappa, the Organization of American Historians, the American Historical Association and the Southern Historical Association | ||||
| Founder of Sesame Workshop | ||||
| Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit | ||||
| Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit | ||||
| 13th Surgeon General of the United States | ||||
| United States Senator from Wisconsin | ||||
| 4th President of the United Automobile Workers | ||||
| Founder of The Rouse Company | ||||
| Founder of the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project | ||||
| President of MCA Inc. | ||||
| 1996 | Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church & Archbishop of Cincinnati & Chicago | |||
| 17th White House Press Secretary | ||||
| Co-founder and President for Habitat For Humanity International | ||||
| President of the Carnegie Corporation of New York | ||||
| Founder of the Johnson Publishing Company | ||||
| Founder of REFAC Technology Development Corporation | ||||
| Polish Journalist & Writer | ||||
| Founder of ASPIRA & Boricua College | ||||
| Civil Rights Activist | ||||
| Human Rights Activist | ||||
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives | ||||
| 1997 | United States Senator from Kansas | |||
| 19th United States Secretary of Defense | ||||
| 13th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff & the Supreme Allied Commander Europe | ||||
| 1998 | Founder of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights | |||
| Philanthropist & Chairwoman of the Vincent Astor Foundation | ||||
| Child Psychiatrist & Professor at Harvard University | ||||
| Co-founder of the American Association of People with Disabilities | ||||
| 1st National Director of the Congress of Racial Equality | ||||
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives | ||||
| Philanthropist | ||||
| CEO of the Girl Scouts of the USA | ||||
| Civil Rights Activist | ||||
| Diplomat & Lawyer | ||||
| Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation | [50] | |||
| Conservationist | ||||
| Civil Rights Leader & 41st President of LULAC | ||||
| 69th United States Attorney General | ||||
| CEO of Chase Manhattan Corporation | ||||
| President of the United Federation of Teachers and the American Federation of Teachers | ||||
| 19th Chief of Naval Operations | ||||
| 1999 | United States Senator from Texas & 69th United States Secretary of the Treasury | |||
| President of the World Jewish Congress | ||||
| 39th President of the United States & Humanitarian | ||||
| First Lady of the United States & Humanitarian | ||||
| Labour Lobbyist for the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union | ||||
| Roman Catholic Religious Sister & Humanitarian | ||||
| 38th President of the United States | ||||
| Civil Rights Attorney | ||||
| Counselor of the United States Department of State | ||||
| Chancellor of Germany | ||||
| United States Special Envoy for Northern Ireland & United States Senator from Maine | ||||
| Environmentalist & President of the Sierra Club | ||||
| 2000 | CEO of Johnson & Johnson | |||
| United States Senator from Rhode Island | ||||
| Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO | ||||
| 11th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff & the 29th U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom | ||||
| Founder and President of the Children's Defense Fund | [51] | |||
| 7th U.S. Ambassador to India | ||||
| Catholic Priest & Labor Activist | ||||
| Political Activist & United States Shadow Senator from the District of Columbia | ||||
| Political and Social Activist | ||||
| Founding Chairman of amfAR, the American Foundation for AIDS Research | ||||
| United States Senator from South Dakota | ||||
| United States Senator from New York | ||||
| Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of California | ||||
| General Secretary of the National League for Democracy | ||||
| Baptist Preacher | ||||
| Holocaust Survivor & Nazi Hunter |
George W. Bush awarded 82 medals between 2001 and 2009.
| Recipient | Year | Notes | Notable as | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Professional Baseball Player | |||
| Stand-Up Comedian & Actor | ||||
| Opera Singer & Conductor | ||||
| Management Consultant & Educator | ||||
| President of The Washington Post | ||||
| Epidemiologist & Dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health | ||||
| Journalist & Godfather of Neoconservativism | ||||
| Anti-Apartheid Activist & President of South Africa | ||||
| Co-founder and Chairman of Intel Corporation | [52] | |||
| First Lady of the United States | ||||
| Television Host & Presbyterian Minister | ||||
| Journalist & Executive Editor of The New York Times | ||||
| 2003 | Editor of the Editorial Page of The Wall Street Journal | |||
| Historian | ||||
| Cooking Teacher & Television Personality | ||||
| Professional Baseball Player | ||||
| Pianist | ||||
| President of Czechoslovakia & the Czech Republic | ||||
| Actor & Political Activist | ||||
| 10th Secretary General of NATO | ||||
| Theoretical Physicist | ||||
| Founder and CEO of Wendy's | ||||
| Professional Football Player & Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States | [53] | |||
| Political Scientist | ||||
| Basketball Coach | ||||
| 2004 | Administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority of Iraq | |||
| United States Senator from Massachusetts | ||||
| Actress, Singer & Activist | ||||
| Commander of the United States Central Command | ||||
| 12th President of the Carnegie Corporation of New York | ||||
| President and Chairman of the National Geographic Society | ||||
| 15th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | ||||
| WD | Pope | |||
| Co-founder of the Estée Lauder Companies | ||||
| Actress, Dancer & Singer | ||||
| Professional Golfer | ||||
| Medical Doctor & Research Professor at Johns Hopkins University | ||||
| Magazine Editor & Writer for Commentary Magazine | ||||
| 18th Director of Central Intelligence | ||||
| 2005 | Professional Boxer & Human Rights Activist | |||
| Chairman and CEO of Citicorp | ||||
| Actress & Comedian | ||||
| Co-Developer of the Transmission Control Protocol and the Internet Protocol | [54] | |||
| Historian & Poet | ||||
| Singer-Songwriter & Pianist | ||||
| 13th Chair of the Federal Reserve | ||||
| Actor & Comedian | ||||
| Radio Broadcaster for ABC News Radio | ||||
| Co-Developer of the Transmission Control Protocol and the Internet Protocol | [55] | |||
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives & Major General of the Mississippi National Guard | ||||
| 15th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff | ||||
| Professional Golfer | ||||
| Professional Baseball Player | ||||
| Rwandan politician & Manager of the Hôtel des Mille Collines in Kigali during the Rwandan Genocide protecting 1,268 Hutu and Tutsi refugees | ||||
| 2006 | Founder of ProLiteracy Worldwide | [56] | ||
| President of Xavier University of Louisiana | ||||
| Journalist | ||||
| Blues Singer-Songwriter | ||||
| Molecular Biologist | ||||
| Popular Historian | ||||
| 14th United States Secretary of Transportation & Member of the U.S. House of Representatives | ||||
| Professional Baseball Player | ||||
| Political Columnist for The New York Times | ||||
| Israeli Politician & Human Rights Activist | ||||
| 2007 | Economist | |||
| Human Rights and Democratic Freedoms Advocate in Cuba | ||||
| 2nd Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute | ||||
| Executive Director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People | ||||
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives | ||||
| Founder, Executive Chairman and CEO of C-SPAN | ||||
| Novelist & Civil Rights Activist | ||||
| 24th President of Liberia | ||||
| 2008 | Neurosurgeon & Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center | [57] | ||
| 5th Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases | ||||
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives | ||||
| 16th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff | ||||
| 18th United States Secretary of Health and Human Services | ||||
| Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit | ||||
| 2009 | Prime Minister of the United Kingdom | [58] | ||
| United States Ambassador to Lebanon, Kuwait, Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan & Iraq | [59] | |||
| 25th Prime Minister of Australia | ||||
| 31st President of Colombia |
Barack Obama awarded 118 medals between 2009 and 2017.
| Recipient | Year | Notes | Notable as | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Founder of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation | [60] | |||
| War Chief of the Crow Nation | [61] | ||||
| Physician & Founding Dean for the Roseman University Health Sciences College of Medicine | |||||
| Theoretical Physicist | |||||
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York | |||||
| United States Senator from Massachusetts | |||||
| Professional Tennis Player | |||||
| Co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference | |||||
| Member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors & Gay Rights Activist | |||||
| Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court | [62] | ||||
| Actor & First African-American & Bahamian to Win an Academy Award | |||||
| Actress, Singer & Dancer | |||||
| 7th President of Ireland | |||||
| Geneticist & First Scientist to Identify a Chromosomal Translocation as the Cause of Leukemia and other Cancers. | |||||
| Anglican Bishop, Theologian & Human Rights Activist | |||||
| Founder of Grameen Bank | |||||
| 2011 | Founder of the Natural Resources Defense Council | [63] | |||
| Poet & Civil Rights Activist | |||||
| Philanthropist & CEO of Berkshire Hathaway | |||||
| 41st President of the United States | |||||
| 22nd United States Secretary of Defense | [64] | ||||
| Abstract Expressionist Painter & Printmaker | |||||
| Civil Rights Activist & Member of the U.S. House of Representatives | |||||
| Optometrist & Leader of an International Assistance Mission killed during the 2010 Badakhshan Massacre | |||||
| Cellist & United Nations Messenger of Peace | |||||
| Civil Rights Activist | |||||
| Chancellor of Germany | |||||
| Professional Baseball Player | |||||
| Professional Basketball Player | |||||
| United States Ambassador to Ireland | |||||
| President of AFL-CIO & Labor Leader | |||||
| Author, Human Rights Activist & Holocaust Educator | |||||
| 2012 | 64th United States Secretary of State | [65] | |||
| Singer-Songwriter | |||||
| 10th Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention | |||||
| Astronaut and United States Senator from Ohio | |||||
| Founder of the Girl Scouts of the USA | |||||
| Sociologist, Civil Rights Activist & Plaintiff in Hirabayashi v. United States | |||||
| Labor Leader & Co-founder of the National Farmworkers Association | |||||
| Resistance-Fighter during WWII & Diplomat | |||||
| Novelist & Civil Rights Activist | |||||
| 9th President of Israel | |||||
| Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States | |||||
| Women's College Basketball Head Coach | |||||
| Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit | |||||
| 2013 | Professional Baseball Player | [66] | |||
| Executive Editor of The Washington Post | [67] | ||||
| 42nd President of the United States | |||||
| Lawyer & Lead Special Counsel for the U.S. House Judiciary Committee's Impeachment Inquiry Staff during the Impeachment Process Against Richard Nixon | |||||
| United States Senator from Hawaii | |||||
| Psychologist & Economist | |||||
| United States Senator from Indiana | |||||
| Singer-Songwriter | |||||
| Chemist who discovered the Antarctic Ozone Hole | |||||
| Astronaut & Physicist | [68] | ||||
| Human Rights Activist | |||||
| Jazz Trumpeter, Pianist & Composer | |||||
| Men's College Basketball Head Coach | |||||
| Journalist & Social Political Activist | |||||
| Minister & Civil Rights Activist | |||||
| Talk Show Host, Actress & Philanthropist | |||||
| 2014 | Dancer & Founder of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater | [69] | |||
| Author | |||||
| Network Television Journalist | |||||
| Civil Rights Activist | |||||
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives | |||||
| Nanotechnologist & Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology | |||||
| Civil Rights Activist | |||||
| Human Rights Activist & Founder of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights | |||||
| Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit | |||||
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives | |||||
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives | |||||
| Civil Rights Activist | |||||
| President of the National Council of American Indians | |||||
| Professional Golfer & the First African-American to play on the PGA Tour | |||||
| Economist & Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology | [70] | ||||
| Actress | |||||
| Actress, Producer & Social Activist | |||||
| Singer-Songwriter | |||||
| 2015 | Director, Producer & Screenwriter | [71] | |||
| Musician & Producer | |||||
| Singer & Actress | |||||
| Violinist & Conductor | |||||
| Composer & Lyricist of Musical Theater | |||||
| Singer & Actress | |||||
| Singer-Songwriter | |||||
| Lawyer & Plaintiff in Yasui v. United States | |||||
| Environmental Leader & Treaty Rights Activist | |||||
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives & First African-American Woman Elected to Congress | |||||
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives | |||||
| United States Senator from Maryland | |||||
| 1st & 5th Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency | |||||
| Mathematician whose calculations helped with the First successful U.S. Crewed Spaceflight | |||||
| Professional Baseball Player | |||||
| Founder and President of the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors | |||||
| Professional Baseball Player | |||||
| 2016 | Architect | [72] | |||
| Physicist & Author of the First Hydrogen Bomb Design | |||||
| Designer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. | |||||
| Actor & Filmmaker | |||||
| Actor & Producer | |||||
| Actor | |||||
| Actress | |||||
| Singer & Actress | |||||
| Singer-Songwriter | [73] | ||||
| Computer Scientist & Developer of the FLOW-MATIC programming language | |||||
| Director of the Software Engineering Division of the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory | |||||
| President of Miami Dade College | |||||
| Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission | |||||
| Comedian & Film and Television Producer | |||||
| Comedian, Television Host & Gay Rights Activist | |||||
| Philanthropist & Co-founder of Microsoft | |||||
| Philanthropist & Co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation | |||||
| Tribal Elder, Activist & Lead Plaintiff in Cobell v. Salazar | |||||
| Sportscaster | |||||
| Basketball Player | |||||
| Olympic Basketball Player | |||||
| 2017 | 47th Vice President of the United States | [74] [75] |
Donald Trump awarded 24 medals between 2017 and 2021.
| Recipient | Year | Notes | Notable as | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Physician and philanthropist | |||
| United States Senator from Utah | ||||
| Associate Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court and football player | ||||
| Singer and actor known as the "King of Rock and Roll" | [76] | |||
| Professional baseball player | ||||
| Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States | ||||
| Professional football player | ||||
| 2019 | Professional basketball player | [77] | ||
| Economist, best known for the Laffer curve | [78] | |||
| 75th United States Attorney General | [79] | |||
| Professional auto racing team owner, driver, and businessman | [80] | |||
| Professional baseball player | [81] | |||
| Basketball executive and Olympic professional basketball player | [82] | |||
| Professional golfer | [83] | |||
| 2020 | Olympic wrestler | [84] | ||
| University football coach | [85] | |||
| Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army | [86] | |||
| Political commentator | [87] | |||
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives and Olympic athlete | [88] | |||
| 2021 | Olympic athlete | [89] | ||
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California | [90] | |||
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio | [91] | |||
| Professional golfer | ||||
| Professional golfer |
Joe Biden has awarded 38 medals since 2022.
| Recipient | Year | Notes | Notable as | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | [92] | |||
| Roman Catholic Religious Sister & Member of the Sisters of Social Service | ||||
| President of Texas Southmost College | ||||
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona & Gun Control Activist | ||||
| Civil Rights Attorney & state legislator | ||||
| Entrepreneur & Co-founder and CEO of Apple | ||||
| Protopresbyter in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America | ||||
| Member of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom & Activist | ||||
| Critical Care Nurse & First American to receive the COVID-19 Vaccine | ||||
| United States Senator from Arizona & Purple Heart Recipient | ||||
| Civil Rights Activist & Co-founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee | ||||
| Olympic Professional Soccer Player & Human Rights Activist | ||||
| United States Senator from Wyoming | ||||
| Organized Labor Leader | ||||
| Brigadier General | ||||
| Actor, Producer & Director | ||||
| U.S. Ambassador to the Dominican Republic & President and CEO of the National Council of La Raza | ||||
| 2024 | Entrepreneur, philanthropist and Mayor of New York City | [93] | ||
| Jesuit Catholic priest and founder and director of the rehabilitation program Homeboy Industries | ||||
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina | ||||
| United States Senator from North Carolina, Transportation Secretary, and Labor Secretary | ||||
| Former daytime talk show host | ||||
| Famed Civil rights activist who was murdered at age 37 in 1963 | ||||
| 45th Vice President of the United States and environmentalist | ||||
| U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, U.S. Secretary of State and United States Senator from Massachusetts. | ||||
| Olympic swimmer | ||||
| Educator and activist who pushed to make Juneteenth a national holiday | ||||
| Astronaut | ||||
| 52nd and first female Speaker of the United States House of Representatives | ||||
| Astrophysicist | ||||
| President of the United Farm Workers union | ||||
| Co-founder of the Matthew Shepard Foundation | ||||
| First Native American to win an Olympic gold medal | ||||
| Actor | ||||
| 13th secretary general of NATO | [94] | |||