List of Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients
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 "for especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, or world peace, or cultural or other significant public or private endeavors". Honorees are selected by the president or recommended to them by the Distinguished Civilian Service Awards Board.
- 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 123 medals, the most ever, followed by President Ronald Reagan with 102 medal recipients.
- 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, while Ellsworth Bunker was given both of his awards with distinction.
Arts
Architecture
Art
Dance
| Recipient | Year | President | Notes |
| Martha Graham | 1976 | Gerald Ford | With Distinction |
| Lucia Chase | 1980 | Jimmy Carter | |
| George Balanchine | 1983 | Ronald Reagan | |
| Lincoln Kirstein | 1984 | Ronald Reagan | |
| Chita Rivera | 2009 | Barack Obama | |
| Alvin Ailey | 2014 | Barack Obama | Posthumous |
Film & theater
Literature
| Recipient | Year | President | Notes |
| E. B. White | 1963 | John F. Kennedy | |
| Edmund Wilson | 1963 | John F. Kennedy | |
| Thornton Wilder | 1963 | John F. Kennedy | |
| J. Frank Dobie | 1964 | Lyndon B. Johnson | |
| T. S. Eliot | 1964 | Lyndon B. Johnson | |
| Carl Sandburg | 1964 | Lyndon B. Johnson | |
| John Steinbeck | 1964 | Lyndon B. Johnson | |
| Ralph Ellison | 1969 | Lyndon B. Johnson | |
| Archibald MacLeish | 1977 | Gerald Ford | Roderick MacLeish, Archibald's nephew, accepted the award |
| James A. Michener | 1977 | Gerald Ford | Named as James Albert Michener on the award citation |
| Robert Penn Warren | 1980 | Jimmy Carter | |
| Eudora Welty | 1980 | Jimmy Carter | |
| Tennessee Williams | 1980 | Jimmy Carter | |
| Louis L'Amour | 1984 | Ronald Reagan | |
| Albert Wohlstetter | 1985 | Ronald Reagan | |
| Elie Wiesel | 1992 | George H.W. Bush | |
| Harper Lee | 2007 | George W. Bush | |
| Maya Angelou | 2011 | Barack Obama | |
| Toni Morrison | 2012 | Barack Obama | |
| Isabel Allende | 2014 | Barack Obama |
Music
| Recipient | Year | President | Notes |
| Marian Anderson | 1963 | John F. Kennedy | |
| Pablo Casals | 1963 | John F. Kennedy | |
| Rudolf Serkin | 1963 | John F. Kennedy | |
| Aaron Copland | 1964 | Lyndon B. Johnson | |
| Leontyne Price | 1964 | Lyndon B. Johnson | |
| Duke Ellington | 1969 | Richard Nixon | |
| Eugene Ormandy | 1970 | Richard Nixon | |
| Arthur Rubinstein | 1976 | Gerald Ford | With Distinction |
| Irving Berlin | 1977 | Gerald Ford | |
| Arthur Fiedler | 1977 | Gerald Ford | |
| Beverly Sills | 1980 | Jimmy Carter | |
| James "Eubie" Blake | 1981 | Ronald Reagan | |
| Kate Smith | 1982 | Ronald Reagan | |
| Mabel Mercer | 1983 | Ronald Reagan | |
| Ernest Jennings "Tennessee Ernie" Ford | 1984 | Ronald Reagan | |
| 'Count' Basie | 1985 | Ronald Reagan | Posthumous |
| Frank Sinatra | 1985 | Ronald Reagan | |
| Vladimir Horowitz | 1986 | Ronald Reagan | |
| Mstislav Rostropovich | 1987 | Ronald Reagan | |
| Meredith Willson | 1987 | Ronald Reagan | Posthumous |
| Pearl Bailey | 1988 | Ronald Reagan | |
| Ella Fitzgerald | 1992 | George H.W. Bush | |
| Isaac Stern | 1992 | George H.W. Bush | |
| Plácido Domingo | 2002 | George W. Bush | |
| Van Cliburn | 2003 | George W. Bush | |
| Aretha Franklin | 2005 | George W. Bush | |
| B.B. King | 2006 | George W. Bush | |
| Yo-Yo Ma | 2011 | Barack Obama | |
| Bob Dylan | 2012 | Barack Obama | |
| Loretta Lynn | 2013 | Barack Obama | |
| Arturo Sandoval | 2013 | Barack Obama | |
| Stevie Wonder | 2014 | Barack Obama | |
| Emilio Estefan | 2015 | Barack Obama | |
| Gloria Estefan | 2015 | Barack Obama | |
| Itzhak Perlman | 2015 | Barack Obama | |
| Stephen Sondheim | 2015 | Barack Obama | |
| Barbra Streisand | 2015 | Barack Obama | |
| James Taylor | 2015 | Barack Obama | |
| Diana Ross | 2016 | Barack Obama | |
| Bruce Springsteen | 2016 | Barack Obama | |
| Elvis Presley | 2018 | Donald Trump | Posthumous |
Photography
Business and economics
| Recipient | Year | President | Notes |
| Clarence B. Randall | 1963 | John F. Kennedy | |
| Frederick Kappel | 1964 | Lyndon B. Johnson | |
| John L. Lewis | 1964 | Lyndon B. Johnson | |
| Thomas Watson, Jr. | 1964 | Lyndon B. Johnson | |
| Edgar Kaiser | 1969 | Richard Nixon | |
| David Dubinsky | 1969 | Richard Nixon | |
| Henry Ford II | 1969 | Richard Nixon | |
| Laurance Rockefeller | 1969 | Richard Nixon | |
| Paul G. Hoffman | 1974 | Gerald Ford | |
| Iorwith Wilbur Abel | 1977 | Gerald Ford | |
| Tex Thornton | 1981 | Ronald Reagan | |
| Juan Trippe | 1985 | Ronald Reagan | Posthumous |
| Walter Annenberg | 1986 | Ronald Reagan | |
| An Wang | 1986 | Ronald Reagan | |
| Justin Whitlock Dart Sr. | 1987 | Ronald Reagan | Posthumous |
| Irving Brown | 1988 | Ronald Reagan | |
| Edward J. DeBartolo, Sr. | 1988 | Ronald Reagan | |
| Milton Friedman | 1988 | Ronald Reagan | |
| J. Willard Marriott | 1988 | Ronald Reagan | Posthumous |
| David Packard | 1988 | Ronald Reagan | |
| Friedrich Hayek | 1991 | George H.W. Bush | |
| Sam Walton | 1992 | George H.W. Bush | |
| Lane Kirkland | 1994 | Bill Clinton | |
| James Rouse | 1995 | Bill Clinton | |
| Walter Reuther | 1995 | Bill Clinton | Posthumous |
| David Rockefeller | 1998 | Bill Clinton | |
| Edgar Bronfman, Sr. | 1999 | Bill Clinton | |
| James E. Burke | 2000 | Bill Clinton | |
| John Kenneth Galbraith | 2000 | Bill Clinton | |
| Peter Drucker | 2002 | George W. Bush | |
| Dave Thomas | 2003 | George W. Bush | Posthumous |
| Estée Lauder | 2004 | George W. Bush | |
| Walter B. Wriston | 2004 | George W. Bush | |
| Alan Greenspan | 2005 | George W. Bush | |
| Gary Becker | 2007 | George W. Bush | |
| Muhammad Yunus | 2009 | Barack Obama | |
| Warren Buffett | 2011 | Barack Obama | |
| John J. Sweeney | 2011 | Barack Obama | |
| Daniel Kahneman | 2013 | Barack Obama | |
| Robert Solow | 2014 | Barack Obama | |
| Arthur Laffer | 2019 | Donald Trump |
Computing
| Recipient | Year | President | Notes |
| Gordon Moore | 2002 | George W. Bush | |
| Vinton Cerf | 2005 | George W. Bush | |
| Robert Kahn | 2005 | George W. Bush | |
| Rear Admiral Grace Hopper | 2016 | Barack Obama | Posthumous |
| Margaret Hamilton | 2016 | Barack Obama |
Education
| Recipient | Year | President | Notes |
| Genevieve Caulfield | 1963 | John F. Kennedy | |
| James Bryant Conant | 1963 | John F. Kennedy | With Distinction |
| Alexander Meiklejohn | 1963 | John F. Kennedy | |
| George W. Taylor | 1963 | John F. Kennedy | |
| Karl Holton | 1963 | Lyndon B. Johnson | |
| Detlev Bronk | 1964 | Lyndon B. Johnson | |
| Rev Theodore Hesburgh, C.S.C. | 1964 | Lyndon B. Johnson | |
| Admiral Hyman G. Rickover | 1980 | Jimmy Carter | |
| Margaret McNamara | 1981 | Jimmy Carter | |
| James E. Cheek | 1983 | Ronald Reagan | |
| Jerome H. Holland | 1985 | Ronald Reagan | Posthumous |
| Frederick Patterson | 1987 | Ronald Reagan | |
| Hanna Holborn Gray | 1991 | George H.W. Bush | |
| Antonia Pantoja | 1996 | Bill Clinton | |
| Ruth Johnson Colvin | 2006 | George W. Bush | |
| Norman Francis | 2006 | George W. Bush | |
| Eduardo J. Padrón | 2016 | Barack Obama |
History
Humanitarian
Law
Attorneys and judges
| Recipient | Year | President | Notes |
| Henry J. Friendly | 1977 | Gerald Ford | |
| Elbert Tuttle | 1981 | Jimmy Carter | |
| Irving Robert Kaufman | 1987 | Ronald Reagan | |
| John Minor Wisdom | 1993 | Bill Clinton | |
| Joseph L. Rauh, Jr. | 1993 | Bill Clinton | Posthumous |
| Frank Minis Johnson | 1995 | Bill Clinton | |
| A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr. | 1995 | Bill Clinton | |
| Oliver White Hill | 1999 | Bill Clinton | |
| Cruz Reynoso | 2000 | Bill Clinton | |
| Laurence Silberman | 2008 | George W. Bush | |
| Patricia Wald | 2012 | Barack Obama | |
| John Doar | 2013 | Barack Obama | |
| Newton N. Minow | 2016 | Barack Obama | |
| Alan Page | 2018 | Donald Trump |
Supreme Court justices
Media
Journalism
| Recipient | Year | President | Notes |
| Mark S. Watson | 1963 | Lyndon B. Johnson | |
| Edward R. Murrow | 1964 | Lyndon B. Johnson | With Distinction |
| Walter Lippmann | 1964 | Lyndon B. Johnson | |
| Ralph McGill | 1964 | Lyndon B. Johnson | |
| Albert Merriman Smith | 1967 | Lyndon B. Johnson | |
| William S. White | 1969 | Lyndon B. Johnson | |
| William M. Henry | 1970 | Richard Nixon | |
| Earl Charles Behrens | 1970 | Richard Nixon | |
| Raymond Moley | 1970 | Richard Nixon | |
| Adela Rogers St. Johns | 1970 | Richard Nixon | |
| David Lawrence | 1970 | Richard Nixon | |
| Arthur Krock | 1970 | Richard Nixon | |
| George Gould Lincoln | 1970 | Richard Nixon | |
| Lila Acheson Wallace | 1972 | Richard Nixon | |
| DeWitt Wallace | 1972 | Richard Nixon | |
| Walter Cronkite | 1981 | Jimmy Carter | |
| Frank Reynolds | 1985 | Ronald Reagan | Posthumous |
| Vermont C. Royster | 1986 | Ronald Reagan | |
| William F. Buckley, Jr. | 1991 | George H.W. Bush | |
| David Brinkley | 1992 | George H.W. Bush | |
| Herbert L. Block | 1994 | Bill Clinton | |
| John H. Johnson | 1996 | Bill Clinton | |
| Katharine Graham | 2002 | George W. Bush | Posthumous |
| A. M. Rosenthal | 2002 | George W. Bush | |
| Robert L. Bartley | 2003 | George W. Bush | |
| William Safire | 2006 | George W. Bush | |
| Paul Johnson | 2006 | George W. Bush | |
| Ben Bradlee | 2013 | Barack Obama | |
| Tom Brokaw | 2014 | Barack Obama |
Radio
| Recipient | Year | President | Notes |
| Lowell Thomas | 1977 | Gerald Ford | |
| Paul Harvey | 2005 | George W. Bush | |
| Rush Limbaugh | 2020 | Donald Trump | Awarded during 2020 State of the Union Address |
Television
| Recipient | Year | President | Notes |
| Lucille Ball | 1989 | George H.W. Bush | Posthumous |
| Johnny Carson | 1992 | George H.W. Bush | |
| Peggy Charren | 1995 | Bill Clinton | |
| Joan Ganz Cooney | 1995 | Bill Clinton | |
| Bill Cosby | 2002 | George W. Bush | |
| Fred Rogers | 2002 | George W. Bush | |
| Julia Child | 2003 | George W. Bush | |
| Carol Burnett | 2005 | George W. Bush | |
| Andy Griffith | 2005 | George W. Bush | |
| Brian P. Lamb | 2007 | George W. Bush | |
| Oprah Winfrey | 2013 | Barack Obama | |
| Marlo Thomas | 2014 | Barack Obama | |
| Lorne Michaels | 2016 | Barack Obama | |
| Ellen DeGeneres | 2016 | Barack Obama |
Medicine
Military
| Recipient | Year | President | Notes |
| John Paul Vann | 1972 | Richard Nixon | Posthumous |
| General of the Army Omar Bradley | 1977 | Gerald Ford | |
| Admiral Arleigh Burke | 1977 | Gerald Ford | |
| General Albert Coady Wedemeyer | 1985 | Ronald Reagan | |
| Brigadier General Chuck Yeager | 1985 | Ronald Reagan | |
| Captain Joseph Rochefort | 1986 | Ronald Reagan | Posthumous |
| General Matthew B. Ridgeway | 1986 | Ronald Reagan | |
| General Lyman Lemnitzer | 1987 | Ronald Reagan | |
| Lieutenant General Jimmy Doolittle | 1989 | George H.W. Bush | |
| General Colin Powell | 1991 | George H.W. Bush | Twice awarded |
| General H. Norman Schwarzkopf | 1991 | George H.W. Bush | |
| General John W. Vessey | 1992 | George H.W. Bush | |
| General Colin Powell | 1993 | Bill Clinton | With Distinction; Twice awarded |
| Jan Nowak-Jeziorański | 1996 | Bill Clinton | |
| General John Shalikashvili | 1997 | Bill Clinton | |
| Admiral Elmo Zumwalt | 1998 | Bill Clinton | |
| General Wesley Clark | 2000 | Bill Clinton | |
| Admiral William J. Crowe | 2000 | Bill Clinton | |
| General Tommy Franks | 2004 | George W. Bush | |
| General Richard B. Myers | 2005 | George W. Bush | |
| General Peter Pace | 2008 | George W. Bush | |
| War Chief Joe Medicine Crow | 2009 | Barack Obama | |
| General Jack Keane | 2020 | Donald Trump |
Philanthropy
Philosophy
Politics and government
Activism
Diplomacy
| Recipient | Year | President | Notes |
| Ralph J. Bunche | 1963 | John F. Kennedy | With Distinction |
| Ellsworth Bunker | 1963 | John F. Kennedy | With Distinction |
| Ellsworth Bunker | 1967 | Lyndon B. Johnson | With Distinction |
| Manlio Brosio | 1971 | Richard Nixon | |
| David K. E. Bruce | 1976 | Gerald Ford | With Distinction |
| Gerard C. Smith | 1981 | Jimmy Carter | |
| Robert S. Strauss | 1981 | Jimmy Carter | |
| Philip Habib | 1982 | Ronald Reagan | |
| General Andrew Goodpaster | 1984 | Ronald Reagan | |
| Jeane Kirkpatrick | 1985 | Ronald Reagan | |
| Anne L. Armstrong | 1987 | Ronald Reagan | |
| George F. Kennan | 1989 | George H.W. Bush | |
| Harry W. Shlaudeman | 1992 | George H.W. Bush | |
| Sol M. Linowitz | 1998 | Bill Clinton | |
| Ryan Crocker | 2009 | George W. Bush | |
| Jean Kennedy Smith | 2011 | Barack Obama | |
| Jan Karski | 2012 | Barack Obama | Posthumous |
Environmentalism
Intelligence
| Recipient | Year | President | Notes |
| Whittaker Chambers | 1984 | Ronald Reagan | Posthumous |
| Jean MacArthur | 1988 | Ronald Reagan | |
| George Tenet | 2004 | George W. Bush |
Foreign statesmen and stateswomen
| Recipient | Year | Country | President | Notes |
| Joseph Luns | 1984 | Netherlands | Ronald Reagan | |
| Carlos P. Romulo | 1984 | Philippines | Ronald Reagan | |
| Anwar el-Sadat | 1984 | Egypt | Ronald Reagan | Posthumous |
| The Lord Carrington | 1988 | United Kingdom | Ronald Reagan | |
| Lech Wałęsa | 1989 | Poland | George H.W. Bush | |
| Margaret Thatcher | 1991 | United Kingdom | George H.W. Bush | |
| Wilma Mankiller | 1998 | Cherokee Nation | Bill Clinton | |
| Helmut Kohl | 1999 | Germany | Bill Clinton | |
| Aung San Suu Kyi | 2000 | Myanmar | Bill Clinton | |
| Nelson Mandela | 2002 | South Africa | George W. Bush | |
| Václav Havel | 2003 | Czech Republic | George W. Bush | |
| Ellen Johnson Sirleaf | 2007 | Liberia | George W. Bush | |
| Tony Blair | 2009 | United Kingdom | George W. Bush | |
| John Howard | 2009 | Australia | George W. Bush | |
| Álvaro Uribe | 2009 | Colombia | George W. Bush | |
| Mary Robinson | 2009 | Ireland | Barack Obama | |
| Angela Merkel | 2011 | Germany | Barack Obama | |
| Shimon Peres | 2012 | Israel | Barack Obama |
U.S. Cabinet members
| Recipient | Year | President | Notes |
| Robert A. Lovett Secretary of Defense | 1963 | Lyndon B. Johnson | With Distinction |
| Dean Acheson Secretary of State | September 14, 1964 | Lyndon B. Johnson | With Distinction |
| Robert McNamara | 1968 | Lyndon B. Johnson | Secretary of Defense |
| Clark Clifford | 1969 | Lyndon B. Johnson | With Distinction, Secretary of Defense |
| Dean Rusk Secretary of State | January 16, 1969 | Lyndon B. Johnson | With Distinction |
| Cyrus Vance | 1969 | Richard Nixon | |
| W. Averell Harriman | 1969 | Richard Nixon | With Distinction, Secretary of Commerce |
| William P. Rogers Secretary of State Attorney General | October 25, 1973 | Richard Nixon | |
| Defence Melvin Laird | March 26, 1974 | Richard Nixon | |
| Secretary of State Henry Kissinger | January 13, 1977 | Gerald Ford | With Distinction |
| Donald Rumsfeld Secretary of Defense | January 19, 1977 | Gerald Ford | With Distinction |
| National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski | January 16, 1981 | Jimmy Carter | |
| Secretary of Defense Harold Brown | January 16, 1981 | Jimmy Carter | |
| Deputy Secretary of State Warren Christopher | January 16, 1981 | Jimmy Carter | |
| Secretary of State Edmund Muskie | January 16, 1981 | Jimmy Carter | |
| Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger | November 17, 1987 | Ronald Reagan | With Distinction |
| Malcolm Baldrige, Jr. Secretary of Commerce | October 17, 1988 | Ronald Reagan | Posthumous |
| George Shultz Secretary of State Secretary of the Treasury Secretary of Labor | January 19, 1989 | Ronald Reagan | |
| C. Douglas Dillon Secretary of the Treasury | July 6, 1989 | George H.W. Bush | |
| James Baker Secretary of State Secretary of the Treasury | July 3, 1991 | George H.W. Bush | |
| Dick Cheney Secretary of Defense | July 3, 1991 | George H.W. Bush | |
| Arthur Flemming Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare | August 8, 1994 | Bill Clinton | |
| William Thaddeus Coleman Jr. Secretary of Transportation | September 29, 1995 | Bill Clinton | |
| William Perry Secretary of Defense | January 14, 1997 | Bill Clinton | With Distinction |
| Elliot Richardson Secretary of Defense United States Attorney General Secretary of Commerce Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare | January 15, 1998 | Bill Clinton | |
| Lloyd Bentsen Secretary of the Treasury | August 11, 1999 | Bill Clinton | |
| Norman Mineta Secretary of Commerce Secretary of Transportation | 2006 | George W. Bush | |
| Donna Shalala Secretary of Health and Human Services | 2008 | George W. Bush | |
| Jack Kemp Secretary of Housing and Urban Development | 2009 | Barack Obama | Posthumous |
| Robert Gates Secretary of Defense | 2011 | Barack Obama | |
| Madeleine Albright Secretary of State | 2012 | Barack Obama | |
| Edwin Meese Attorney General | 2019 | Donald Trump |
U.S. first ladies
| Recipient | Year | President | Notes |
| Lady Bird Johnson | 1977 | Gerald Ford | |
| Betty Ford | 1991 | George H. W. Bush | |
| Rosalynn Carter | 1999 | Bill Clinton | |
| Nancy Reagan | 2002 | George W. Bush |
Members of the U.S. Congress
| Recipient | Year | President | Notes |
| Senator Herbert H. Lehman | 1963 | John F. Kennedy | Lehman died the day before the ceremony. Medal presented to his widow Jan. 28, 1964 |
| Representative Carl Vinson | 1964 | Lyndon B. Johnson | With Distinction |
| Representative Walter Judd | 1981 | Ronald Reagan | |
| Senator Jacob K. Javits | 1983 | Ronald Reagan | |
| Representative Clare Boothe Luce | 1983 | Ronald Reagan | |
| Senator Henry M. Jackson | 1984 | Ronald Reagan | Posthumous |
| Senator Howard H. Baker, Jr. | 1984 | Ronald Reagan | |
| Senator Barry Goldwater | 1986 | Ronald Reagan | |
| Senator Mike Mansfield | 1989 | George H. W. Bush | |
| Representative Claude Pepper | 1989 | George H. W. Bush | |
| Senator Margaret Chase Smith | 1989 | George H. W. Bush | |
| Representative Tip O'Neill | 1991 | George H. W. Bush | Former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives |
| Senator Strom Thurmond | 1993 | George H. W. Bush | |
| Senator William Fulbright | 1993 | Bill Clinton | |
| Representative Barbara Jordan | 1994 | Bill Clinton | |
| Representative Robert H. Michel | 1994 | Bill Clinton | |
| Senator Gaylord Nelson | 1995 | Bill Clinton | |
| Representative Mo Udall | 1996 | Bill Clinton | |
| Senator Bob Dole | 1997 | Bill Clinton | |
| Representative Dante B. Fascell | 1998 | Bill Clinton | |
| Senator George J. Mitchell | 1999 | Bill Clinton | |
| Senator George McGovern | 2000 | Bill Clinton | |
| Senator John H. Chafee | 2000 | Bill Clinton | Posthumous, former United States Secretary of the Navy |
| Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan | 2000 | Bill Clinton | |
| Senator Edward W. Brooke | 2004 | George W. Bush | |
| Representative Gillespie Montgomery | 2005 | George W. Bush | |
| Representative Henry Hyde | 2007 | George W. Bush | |
| Representative Tom Lantos | 2008 | George W. Bush | |
| Senator Edward Kennedy | 2009 | Barack Obama | |
| Representative John Lewis | 2011 | Barack Obama | |
| Senator Daniel Inouye | 2013 | Barack Obama | Posthumous |
| Senator Richard Lugar | 2013 | Barack Obama | |
| Representative John Dingell | 2014 | Barack Obama | |
| Representative Abner J. Mikva | 2014 | Barack Obama | |
| Representative Patsy Mink | 2014 | Barack Obama | Posthumous |
| Representative Edward Roybal | 2014 | Barack Obama | Posthumous |
| Representative Shirley Chisholm | 2015 | Barack Obama | Posthumous |
| Representative Lee H. Hamilton | 2015 | Barack Obama | |
| Senator Barbara Mikulski | 2015 | Barack Obama | |
| Senator Orrin Hatch | 2018 | Donald Trump |
Presidents of the United States
| Recipient | Year | President | Notes |
| John F. Kennedy | 1963 | Lyndon B. Johnson | 35th president, Posthumous |
| Lyndon B. Johnson | 1980 | Jimmy Carter | 36th president, Posthumous |
| Ronald Reagan | 1993 | George H. W. Bush | 40th president, With Distinction |
| Gerald Ford | 1999 | Bill Clinton | 38th president |
| Jimmy Carter | 1999 | Bill Clinton | 39th president |
| George H. W. Bush | 2011 | Barack Obama | 41st president |
| Bill Clinton | 2013 | Barack Obama | 42nd president |
Vice Presidents of the United States
| Recipient | Year | President | Notes |
| Nelson Rockefeller | 1977 | Gerald Ford | 41st vice president |
| Hubert Humphrey | 1980 | Jimmy Carter | 38th vice president, Posthumous |
| Joseph Biden | 2017 | Barack Obama | 47th vice president, With Distinction |
Other political figures
Religion
Science
| Recipient | Year | President | Notes |
| Alan Tower Waterman | 1963 | John F. Kennedy | |
| Clarence Johnson | 1964 | Lyndon B. Johnson | |
| Lewis Mumford | 1964 | Lyndon B. Johnson | |
| John Bardeen | 1977 | Gerald Ford | |
| Norman Borlaug | 1977 | Gerald Ford | |
| James D. Watson | 1977 | Gerald Ford | |
| Margaret Mead | 1979 | Jimmy Carter | Posthumous |
| Simon Ramo | 1983 | Ronald Reagan | |
| Jacques-Yves Cousteau | 1985 | Ronald Reagan | |
| George Low | 1985 | Ronald Reagan | Posthumous |
| Robert Coles | 1998 | Bill Clinton | |
| Mathilde Krim | 2000 | Bill Clinton | |
| Edward Teller | 2003 | George W. Bush | |
| James Q. Wilson | 2003 | George W. Bush | |
| Joshua Lederberg | 2006 | George W. Bush | |
| Francis Collins | 2007 | George W. Bush | |
| Stephen Hawking | 2009 | Barack Obama | |
| Mario Molina | 2013 | Barack Obama | |
| Mildred Dresselhaus | 2014 | Barack Obama | |
| Richard Garwin | 2016 | Barack Obama |
Space exploration
| Recipient | Year | Mission | President | Notes |
| James E. Webb | 1968 | NASA administrator | Lyndon B. Johnson | |
| Neil Armstrong | 1969 | Apollo 11 astronaut | Richard Nixon | With Distinction |
| Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin | 1969 | Apollo 11 astronaut | Richard Nixon | With Distinction |
| Michael Collins | 1969 | Apollo 11 astronaut | Richard Nixon | With Distinction |
| Jim Lovell | 1970 | Apollo 13 astronaut | Richard Nixon | |
| Fred Haise | 1970 | Apollo 13 astronaut | Richard Nixon | |
| Jack Swigert | 1970 | Apollo 13 astronaut | Richard Nixon | |
| Mission Operations Team | 1970 | Apollo 13 | Richard Nixon | |
| John Glenn | 2012 | Mercury-Atlas 6 and STS-95 | Barack Obama | |
| Sally Ride | 2013 | Space Shuttle Challenger STS-7 and STS-41-G | Barack Obama | Posthumous |
| Katherine Johnson | 2015 | NASA mathematician | Barack Obama |
Sports
| Recipient | Year | Sport | President | Notes |
| Robert J. H. Kiphuth | 1963 | Swimming | John F. Kennedy | |
| Jesse Owens | 1976 | Track | Gerald Ford | |
| Joe DiMaggio | 1977 | Baseball | Gerald Ford | |
| Paul "Bear" Bryant | 1983 | American football | Ronald Reagan | Posthumous |
| Jackie Robinson | 1984 | Baseball | Ronald Reagan | Posthumous |
| Earl Blaik | 1986 | American football | Ronald Reagan | |
| Ted Williams | 1991 | Baseball | George H. W. Bush | |
| Richard Petty | 1992 | Auto racing | George H. W. Bush | |
| Arthur Ashe | 1993 | Tennis | Bill Clinton | Posthumous |
| Hank Aaron | 2002 | Baseball | George W. Bush | |
| John Wooden | 2003 | Basketball | George W. Bush | |
| Roberto Clemente | 2003 | Baseball | George W. Bush | Posthumous |
| Arnold Palmer | 2004 | Golf | George W. Bush | |
| Jack Nicklaus | 2005 | Golf | George W. Bush | |
| Muhammad Ali | 2005 | Boxing | George W. Bush | |
| Frank Robinson | 2005 | Baseball | George W. Bush | |
| Buck O'Neil | 2006 | Baseball | George W. Bush | Posthumous |
| Billie Jean King | 2009 | Tennis | Barack Obama | |
| Bill Russell | 2011 | Basketball | Barack Obama | |
| Stan Musial | 2011 | Baseball | Barack Obama | |
| Pat Summitt | 2012 | Basketball | Barack Obama | |
| Dean Smith | 2013 | Basketball | Barack Obama | |
| Ernie Banks | 2013 | Baseball | Barack Obama | |
| Charles Sifford | 2014 | Golf | Barack Obama | |
| Yogi Berra | 2015 | Baseball | Barack Obama | Posthumous |
| Willie Mays | 2015 | Baseball | Barack Obama | |
| Vin Scully | 2016 | Baseball | Barack Obama | |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 2016 | Basketball | Barack Obama | |
| Michael Jordan | 2016 | Basketball | Barack Obama | |
| Babe Ruth | 2018 | Baseball | Donald Trump | Posthumous |
| Roger Staubach | 2018 | American football | Donald Trump | |
| Tiger Woods | 2019 | Golf | Donald Trump | |
| Bob Cousy | 2019 | Basketball | Donald Trump | |
| Jerry West | 2019 | Basketball | Donald Trump | |
| Mariano Rivera | 2019 | Baseball | Donald Trump | |
| Roger Penske | 2019 | Auto Racing | Donald Trump | |
| Jim Ryun | 2020 | Track | Donald Trump |