Presidential Citizens Medal
Encyclopedia
The Presidential Citizens Medal is the second highest civilian award
in the United States
, second only to the Presidential Medal of Freedom
. It is awarded by the President of the United States
, and may be given posthumously.
Established on November 13, 1969, by President Richard Nixon, the Presidential Citizens Medal may be granted to any United States citizen "who [has] performed exemplary deeds or services for his or her country or fellow citizens". President Carter and President Ford did not award any citizens with this honor during their terms in office. Roberto Clemente
was the first person to receive the award in 1973. It was 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.
Civilian decorations of the United States
Civilian decorations of the United States are civil decorations of the United States of America which are bestowed by various agencies of the United States government for acts of accomplishment benefiting the nation as a whole. Contrary to the awards and decorations of the United States military,...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, second only to the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Presidential Medal of Freedom
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is an award bestowed by the President of the United States and is—along with thecomparable Congressional Gold Medal bestowed by an act of U.S. Congress—the highest civilian award in the United States...
. It is awarded by the President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
, and may be given posthumously.
Established on November 13, 1969, by President Richard Nixon, the Presidential Citizens Medal may be granted to any United States citizen "who [has] performed exemplary deeds or services for his or her country or fellow citizens". President Carter and President Ford did not award any citizens with this honor during their terms in office. Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente Walker was a Puerto Rican Major League Baseball right fielder. He was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, the youngest of seven children. Clemente played his entire 18-year baseball career with the Pittsburgh Pirates . He was awarded the National League's Most Valuable Player Award in...
was the first person to receive the award in 1973. It was awarded posthumously.
The medal is a disc of gilt
Gilding
The term gilding covers a number of decorative techniques for applying fine gold leaf or powder to solid surfaces such as wood, stone, or metal to give a thin coating of gold. A gilded object is described as "gilt"...
and enamel, based on the Seal of the President of the United States
Seal of the President of the United States
The Seal of the President of the United States is used to mark correspondence from the U.S. president to the United States Congress, and is also used as a symbol of the presidency. The central design, based on the Great Seal of the United States, is the official coat of arms of the U.S...
, 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.
Recipients
- Hank Aaron (2001)
- Albert Abramson (1998)
- David M. Abshire (1989)
- Muhammad AliMuhammad AliMuhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
(2001) - Juan Andrade (2001)
- Richard Lee Armitage
- Brooke Astor (1988)
- Arnold O. Beckman (1989)
- Ezra Taft BensonEzra Taft BensonEzra Taft Benson was the thirteenth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1985 until his death and was United States Secretary of Agriculture for both terms of the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower.-Biography:Born on a farm in Whitney, Idaho, Benson was the oldest of...
(1989) - Dr. Mitchell Besser (2008)
- James H. Billington (2008)
- Dr. Forrest M. Bird (2008)
- Milly Bloomquist (2011)
- James Scott Brady (1989)
- Ward Brehm (2008)
- Ruby BridgesRuby BridgesRuby Nell Bridges Hall moved with her parents to New Orleans, Louisiana at the age of 4. In 1960, when she was 6 years old, her parents responded to a call from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and volunteered her to participate in the integration of the New Orleans...
(2001) - Roberta Diaz Brinton (2010)
- Daisy M. Brooks (2010)
- Ronald H. Brown (2001) (Posthumous)
- William F. Buckley, Jr. (1989)
- Don R. Cameron (2001)
- Frank C. Carlucci (1983)
- Raymond G. Chambers (2008)
- Betty Kwan ChinnBetty Kwan ChinnBetty Kwan Chinn Eureka, California philanthropist. She helped homeless, including mentally ill, disabled veterans, runaways, and drug abusers in the past 20 years. Betty won the 2008 Minerva Award. She used the $25,000 grant as seed money and worked with the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul to...
(2010) - Cynthia M. Church (2010)
- Roberto ClementeRoberto ClementeRoberto Clemente Walker was a Puerto Rican Major League Baseball right fielder. He was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, the youngest of seven children. Clemente played his entire 18-year baseball career with the Pittsburgh Pirates . He was awarded the National League's Most Valuable Player Award in...
(1973) (Posthumous) - Bruce ColeBruce ColeBruce Cole is a Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington, DCHe was born in Ohio and attended Case Western Reserve University. He earned his master's degree from Oberlin College and his doctorate from Bryn Mawr College. He is also the recipient of nine honorary doctorate degrees. For...
(2008) - Charles ColsonCharles ColsonCharles Wendell "Chuck" Colson is a Christian leader, cultural commentator, and former Special Counsel for President Richard Nixon from 1969 to 1973....
(2008) - Carol Coston, O.P. (2001)
- Archibald CoxArchibald CoxArchibald Cox, Jr., was an American lawyer and law professor who served as U.S. Solicitor General under President John F. Kennedy. He became known as the first special prosecutor for the Watergate scandal. During his career, he was a pioneering expert on labor law and also an authority on...
(2001) - Chester A. Crocker (1989)
- Arthur Culvahouse Jr. (1989)
- Joe DelaneyJoe DelaneyJoe Alton Delaney was an American football running back who played two seasons in the National Football League . In his two seasons with the Chiefs, Delaney set four franchise records that would stand for over 20 years....
(1983) (Posthumous) - Charles DeLisiCharles DeLisiCharles DeLisi is the Metcalf Professor of Science and Engineering at Boston University, and also served as Dean of the College of Engineering from 1990 to 2000...
(2001) - Bob DoleBob DoleRobert Joseph "Bob" Dole is an American attorney and politician. Dole represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996, was Gerald Ford's Vice Presidential running mate in the 1976 presidential election, and was Senate Majority Leader from 1985 to 1987 and in 1995 and 1996...
(1989) - General Wayne A. Downing, USA (Ret.) (2008)
- Samuel Nelson Drew (1995) (Posthumous)
- Kenneth M. Duberstein (1989)
- Lawrence EagleburgerLawrence EagleburgerLawrence Sidney Eagleburger was an American statesman and former career diplomat, who served briefly as the United States Secretary of State under President George H. W. Bush. Previously, he had served in lesser capacities under Presidents Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George H....
(1991) - Mike Feinberg (2008)
- Edwin J. Feulner (1989)
- Arnold Fisher (2008)
- Max M. Fisher (1989)
- Zachary FisherZachary FisherZachary Fisher was a prominent Jewish American philanthropist in the New York real estate community and a major philanthropic benefactor for the men and women in the United States Armed Forces and their families, as well as numerous other not-for-profit organizations.He founded the Fisher House...
(1995) - Marlin Fitzwater (by H.W. Bush, 1993)
- John P. Foley, S.J. (2008)
- Malcolm S. Forbes (1989)
- Donald R. Fortier (posthumously) (1989)
- Robert C. FrasureRobert C. FrasureRobert C. Frasure was an American diplomat and the first United States Ambassador to Estonia following Estonia's regained independence from the Soviet Union.-Biography:...
(1995) (Posthumous) - Robert M. Gates (1992)
- Robert P. GeorgeRobert P. GeorgeRobert P. George is McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton University, where he lectures on constitutional interpretation, civil liberties and philosophy of law. He also serves as the director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions...
(2008) - Susan Retik Ger (2010)
- Dana GioiaDana Gioia-Poetry:It was as a poet that Gioia first began to attract widespread attention in the early 1980s, with frequent appearances in The Hudson Review, Poetry, and The New Yorker. In the same period, he published a number of essays and book reviews...
(2008) - C. Boyden GrayC. Boyden GrayClayland Boyden Gray is a former American diplomat and public servant. He is a member of the board of directors at the Atlantic Council and at The European Institute....
(1993) - Jack GreenbergJack Greenberg (lawyer)Jack Greenberg is an American attorney and legal scholar. He was the Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund from 1961 to 1984, succeeding Thurgood Marshall....
(2001) - Elinor C. Guggenheimer (1997)
- Richard N. Haass (1991)
- Dorothy HeightDorothy HeightDorothy Irene Height was an American administrator, educator, and social activist. She was the president of the National Council of Negro Women for forty years, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994, and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2004.-Early life:Height was born in...
(1989) - Charlton Heston (1989)
- David HermelinDavid HermelinDavid Hermelin was United States ambassador to Norway and a Detroit area philanthropist and entrepreneur and a graduate of the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. He died of a brain tumor...
(2000) (Posthumous) - John S. Herrington (1989)
- Samuel J. Heyman (2008)
- Colonel William R. (Rich) HigginsWilliam R. HigginsWilliam Richard "Rich" Higgins was a United States Marine Corps colonel who was captured in 1988 while serving on a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon. He was held hostage, tortured and eventually murdered by his captors.-Biography:William Higgins was born in Danville, Kentucky on...
(1992) (Posthumous) - David D. Ho (2001)
- Don Hodel (1989)
- Mary K. Hoodhood (2010)
- Leamon Hunt (1984)
- Bernice Young Jones (1996)
- I. King JordanI. King JordanIrving King Jordan became, in 1988, the first deaf president of Gallaudet University, the world's only university with all programs and services designed specifically for students who are deaf and hard of hearing...
(2001) - Herman Kahm (posthumously) (1989)
- Max KampelmanMax KampelmanMax Kampelman, born Max Kampelmacher , is former head of the American delegation to the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe. He was born in New York...
(1989) - Richard James KerrRichard James KerrRichard James Kerr was deputy director of the C.I.A. from 1991-1992.He was born on Fort Smith, Arkansas. Kerr had a 32 year career with the CIA which included involvement in the retaliatory bombing raids against Libya in 1986 and culminated with key roles in managing U.S...
(1991) - Robert M. KimmittRobert M. KimmittRobert M. Kimmitt was United States Deputy Secretary of the Treasury under President George W. Bush. He was nominated by President Bush on June 29, 2005. The United States Senate unanimously confirmed him on July 29, 2005, and he was sworn into office on August 16, 2005...
(1991) - Russell KirkRussell KirkRussell Kirk was an American political theorist, moralist, historian, social critic, literary critic, and fiction author known for his influence on 20th century American conservatism. His 1953 book, The Conservative Mind, gave shape to the amorphous post–World War II conservative movement...
(1989) - Lane KirklandLane KirklandJoseph Lane Kirkland was a US labor union leader who served as President of the AFL-CIO for over sixteen years.-Biography:...
(1989) - Wendy Kopp (2008)
- Dr. Joseph C. Kruzel (1995)
- Dr. Donald W. Landry (2008)
- Janice LangbehnJanice LangbehnJanice K. Langbehn is a gay American activist and social worker, who became an activist as a result of the events surrounding the death of her partner, Lisa Marie Pond ....
(2011) - Dave Levin (2008)
- Anthony LewisAnthony LewisAnthony Lewis is a prominent liberal intellectual, writing for The New York Times op-ed page and The New York Review of Books, among other publications. He was previously a columnist for the Times . Before that he was London bureau chief , Washington, D.C...
(2001) - Alan Lovelace (1981)
- Adair Margo (2008)
- Robert S. MartinRobert S. MartinRobert S. Martin, Ph.D. is an American librarian, archivist, administrator, and educator. He is the former director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services , and is currently a member of the National Council on the Humanities and of the U.S...
(2008) - John O. Marsh, Jr. (1989)
- Andrew W. Marshall (2008)
- Matthews-Dickey Boy's Club Founders: Hubert Dickey Ballantine & Martin Mathews
- Oseola McCartyOseola McCartyOseola McCarty was a local washerwoman in Hattiesburg, Mississippi who became The University of Southern Mississippi’s most famous benefactor....
(1995) - Kimberly McGuiness (2010)
- Richard Meadows (1995) (Posthumous)
- Bob Michel (1989)
- Jeffery L. Miller (2008)
- Irene MorganIrene MorganIrene Morgan , later known as Irene Morgan Kirkaldy, was an important predecessor to Rosa Parks in the successful fight to overturn segregation laws in the United States...
(2001) - Erwin Morse (2008)
- Constance Baker MotleyConstance Baker MotleyConstance Baker Motley was an African American civil rights activist, lawyer, judge, state senator, and President of Manhattan, New York City.-Early Life and Academics:...
(2001) - Jorge MuñozJorge MunozJorge Muñoz, born 1964, founded the non-profit An Angel in Queens, an organization begun in the summer of 2004 that delivers free home-cooked meals in Queens. The food is delivered at the corner of Roosevelt Avenue and 73rd Street in Jackson Heights...
(2010) - William H. Natcher (1994)
- Lisa Nigro (2010)
- Dr. David Paton (1987)
- Claiborne PellClaiborne PellClaiborne de Borda Pell was a United States Senator from Rhode Island, serving six terms from 1961 to 1997, and was best known as the sponsor of the Pell Grant, which provides financial aid funding to U.S. college students. A Democrat, he was that state's longest serving senator.-Early years:Pell...
(1994) - Pete PetersonPete PetersonDouglas Brian "Pete" Peterson was a U.S. Air Force pilot who spent over six years as a prisoner of the North Vietnamese Army after his plane was shot down during the Vietnam War. He returned to Hanoi in 1997 as the first United States Ambassador to Vietnam...
(2000) - Mary Ann Phillips (2010)
- Colin PowellColin PowellColin Luther Powell is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African American to serve in that position. During his military...
-- General, US Army (ret) (1989) - Donald E. Powell (2008)
- Elizabeth Cushman Titus Putnam (2010)
- Anne-Imelda M. Radice (2008)
- Arnold Lewis Raphel (posthumously) (1989)
- Susan Retik (2010)
- Rozanne L. Ridgeway (1989)
- Helen Rodriguez-TriasHelen Rodriguez-TriasDr. Helen Rodriguez-Trias M.D. was a pediatrician, educator and women rights activist. She was the first Latina president of the American Public Health Association, a founding member of the Women's Caucus of the American Public Health Association, and the recipient of the Presidential Citizen's...
(2001) - Adele Rogers (1973)
- John F. W. Rogers (1985)
- Edward L. Rowny (1989)
- Edward Roybal (2001)
- Robert RubinRobert RubinRobert Edward Rubin served as the 70th United States Secretary of the Treasury during both the first and second Clinton administrations. Before his government service, he spent 26 years at Goldman Sachs eventually serving as a member of the Board, and Co-Chairman from 1990-1992...
(2001) - Senator Warren B. RudmanWarren RudmanWarren Bruce Rudman is an American attorney and Republican politician who served as United States Senator from New Hampshire between 1980 and 1993...
(2001) - Charles Ruff (2001) (Posthumous)
- Myrtle Faye Rumph (2010)
- Elbert RutanBurt RutanElbert Leander "Burt" Rutan is an American aerospace engineer noted for his originality in designing light, strong, unusual-looking, energy-efficient aircraft...
(1986) - Richard RutanDick RutanRichard Glenn "Dick" Rutan is an aviator who piloted the Voyager aircraft around the world non-stop with co-pilot Jeana Yeager...
(1986) - Rabbi Arthur Schneier (2001)
- Timothy R. Scully, C.S.C. (2008)
- Eli J. Segal (2001)
- John F. SeiberlingJohn F. SeiberlingJohn Frederick Seiberling, Jr. was a United States Representative from Ohio. In 1974, he helped to establish what later became the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, and served on the House Judiciary Committee that held the impeachment hearings against President Richard Nixon.-Biography:Born in Akron,...
(2001) - John Sengstacke (2001) (Posthumous)
- The Rev. Fred L. Shuttlesworth (2001)
- Gary SiniseGary SiniseGary Alan Sinise is an American actor, film director and musician. During his career, Sinise has won various awards including an Emmy and a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for an Academy Award. In 1992, Sinise directed, and played the role of George Milton in the successful film adaptation of...
(2008) - Larry SpeakesLarry SpeakesLarry M. Speakes is a former acting spokesman for the White House under President Ronald Reagan, having held the position from 1981 to 1987.Speakes was born in Cleveland, Mississippi...
(1987) - Stuart K. Spencer (1989)
- Adrian St. John (1995)
- William H. Taft, IV (1989)
- Elizabeth TaylorElizabeth TaylorDame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age...
(2001) - Edward Teller (1989)
- Strom ThurmondStrom ThurmondJames Strom Thurmond was an American politician who served as a United States Senator. He also ran for the Presidency of the United States in 1948 as the segregationist States Rights Democratic Party candidate, receiving 2.4% of the popular vote and 39 electoral votes...
(1989) - Richard H. Truly (1989)
- Armando ValladaresArmando ValladaresArmando Valladares is a former prisoner in Cuba turned United States ambassador to the United Nations.-Political prisoner:Valladares was a Cuban Postal Bank employee . He was arrested when he refused to display a sign on his desk that promoted communism...
(1989) - John Volpe (1983)
- Vernon A. Walters (1989)
- Admiral James D. Watkins, USN (Ret.) (2008)
- Raymond Weeks (1982)
- Geo. J. Weiss Jr. (2010)
- John C. WhiteheadJohn C. WhiteheadJohn Cunningham Whitehead is an American banker and civil servant, currently a board member of the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation and, until his resignation in May 2006, chairman of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation.-Biography:He was born in Evanston, Illinois...
(1989) - Charles Z. Wick (1989)
- Marion Wiesel (2001)
- Robert L. Woodson, Sr. (2008)
- Patrisha Wright (2001)
- Joseph R. Wriht, Jr. (1989)
- Sidney R. YatesSidney R. YatesSidney Richard Yates was a politician from the state of Illinois.Yates was born in Chicago, Illinois and he graduated from the University of Chicago. He served in the United States Navy during World War II....
(1993) - Jeana YeagerJeana YeagerJeana Yeager is an aviator. She is most famous for co-piloting a non-stop, non-refueled flight around the world in the Rutan Voyager aircraft from 14 to 23 December 1986. The flight took 9 days, 3 minutes, and 44 seconds and covered 24,986 miles , more than doubling the old distance record set by...
(1986)
See also
- Awards and decorations of the United States governmentAwards and decorations of the United States governmentAwards and decorations of the United States government are civilian awards of the U.S. federal government which are typically issued for sustained meritorious service, in a civilian capacity, while serving in the U.S. federal government. Certain U.S...
- List of awards for volunteerism and community service