List of Congressional Gold Medal recipients

This is a list of recipients of the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor bestowed by the United States Congress.

Recipients

	Recipient(s)	Date of Approval	Public Law	Notes	Medal
	George Washington	March 25, 1776	Continental Congress	Served as the first President of the United States of America (1789–1797),[1] and led the Continental Army to victory over the Kingdom of Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783).
	Major General Horatio Gates	November 4, 1777	Continental Congress
	Major General Anthony Wayne	July 26, 1779	Continental Congress
	Major Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee	September 24, 1779	Continental Congress
	Brigadier General Daniel Morgan	March 9, 1781	Continental Congress
	Major General Nathanael Greene	October 29, 1781	Continental Congress
	John Paul Jones	October 16, 1787	Continental Congress
	Captain Thomas Truxtun	March 29, 1800	2 Stat. 87
	Commodore Edward Preble	March 3, 1805	2 Stat. 346–347
	Captain Isaac Hull, Captain Stephen Decatur, and Captain Jacob Jones	January 29, 1813	2 Stat. 830
	Captain William Bainbridge	March 3, 1813	2 Stat. 831
	Captain Oliver Hazard Perry and Captain Jesse D. Elliott	January 6, 1814	3 Stat. 141
	Lieutenant William Ward Burrows II and Lieutenant Edward McCall	January 6, 1814	3 Stat. 141–142
	Captain James Lawrence	January 11, 1814	3 Stat. 142
	Captain Thomas Macdonough, Captain Robert Henley, and Lieutenant Stephen Cassin	October 20, 1814	3 Stat. 245–246
	Captain Lewis Warrington	October 21, 1814	3 Stat. 246
	Captain Johnson Blakely	November 3, 1814	3 Stat. 246–247
	Major General Jacob Brown	November 3, 1814	3 Stat. 247
	Major General Winfield Scott	November 3, 1814 March 9, 1848	3 Stat. 247 9 Stat. 333
	Brigadier General Eleazar Ripley, Brigadier General James Miller, and Major General Peter Buell Porter	November 3, 1814	3 Stat. 247
	Major General Edmund P. Gaines	November 3, 1814	3 Stat. 247
	Major General Alexander Macomb	November 3, 1814	3 Stat. 247	Hero of the Battle of Plattsburg
	Major General Andrew Jackson	February 27, 1815	3 Stat. 249
	Captain Charles Stewart	February 22, 1816	3 Stat. 341
	Captain James Biddle	February 22, 1816	3 Stat. 341
	Major General William Henry Harrison and Governor Isaac Shelby	April 4, 1818	3 Stat. 476
	Colonel George Croghan	February 13, 1835	4 Stat. 792
	Major General Zachary Taylor	July 16, 1846 March 2, 1847	9 Stat. 111 9 Stat. 206
	Rescuers of the Officers and Crew of the U.S. Brig Somers	March 3, 1847	9 Stat. 208
	Commander Duncan Ingraham	August 4, 1854	10 Stat. 594–595
	Frederick Rose (surgeon)	May 11, 1858	11 Stat. 369
	Major General Ulysses S. Grant	December 17, 1863	13 Stat. 399
	Cornelius Vanderbilt	January 28, 1864	13 Stat. 401
	Captain Creighton, Captain Low, and Captain Stouffer	July 26, 1866	14 Stat. 365–366
	Cyrus West Field	March 2, 1867	14 Stat. 574
	George Peabody	March 16, 1867	15 Stat. 20
	George F. Robinson	March 1, 1871	16 Stat. 704
	Captain Jared Crandall and Others	February 24, 1873	17 Stat. 638
	John Horn, Jr.	June 20, 1874 April 28, 1904	18 Stat. 573 33 Stat. 1684–1685
	John F. Slater	February 5, 1883	22 Stat. 636
	Joseph Francis	August 27, 1888	25 Stat. 1249
	Chief Engineer George Wallace Melville and Others	September 30, 1890	26 Stat. 552–553
	First Lieutenant Frank Newcomb	May 3, 1900	31 Stat. 717
	First Lieutenant David Jarvis, Second Lieutenant Ellsworth P. Bertholf and Dr. Samuel Call	June 28, 1902	32 Stat. 492
	Wright brothers	March 4, 1909	35 Stat. 1627
	Captain Arthur Henry Rostron	July 6, 1912	37 Stat. 639
	Captain Paul H. Kreibohm and others	March 19, 1914	38 Stat. 769
	Domicio da Gama, Romulo Naon, and Eduardo Suarez	March 4, 1915	38 Stat. 1228
	Charles Lindbergh	May 4, 1928	45 Stat. 490
	Lincoln Ellsworth, Roald Amundsen, and Umberto Nobile	May 29, 1928	45 Stat. 2026–2027
	Thomas Edison	May 29, 1928	45 Stat. 1012
	First Successful Trans-Atlantic Flight	February 9, 1929	45 Stat. 1158
	Major Walter Reed and Associates for Yellow Fever Experimentations in Cuba	February 28, 1929	45 Stat. 1409–1410
	Officers and Men of the Byrd Antarctic Expedition	May 23, 1930	46 Stat. 379
	Lincoln Ellsworth	June 16, 1936	49 Stat. 2324
	George Cohan	June 29, 1936	49 Stat. 2371
	Mrs. Richard Aldrich and Anna Bouligny	June 20, 1938	52 Stat. 1365
	Howard Hughes	August 7, 1939	53 Stat. 1525
	Reverend Francis X. Quinn	August 10, 1939	53 Stat. 1533	Pastor of the Church of the Guardian Angel in New York City. Honored for risking his life in persuading an armed gunman holding an elderly couple hostage to surrender to police.[2]
	William Sinnott	June 15, 1940	54 Stat. 1283
	Roland Boucher	January 20, 1942	56 Stat. 1099–1100
	George Catlett Marshall, General of the Army, and Fleet Admiral Ernest Joseph King	March 22, 1946	60 Stat. 1134–1135
	John J. Pershing, General of the Armies of the United States	August 7, 1946	60 Stat. 1297–1298
	Brigadier General Billy Mitchell	August 8, 1946	60 Stat. 1319
	Vice President Alben W. Barkley	August 12, 1949	P.L. 81-221, 63 Stat. 599
	Irving Berlin	July 16, 1954	P.L. 83-536, 68 Stat. A120
	Doctor Jonas Salk	August 9, 1955	P.L. 84-297, 69 Stat. 589
	Surviving Veterans of the American Civil War	July 18, 1956	P.L. 84-730, 70 Stat. 577
	Rear Admiral Hyman Rickover	August 28, 1958	P.L. 85-826, 72 Stat. 985
	Doctor Robert Goddard	September 16, 1959	P.L. 86-277, 73 Stat. 562-563
	Robert Frost	September 13, 1960	P.L. 86-747, 74 Stat. 883
	Doctor Thomas Anthony Dooley III	May 27, 1961	P.L. 87-42, 75 Stat. 87
	Bob Hope	June 8, 1962	P.L. 87-478, 76 Stat. 93
	Sam Rayburn, Speaker of the House of Representatives	September 26, 1962	P.L. 87-478, 76 Stat. 605
	Douglas MacArthur, General of the Army	October 9, 1962	P.L. 87-760, 76 Stat. 760
	Walt Disney	May 24, 1968	P.L. 90-316, 82 Stat. 130–131
	Sir Winston Churchill	May 7, 1969	P.L. 91-12, 83 Stat. 8–9
	Roberto Clemente	May 14, 1973	P.L. 93-33, 87 Stat. 71
	Marian Anderson	March 8, 1977	P.L. 95-9, 91 Stat. 19
	Lieutenant General Ira Eaker	October 10, 1978	P.L. 95-438, 92 Stat. 1060
	Robert Kennedy	November 1, 1978	P.L. 95-560, 92 Stat. 2142
	John Wayne	May 26, 1979	P.L. 96-15, 93 Stat. 32
	Ben Abruzzo, Maxie Anderson, and Larry Newman	June 13, 1979	P.L. 96-20, 93 Stat. 45
	Hubert Humphrey	June 13, 1979	P.L. 96-91, 93 Stat. 46
	American Red Cross	December 12, 1979	P.L. 96-138, 93 Stat. 1063
	Ambassador Kenneth D. Taylor OC	March 6, 1980	P.L. 96-201, 94 Stat. 79
	Simon Wiesenthal	March 17, 1980	P.L. 96-211, 94 Stat. 101
	1980 US Olympic Team	July 8, 1980	P.L. 96-306 94 Stat. 937
	Queen Beatrix I of the Netherlands	March 22, 1982	P.L. 97-158, 96 Stat. 18–19
	Admiral Hyman Rickover (second time)	June 23, 1982	P.L. 97-201, 96 Stat. 126–127
	Fred Waring	August 26, 1982	P.L. 97-246, 96 Stat. 315–316
	Joe Louis	August 26, 1982	P.L. 97-246, 96 Stat. 315–316
	Louis L'Amour	August 26, 1982	P.L. 97-246, 96 Stat. 315–316
	Leo Ryan	November 18, 1983	P.L. 98-159, 97 Stat. 992
	Danny Thomas	November 29, 1983	P.L. 98-172, 97 Stat. 1119–1120
	Harry S. Truman	May 8, 1984	P.L. 98-278, 98 Stat. 173–175
	Lady Bird Johnson	May 8, 1984	P.L. 98-278, 98 Stat. 173–175
	Elie Wiesel	May 8, 1984	P.L. 98-278, 98 Stat. 173–175
	Roy Wilkins	May 17, 1984	P.L. 98-285, 98 Stat. 186
	George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin	August 9, 1985	P.L. 99-86, 99 Stat. 288–289
	Natan Sharansky and Avital Shcharansky	May 13, 1986	P.L. 99-298, 100 Stat. 432–433
	Harry Chapin	May 20, 1986	P.L. 99-311, 100 Stat. 464
	Aaron Copland	September 23, 1986	P.L. 99-418, Stat. 952–953
	Mary Lasker	December 24, 1987	Pub.L. 100-210, 101 Stat. 1441
	Jesse Owens	September 20, 1988	Pub.L. 100-437, 102 Stat. 1717
	Andrew Wyeth	November 9, 1988	Pub.L. 100-639, 102 Stat. 3331–3332
	Laurance Rockefeller	May 17, 1990	Pub.L. 101-296, 104 Stat. 197–199
	General Matthew Ridgway	November 5, 1990	Pub.L. 101-510, 104 Stat. 1720–1721
	General H. Norman Schwarzkopf	April 23, 1991	Pub.L. 102-32, 105 Stat. 175–176
	General Colin Powell	April 23, 1991	Pub.L. 102-33, 105 Stat. 177–178
	Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson	November 2, 1994	Pub.L. 103-457, 108 Stat. 4799–4800
	Ruth Graham and Billy Graham	February 13, 1996	Pub.L. 104-111, 110 Stat. 772–773
	Frank Sinatra	May 14, 1997	Pub.L. 105-14, 111 Stat. 32–33
	Mother Teresa	June 2, 1997	Pub.L. 105-16, 111 Stat. 35–36
	Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I	October 6, 1997	Pub.L. 105-51, 111 Stat. 117-1171
	Nelson Mandela	July 29, 1998	Pub.L. 105-215, 112 Stat. 895–896
	Little Rock Nine	October 21, 1998	Pub.L. 105-277, 112 Stat. 2681-597
	Gerald Ford and Betty Ford	October 21, 1998	Pub.L. 105-277, 112 Stat. 2681-598
	Rosa Parks	May 4, 1999	Pub.L. 106-26, 113 Stat. 50–51
	Theodore Hesburgh	December 9, 1999	Pub.L. 106-153, 113 Stat. 1733–1734
	John Cardinal O'Connor	March 3, 2000	Pub.L. 106-175, 114 Stat. 20–21
	Charles Schulz	June 20, 2000	Pub.L. 106-225, 114 Stat. 457–458	"Our country owes Charles Schulz a great deal. His comic art has changed American culture and brightened the lives of millions of Americans. This ceremony today offers one tangible way for our country to express thanks to a truly great American." — United States Senator Dianne Feinstein, sponsor of the bill.[3]
	Pope John Paul II	July 27, 2000	Pub.L. 106-250, 114 Stat. 622–623	Speaker of the House of Representatives Dennis Hastert and Representative John Joseph Moakley led a delegation from the U.S. Congress to bring Pope John Paul II the Congressional Gold Medal on January 8, 2001.[4]
	Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan	July 27, 2000	Pub.L. 106-251, 114 Stat. 624–625	"I am sure that each and every one of you have your own special memory of Ronald and Nancy Reagan. I know I do. Many Americans remember how the Reagan's sparked a renewal of hope and optimism in a nation that was beginning to lose faith in the American dream. This renewed patriotism will always remain one of their most enduring legacies. Ronald and Nancy Reagan shared a remarkable grace, a rare charm that set both the American public and world leaders at lease." — U.S. Rep. Jim Gibbons, Republican of Nevada, statement made at award ceremony at Rotunda on Capitol Hill.[5]
	Navajo Code Talkers	December 21, 2000	Pub.L. 106-554, 114 Stat. 2763	"Today, we marked a moment of shared history and shared victory. We recall a story that all Americans can celebrate and every America should know. It is a story of ancient people called to serve in a modern war. It is a story of one unbreakable oral code of the Second World War, messages travelling by field radio on Iwo Jima in the very language heard across the Colorado plateau centuries ago." — statement by President George W. Bush when giving the award the 29 American Navajo code talkers.[6]
	General Hugh Shelton	January 16, 2002	Pub.L. 107-127, 115 Stat. 2405–2406	"Throughout his 38 years of service to his country, his ascent through the ranks of the Army, two tours in Vietnam and duty in Operation Desert Storm, Gen. Shelton has carried with him the North Carolina values of service, sacrifice, love of family, faith in God and devotion to country." — U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge, who helped write the legislation honoring Shelton.[7]
	British Prime Minister Tony Blair	July 18, 2003	Pub.L. 108-60, 117, Stat. 862–863	"America has many allies, but as we have seen in recent months, we can count on Great Britain to fulfill the duties of a true friend in tough times. I applaud Tony Blair's extraordinary leadership and his continued support of the United States." — U.S. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite, sponsor of the bill in the United States House of Representatives.[8]
	Jackie Robinson	October 29, 2003	Pub.L. 108-101, 117 Stat. 1195–1197	"His story is one that shows what one person can do to hold America to account to its founding promise of freedom and equality. It's a lesson for people coming up to see. One person can make a big difference in setting the tone of this country." — President George W. Bush, on presenting the award to Robinson's widow Rachel Robinson.[9]
	Dr. Dorothy Height	December 6, 2003	Pub.L. 108-162, 117 Stat. 2017	"She's a woman of enormous accomplishment. She's a friend of first ladies like Eleanor Roosevelt, Hillary Rodham Clinton. She's known every president since Dwight David Eisenhower. She's told every president what she thinks since Dwight David Eisenhower. Truth of the matter is, she was the giant of the civil rights movement." — President George W. Bush, on presenting Height with the award.[10]
	Joseph A. DeLaine, Harry & Eliza Briggs, and Levi Pearson	December 15, 2003	Pub.L. 108-180, 117 Stat. 2645–2647	The four filed lawsuits in South Carolina which helped lead to Brown v. Board of Education. "These were ordinary citizens who did an extraordinary thing. Their courage and commitment to fight for a better education for their children in Clarendon County, South Carolina, has benefited generations of children nationwide." — Jim Clyburn, Democratic Congressman, helped push the legislation through along with Democratic Senator Ernest Hollings, both of South Carolina.[11]
	Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King	October 25, 2004	Pub.L. 108-368, 118 Stat. 1746-1748	"Dr. King had a dream of peace and equality and dedicated his life to achieving that dream. Throughout his brief but remarkable life, Dr. King stood for the causes of freedom, justice and equality." — Carl Levin, Democratic Senator from Michigan, pushed through bill in United States Senate.[12]
	Tuskegee Airmen	April 11, 2006	Pub.L. 109-213, 120 Stat. 322-325	"The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of 994 African American pilots who gained fame during WWII for their heroism escorting American bombers in raids over Europe and North Africa. Their distinguished service is credited with influencing President Truman to desegregate the U.S. military." — Congressman Charles B. Rangel, Press Release.[13]
	Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama	September 27, 2006	Pub.L. 109-287, 120 Stat. 1231	In recognition of the Dalai Lama's: "many enduring and outstanding contributions to peace, non-violence, human rights and religious understanding". — (Pub.L. 109-287)[14]
	Byron Nelson	October 16, 2006	Pub.L. 109-357, 120 Stat. 2044	"The Congressional Gold Medal is given to individuals who exemplify the American spirit by serving their community and helping those less fortunate, which is what Byron Nelson devoted his life to doing. The lives of countless Americans were touched because of the compassion, dedication and generosity of this great Texan." — John Cornyn, Republican Senator from Texas.[15]
	Dr. Norman Borlaug	December 6, 2006	Pub.L. 109-395 120 Stat. 2708	"The most fitting tribute we can offer this good man is to renew ourselves to his life's work, and lead a second Green Revolution that feeds the world, and today we'll make a pledge to do so." — President George W. Bush, statement at Capitol Rotunda ceremony.[16]
	Dr. Michael E. DeBakey	October 2, 2007	Pub.L. 110-95 121 Stat. 1008	"Dr. DeBakey’s medical advances have contributed so much to our country and the world. Not only did he perfect the heart transplant procedure which has saved so many lives, but he also invented the M.A.S.H. unit. As a veteran of World War II, he saw our young men dying on the battlefield and was determined to improve medical care to save lives. Dr. DeBakey will receive the Congressional Gold Medal for these lasting contributions." — Kay Bailey Hutchison Republican Senator who introduced the legislation.[17]
	Aung San Suu Kyi	May 5, 2008	Pub.L. 110-209 122 Stat. 721	"This is a well-deserved honour for a remarkable woman who has led the struggle for freedom and democracy in her country". — Mitch McConnell, then-leader of Republican United States Senators and sponsor of effort to award the medal to Suu Kyi.[18]
	Constantino Brumidi	July 1, 2008	Pub.L. 110-259 122 Stat. 2430
	Edward William Brooke III	July 1, 2008	Pub.L. 110-260 122 Stat. 2430
	Women Airforce Service Pilots	July 1, 2009	Pub.L. 111-40 123 Stat. 1958
	Neil A. Armstrong, Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin, Jr., Michael Collins, and John Herschel Glenn, Jr.	August 7, 2009	Pub.L. 111-44 123 Stat. 1966	New Frontier Congressional Gold Medal Act
	Arnold Palmer	September 30, 2009	Pub.L. 111-65 123 Stat. 2003

See also

• Congressional Silver Medal
• Awards and decorations of the United States government

Notes

References

• Office of the Clerk, Congressional Gold Medal Recipients: (1776 to Present), United States House of Representatives, http://clerk.house.gov/art_history/house_history/goldMedal.html 
• Stathis, Stephen W. (July 15, 2008) (PDF), Congressional Gold Medals, 1776-2002, Congressional Research Service, http://www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/RL30076.pdf 

External links

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• "THOMAS (Library of Congress)". Library of Congress. http://thomas.loc.gov. Retrieved 2007-04-30.  Search for bills and laws.
• Congressional Research Service, Congressional Gold Medal list of recipients, 1776-1999.