Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian honor awarded by the president of the United States. It is equal in rank to the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor awarded by the U.S. Congress. The president awards the Presidential Medal of Freedom for outstanding service. The medal recognizes individuals who have made “an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, or to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.” The Presidential Medal of Freedom may be awarded several times and to a number of people during a president’s term. It may be awarded to U.S. citizens or noncitizens. The award may also be presented with a higher degree as the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction.
The honor was established on July 6, 1945, as the U.S. Medal of Freedom by President Harry S. Truman to recognize notable civilian service that aided the United States during a time of war. Originally, only certain high-ranking members of the U.S. Department of Defense could award the medal. On April 3, 1952, Truman expanded the Medal of Freedom to also recognize civilian service that aided U.S. security in general. He also allowed the medal to be awarded directly by the president. Thousands of people received the U.S. Medal of Freedom.
On Feb. 22, 1963, after extensive study by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Arthur J. Goldberg and Assistant Secretary of Labor Daniel Patrick Moynihan, President John F. Kennedy reintroduced the medal as an honor for distinguished civilian service in peacetime. It was renamed the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Under Kennedy’s executive order, the president was to select medal recipients. In addition, a Distinguished Civilian Service Awards Board was to recommend possible candidates for the honor. The president could reject any of the board’s nominees or add any of his own.
Kennedy announced the first 31 recipients on July 4, 1963. He was assassinated on Nov. 22, 1963, before he could present the medals. On Dec. 6, 1963, newly inaugurated President Lyndon B. Johnson presented the first 31 medals. He also awarded posthumous (after death) medals to Kennedy and to Pope Saint John XXIII, who died on June 3, 1963.
In 1970, President Richard M. Nixon formally ended the role of the Distinguished Civilian Service Awards Board in the selection process for the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The president could still receive suggestions from other people, but there was no longer a formal board involved in the recommendation process. By the early 2010’s, more than 500 Presidential Medals of Freedom had been awarded to persons representing a wide variety of disciplines and achievements. Recipients have included educators, diplomats, former presidents and first ladies, authors, scientists, medical researchers, military leaders, humanitarians, religious leaders, civil rights activists, business executives, journalists, athletes, and performers.
