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". Before 1970, honorees were either selected by the president or recommended to them by the Distinguished Civilian Service Awards Board.Executive Order 11085 The Presidential Medal of Freedom, retrieved July 30, 2009
History 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.
President Barack Obama awarded 118 medals, the most of any president, followed by President Bill Clinton with 89 medal recipients. Three people—Ellsworth Bunker, Colin Powell, and Ben Carson—are two-time recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Powell received his second award with distinction, while 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:
John F. Kennedy (1963, posthumously) Lyndon B. Johnson (1980, posthumously) Ronald Reagan (1993, with distinction) Gerald Ford (1999) Jimmy Carter (1999) George H. W. Bush (2011) Bill Clinton (2013) Joe Biden (2017, as Vice President; with distinction)
In 2015, 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. After being awarded the medal in 2002 by Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush, Cosby was convicted of multiple counts of sexual assault, though the convictions were later overturned.
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.
In 2022 at the age of 25, athlete and activist Simone Biles became the youngest person to receive the award.
Declinations of the award 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.
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.
Awarded with Distinction
List
† – Awarded posthumously WD – Awarded "with Distinction"
Selected by John F. Kennedy John F. Kennedy selected 31 recipients to be awarded in 1963. After his assassination they were officially awarded by Lyndon B. Johnson.
RecipientYearNotesNotable as1963Classical Contralto & First African-American to perform at the Metropolitan Opera Political Scientist, Mediator in Israel & First person of African descent to receive a Nobel PrizeU.S. Ambassador to Argentina, Italy and IndiaCellistFounder of the Bangkok School for the Blind in ThailandChemist, 23rd president of Harvard University & 1st U.S. ambassador to West GermanyBiomedical Scientist & Developer of the Measles VaccineAssociate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United StatesHead of the Los Angeles County Probation Department & Director of the California Youth AuthorityHead Coach for Men's Swimming at Yale UniversityCo-founder of the Polaroid Corporation & Inventor of the Polaroid Instant CameraUnited States senator from New York & 45th governor of New York4th United States secretary of defensePhilanthropist & President of the Arc of the United StatesUnited States assistant secretary of war & U.S. high commissioner for occupied Germany1st president of AFL-CIOPhilosopher & President of Amherst CollegeArchitectEntrepreneur & Founding Father of the European Union1st elected governor of Puerto RicoChairman of the board of Inland Steel Company & Presidential AdvisorPianistPhotographerProfessor of industrial relations at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania1st director of the National Science FoundationEditor and Correspondent for The Baltimore SunMember of the Navajo Nation CouncilWriter3x Pulitzer Prize Winning Playwright & NovelistWriter & Literary CriticRealist and Regionalist Painter & Visual Artist
Awarded by Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon B. Johnson awarded 58 medals between 1963 and 1969, excluding 31 which were selected by John F. Kennedy.
RecipientYearNotesNotable as 1963Pope35th president of the United States196451st United States secretary of state6th president of Johns Hopkins University, 16th president of the National Academy of Sciences & 3rd president of Rockefeller UniversityClassical composerAbstract expressionist artistCo-founder and President of the Walt Disney CompanyFolkloristPhysician & medical advisor to the National Association of Colored Women's ClubsModernist poetActress6th United States secretary of health, education, and welfareOrdained Priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross & 15th President of University of Notre DameAeronautical and Systems Engineer & Contributing Designer to the Lockheed U-2 and SR-71 Blackbird9th President of Western Electric & Chairman of AT&TDisability Rights Advocate, Human Rights Activist & Member of the American Foundation for the Blind9th President of the United Mine Workers & 1st President of the Congress of Industrial OrganizationsFounding Editor of New Republic & Political CommentatorActor & DirectorEditor of the Atlanta Constitution & Anti-SegregationistMaritime HistorianHistorian, Sociologist & Philosopher of TechnologyBroadcast Journalist & WWII War CorrespondentReformed Theologian, Ethicist & Professor at Union Theological SeminarySoprano & First African-American Soprano to Achieve International AcclaimFounder and President of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters3x Pulitzer Prize Winning PoetNobel Prize Winning WriterCardiologist, Founder of Pediatric Cardiology & Co-developer of the Blalock-Thomas-Taussig shunt Surgical ProcedureMember of the U.S. House of Representatives & Father of the Two-Ocean NavyPresident of the International Business Machines CorporationPresidential Physician to Dwight D. Eisenhower & Co-founder of the American Heart Association1967U.S. Ambassador to the Organization of American States and South Vietnam3rd Deputy National Security Advisor & U.S. Ambassador to TurkeyU.S. Ambassador to Pakistan & South Vietnam19688th United States Secretary of Defense2nd Administrator of NASA19693rd President of the World Bank Group5th United States National Security Advisor9th United States Secretary of Defense & Chair of the President's Intelligence Advisory BoardChairman of the Department of Surgery, President, and Chancellor of Baylor College of Medicine at the Texas Medical CenterPresident of the International Ladies Garment Workers UnionWriter & Literary CriticPresident, CEO and Chairman of the Board of the Ford Motor CompanyComedian & VaudevillianMember of the Committee on Urban Housing & General Manager of the Kaiser-Frazer CorporationPhilanthropist & Founder of the Lasker FoundationPresident of the United States Civil Service CommissionActor & HumanitarianConservationist & Philanthropist54th United States Secretary of State6th United States National Security AdvisorWhite House Correspondent for United Press International & Pulitzer Prize Winning Journalist7th United States Secretary of the Army & 11th United States Deputy Secretary of DefensePulitzer Prize Winning Journalist for the United Feature SyndicateExecutive Director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored PeopleCivil Rights Leader & Member of the National Urban League
Awarded by Richard Nixon Richard Nixon awarded 28 medals between 1969 and 1974.
RecipientYearNotesNotable as 1969Astronaut, Pilot & Apollo 11 Crew MemberAstronaut, Aeronautical Engineer & Apollo 11 Crew MemberAstronaut, Pilot & Apollo 11 Crew MemberJazz Pianist & Composer48th Governor of New York & 11th United States Secretary of Commerce1970Political Editor for the San Francisco ChroniclePulitzer Prize Winning Journalist for The Washington PostAstronaut, Pilot & Apollo 13 Crew Member Journalist & Daily Columnist for the Los Angeles Times3x Pulitzer Prize Winning Journalist for The New York TimesFounder of U.S. News & World ReportPolitical Reporter for The Washington Evening StarAstronaut, Pilot & Apollo 13 Crew Member Political Economist, Presidential Advisor to Franklin D. Roosevelt & Columnist for Newsweek & National ReviewViolinist, Conductor & Music Director of the Philadelphia OrchestraJournalist for Photoplay MagazineAstronaut, Pilot & Apollo 13 Crew Member19714th Secretary General of NATOFilm Producer & Founder of Goldwyn Pictures & Samuel Goldwyn ProductionsExecutive Clerk of the White House1972Lieutenant Colonel of the United States Army & Member of the United States Agency for International DevelopmentPhilanthropist & Co-founder of Reader's DigestCo-founder of Reader's Digest1973Film Director, Naval Officer & Head of the Photography Unit of the Office of Strategic Services63rd United States Attorney General & 55th United States Secretary of State19741st Administrator of the Economic Cooperation Administration & 1st Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme10th United States Secretary of Defense & Member of the U.S. House of RepresentativesOrthopedic Surgeon & Founder of California's First Orthopedic Hospital
Awarded by Gerald Ford Gerald Ford awarded 28 medals between 1974 and 1977.
RecipientYearNotesNotable as 1976U.S. Ambassador to France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the People's Republic of China & NATOModern Dancer, Choreographer & Inventor of the Graham TechniqueOlympic Track and Field AthleteClassical Pianist19773rd President of the United Steelworkers2x Nobel Prize Winning Physicist & EngineerComposer & SongwriterNobel Prize Winning Agronomist & Leader of the Green RevolutionSenior Officer of the United States Army & 1st Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of StaffAdmiral of the United States Navy & Chief of Naval OperationsMobiles SculptorPulitzer Prize Winning Popular Historian of the American Civil WarProfessional Baseball PlayerPulitzer Prize Winning Researcher & WriterPulitzer Prize Winning Historian & PhilosopherConductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Boston Pops OrchestraSenior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second CircuitFirst Lady of the United States, for date of award see 56th United States Secretary of State & 7th United States National Security AdvisorModernist Poet, 9th Librarian of Congress & 1st Assistant Secretary of State for Public AffairsPulitzer Prize Winning Writer & PhilanthropistModernist Artist & Painter41st Vice President of the United States & 49th Governor of New YorkPainter & Illustrator13th and 21st United States Secretary of Defense & Member of the U.S. House of RepresentativesPhilanthropist, Member of the Women's Division of the U.S. Employment Service of the Department of Labor & First Woman appointed to the Democratic National CommitteeWriter, Broadcaster & Leading Investor of Capital Cities Television CorporationNobel Prize Winning Molecular Biologist & Geneticist who Co-developed the Double Helix Structure Theory for the DNA Molecule
Awarded by Jimmy Carter Jimmy Carter awarded 34 medals between 1977 and 1981.