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Presidential Medal of Freedom PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER
Alphabetical List of Recipients
Presentation Speech Excerpts
Citations (in chronological order)
Speech Excerpt Sources
Citation Text Sources
Alphabetical List of Recipients
Adams, Ansel
Albright, Horace M.
Baldwin, Roger Nash
Brown, Harold
Brzezinski, Zbigniew
Carson, Rachel
Chase, Lucia
Christopher, Warren
Cronkite, Walter
Douglas, Kirk
Goldberg, Arthur J.
Greenough, Beverly Sills
Humphrey, Hubert H.
Iakovos, Archbishop
Johnson, Lyndon Baines
King, Martin Luther, Jr.
McNamara, Margaret Craig
Mead, Margaret
Menninger, Karl
Mitchell, Clarence M., Jr.
Muskie, Edmund S.
Peterson, Esther
Peterson, Roger Tory
Rickover, Hyman
Salk, Jonas E.
Smith, Gerard C.
Strauss, Robert S.
Tuttle, Elbert
Warren, Earl
Warren, Robert Penn
Wayne, John
Welty, Eudora
Williams, Tennessee
Young, Andrew
* Indicates an award of the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction
PRESENTATION SPEECH EXCERPTS
President Jimmy Carter awarded thirtyfour Presidential Medals of Freedom during his four years in the White House. In selecting recipients, he sought to honor "those noble achievers who are exemplary in every way, who reach a higher plateau of achievement, and whose recognition almost demands being consummated by [the President]."1
President Carter noted that: Past recipients have included our greatest composers, writers, scientists, performing and visual artists, religious and moral leaders of our time, appropriately covering the wide range of activities that a free people rightly consider to be invaluable contributions to the quality of our lives and to the peace and the cultural improvement of the lives of people everywhere. . . . Their widely differing styles and careers are united by just one thingtheir passionate commitment to their own convictions and the compatibility of their convictions with the enhancement of the quality of American life.
They have enriched our lives by broadening the scope of our vision and by deepening our understanding. They have, in their varying ways, aroused our rightful indignation at injustice and intolerance, at indifference and ignorance. They've made us look up to the birds in flight, down into the depths of the ocean, and inward to probe the cruelty and the comedy, the courage and the compassion of the human heart. The rest of us have not always come up to the high standards that they've set for us. But because of them, our Nation is a little more secure, a little less careless, a little more literate, a little more loving than we might otherwise have been.2
CITATIONS
(in chronological order)
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
Awarded by
President Jimmy Carter
July 11, 1977
Martin Luther King, Jr., was the conscience of his generation. He gazed upon the great wall of segregation and saw that the power of love could bring it down. From the pain and exhaustion of his fight to fulfill the promises of our founding fathers for our humblest citizens, he wrung his eloquent statement of his dream for America. He made our nation stronger because he made it better. His dream sustains us yet.
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DR. JONAS E. SALK
Awarded by
President Jimmy Carter
July 11, 1977
Because of Dr. Jonas E. Salk, our country is free from the cruel epidemics of poliomyelitis that once struck almost yearly. Because of his tireless work, untold hundreds of thousands who might have been crippled are sound in body today. These are Doctor Salk's true honors, and there is no way to add to them. This Medal of Freedom can only express our gratitude, and our deepest thanks.
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ARTHUR J. GOLDBERG
Awarded by
President Jimmy Carter
July 26, 1978
Arthur J. Goldberg, Secretary of Labor, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, United States Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador at Large and soldier in World War II. During an eminent career of almost fifty years, Arthur Goldberg has shown his deep commitment to individual human dignity, to peace and to the cause of human rights. As a practicing attorney and counsel for the labor movement, a legal scholar, educator and a public servant, he has displayed an extraordinary capacity to bring people together, mediate differences, and to help solve the pressing problems of our age. By combining idealism and vision with wisdom and common sense, Arthur Goldberg has served his country well.
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MARGARET MEAD
Awarded by
President Jimmy Carter
January 20, 1979
Margaret Mead was both a student of civilization and an exemplar of it. To a public of millions, she brought the central insight of cultural anthropology: that varying cultural patterns express an underlying human unity. She mastered her discipline, but she also transcended it. Intrepid, independent, plain-spoken, fearless, she remains a model for the young and a teacher from whom all may learn.
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ANSEL ADAMS
Awarded by
President Jimmy Carter
June 9, 1980
At one with the power of the American landscape, and renowned for the patient skill and timeless beauty of his work, photographer Ansel Adams has been visionary in his efforts to preserve this country's wild and scenic areas, both in film and on Earth. Drawn to the beauty of nature's monuments, he is regarded by environmentalists as a monument himself, and by photographers as a national institution. It is through his foresight and fortitude that so much of America has been saved for future Americans.
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RACHEL CARSON
Awarded by
President Jimmy Carter
June 9, 1980
Never silent herself in the face of destructive trends, Rachel Carson fed a spring of awareness across America and beyond. A biologist with a gentle, clear voice, she welcomed her audiences to her love of the sea, while with an equally clear determined voice, she warned Americans of the dangers human beings themselves pose for their own environment. Always concerned, always eloquent, she created a tide of environmental consciousness that has not ebbed.
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LUCIA CHASE
Awarded by
President Jimmy Carter
June 9, 1980
Ballerina Lucia Chase has been a one-woman show, devoting her lifework to sustaining the vitality of American dance. A dancer and ballet director both, she has interpreted roles and created them, and in every instance she has served to inspire the young, entertain the old and win for American talent its rightful place on the international stage of dance.
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HUBERT H. HUMPHREY
Awarded by
President Jimmy Carter
June 9, 1980
Hubert H. Humphrey awed us with the scope of his knowledge; he inspired us with the depth of his sympathy; he moved us with his passion for social justice; he delighted us with his joyous love of his fellow human beings. He brought honor and enthusiasm to everything he did. He ennobled the political process.
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ARCHBISHOP IAKOVOS
Awarded by
President Jimmy Carter
June 9, 1980
Greek Orthodox Archbishop Iakovos has long put into practice what he has preached. As a progressive religious leader concerned with human rights and the ecumenical movement, he has marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and has met with the Pope. As the Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church of North and South America concerned with his congregation, he has given guidance to millions.
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LYNDON BAINES JOHNSON
Awarded by
President Jimmy Carter
June 9, 1980
Lyndon B. Johnson cared deeply about our country, its citizens, and the condition of their lives. He knew well how to translate concern into action, and action into a national agenda. He did more than any American of his time to break the chains of injustice, illiteracy, poverty and sickness. We are a greater society because President Johnson lived among us and worked for us.
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CLARENCE M. MITCHELL, JR.
Awarded by
President Jimmy Carter
June 9, 1980
Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr., for decades waged in the halls of Congress a stubborn, resourceful and historic campaign for social justice. The integrity of this "101st Senator" earned him the respect of friends and adversaries alike. His brilliant advocacy helped translate into law the protests and aspirations of millions consigned too long to second-class citizenship. The hard-won fruits of his labors have made America a better and stronger nation.
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ROGER TORY PETERSON
Awarded by
President Jimmy Carter
June 9, 1980
Roger Tory Peterson has achieved distinction as a consummate painter, writer, teacher and scientist. As an unabashed lover of birds and a distinguished ornithologist, he has furthered the study, appreciation and protection of birds the world over. And he has done more. He has impassioned thousands of Americans, and has awakened in millions across this land, a fondness for nature's other two-legged creatures.
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ADM. HYMAN RICKOVER
Awarded by
President Jimmy Carter
June 9, 1980
Admiral Rickover exemplifies the American belief that freedom and responsibility are inseparable; the duty of the citizen is to contribute his best to the Nation's welfare and defense. His successful development and application of nuclear propulsion revolutionized naval warfare. The performance of our nuclear fleet over more than a quarter of a century is proof of his well-known commitment to excellence. This Nation's first civilian electric utility reactor, which he designed and developed in the 1950's is the technological forerunner of nearly all utility reactors subsequently built in this country. A keen observer of mankind, he has not hesitated to measure publicly the actions of government, industry, the professions, and our schools against the standard of responsibility.
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BEVERLY SILLS GREENOUGH
Awarded by
President Jimmy Carter
June 9, 1980
Beverly Sills has captured with her voice every note of human feeling, and with her superb dramatic talent projected them out to us with ringing clarity. Through her many and diverse roles, she tells and retells opera's intensely heightened stories of human folly, goodness, pain and triumph. She has touched and delighted audiences throughout the world as a performer, as a recording artist, and now as a producerand of all her arts she is a master.
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ROBERT PENN WARREN
Awarded by
President Jimmy Carter
June 9, 1980
Robert Penn Warren excels as a poet, novelist, literary critic, and teacher. His textbooks, written with Cleanth Brooks, transformed the teaching of literature and writing in the United States. As a literary craftsman and a committed humanist Robert Penn Warren has undertaken a lifelong quest for self-knowledge and moral vision which has established him as one of America's greatest men of letters of the 20th Century.
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JOHN WAYNE
Awarded by
President Jimmy Carter
June 9, 1980
John Wayne was both an example and a symbol of true American grit and determination. Through his countless film roles, "The Duke" still leads millions on heroic adventures on behalf of fairness and justice. He embodies the enduring American values of individualism, relentless bravery and perseverance in pursuit of what is right. He was the quintessential patriot, and will especially be remembered whenever our Nation faces a challenge calling for steadfast courage.
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EUDORA WELTY
Awarded by
President Jimmy Carter
June 9, 1980
Eudora Welty's fiction, with its strong sense of place and triumphant comic spirit, illuminates the human condition. Her photographs of the South during the Depression reveal a rare artistic sensibility. Her critical essays explore mind and heart, literary and oral tradition, language and life with unsurpassed beauty. Through photography, essays and fiction, Eudora Welty has enriched our lives and shown us the wonder of human experience.
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TENNESSEE WILLIAMS
Awarded by
President Jimmy Carter
June 9, 1980
Tennessee Williams has shaped the history of modern American theater through plays which range from passionate tragedies to lyrical comedies. His masterpieces dramatize the eternal conflicts between body and soul, youth and death, love and despair through the unity of reality and poetry. Tennessee Williams shows us that the truly heroic in life or art is human compassion.
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HORACE M. ALBRIGHT
Awarded by
President Jimmy Carter
December 8, 1980
A living monument, like the Grand Tetons he fought so hard to preserve, Horace M. Albright has been a driving force for conservation in this country during most of the twentieth century. A founding father of the National Park Service, he is a champion of Nature's cause and a defender of America's most precious inheritance.
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HAROLD BROWN
Awarded by
President Jimmy Carter
January 16, 1981
From the government of science to the science of government, Harold Brown has served his country first and his principles always. As an advisor to Presidents, and a president of a community of scholars, he has helped bridge the gap between the world of theory and the world of reality. Adept at translating from the language of science to the language of statecraft, he excels in translating purpose into action.
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ZBIGNIEW BRZEZINSKI
Awarded by
President Jimmy Carter
January 16, 1981
Zbigniew Brzezinski served his country and the world. An author and architect of world affairs, his strategic vision of America's purpose fused principle with strength. His leadership has been instrumental in building peace and ending the estrangement of the Chinese and American people. But above all, he helped set our nation irrevocably on a course that honors America's abiding commitment to human rights.
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WARREN CHRISTOPHER
Awarded by
President Jimmy Carter
January 16, 1981
Warren Christopher has the tact of a true diplomat, the tactical skills of a great soldier, the analytical ability of a fine lawyer, and the selfless dedication of a citizen-statesman. His perseverance and loyalty, judgment and skill have won for his country new respect around the world and new regard for the State Department here at home.
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WALTER CRONKITE
Awarded by
President Jimmy Carter
January 16, 1981
For thousands of nights, the eyes and ears of millions of Americans have been tuned in to the eyes and ears of Walter Cronkite. He has reported and commented on the events of the last two decades with a skill and insight which stands out in the news world, in a way which has made the news of the world stand out for all of us.
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KIRK DOUGLAS
Awarded by
President Jimmy Carter
January 16, 1981
Acclaimed as a screen actor and director here at home, Kirk Douglas has often played a different role abroad. Acting as an ambassador of good will beyond our shores, he has travelled around the world for our State Department and the United States Information Agency. The son of Russian immigrants, he travels, too, for the opportunity to share with other peoples his love of film, and country.
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MARGARET CRAIG MCNAMARA
Awarded by
President Jimmy Carter
January 16, 1981
Margaret Craig McNamara saw a need in our society, and filled it. By creating the Reading is FUNdamental program, which has provided youngsters all over this country with millions of books, she has opened new doors in the minds of our young people and has given fresh meaning to the lives of the parents, teachers and volunteers who have joined her program.
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KARL MENNINGER
Awarded by
President Jimmy Carter
January 16, 1981
Karl Menninger has taught us much about ourselves and our behavior. An acute observer and social critic, he has put into action what he has put onto paper. As an author and doctor, his works range from popular, written accounts of psychiatry to studies done in his own hospital, from creating homes for parentless children to reforming the penal system. With the wisdom of his years, he truly does represent the ideas of another generationone of the future, rather than of the past.
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EDMUND S. MUSKIE
Awarded by
President Jimmy Carter
January 16, 1981
As Senator and Secretary of State, candidate and citizen, Edmund S. Muskie has captured for himself a place in the public eye and the public's heart. Devoted to his nation and our ideals, he has performed heroically in a time of great challenge, with great fortitude in an era of change.
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ESTHER PETERSON
Awarded by
President Jimmy Carter
January 16, 1981
Once government's highest ranking woman, Esther Peterson still ranks highest among consumer advocates. She has advised Presidents and the public, and has worked for labor and business alike, always keeping the rights of all Americans to know and to be treated fairly as her highest priority. Even her staunchest foes respect her integrity and are warmed by her grace and sincere concern.
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GERARD C. SMITH
Awarded by
President Jimmy Carter
January 16, 1981
Gerard C. Smith has represented our country in many capacitiesas the first U.S. Chairman of the Trilateral Commission, as chief U.S. delegate to the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks in 1969. In helping formulate our national security policy, in promoting a better understanding of foreign relations, he has helped us all to perceive that in this nuclear age security and peace are indivisible.
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ROBERT S. STRAUSS
Awarded by
President Jimmy Carter
January 16, 1981
For Americans politics is the art of the possible. Through intelligence, ability, and the many friendships earned during his service as the leader of his party and his Nation, Robert S. Strauss has refined that art into a science. With diligence, persistence, and wit, he successfully concluded the multilateral trade negotiations at a time when many believed that they were doomed for failure. For strengthening the system of trade which links the nations of our increasingly interdependent world he has earned our gratitude and respect.
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ELBERT TUTTLE
Awarded by
President Jimmy Carter
January 16, 1981
Elbert Tuttle is a true judicial hero. At a time when it was unpopular to do so, he carried out the mandate of Supreme Court decisions and Congressional legislation to end racial discrimination in the Deep South. With steadfast courage and a deep love and understanding of the region, he has helped to make the Constitutional principle of equal protection a reality of American life.
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EARL WARREN
Awarded by
President Jimmy Carter
January 16, 1981
Earl Warren led a unanimous court that in turn led the Nation in reversing a century of judicial and social history. By affirming that separate is not equal, he and his court reaffirmed the truth of the words carved in stone at the entrance to the Supreme Court: "Equal Justice For All." As governor, presidential candidate and Chief Justice, he has truly been a citizen for all seasons.
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ROGER NASH BALDWIN
Awarded by
President Jimmy Carter
January 16, 1981
Founder of the American Civil Liberties Union and the International League for Human Rights, Roger Nash Baldwin is a leader in the field of civil rights and a legend in the field of civil liberties. He is a national resource, and an international one as well, an inspiration to those of us who have fought for human rights, a saint to those for whom he has gained them.
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ANDREW YOUNG
Awarded by
President Jimmy Carter
January 16, 1981
Andrew Young brought to diplomatic service a lifetime of dedication to human rights. He helped restore trust in the United States among Third World nations, especially in Africa, demonstrating to them that American foreign policy was based on our firm belief in justice, freedom, majority rule, and opportunity for all people.
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SPEECH EXERPT SOURCES
1 Presidential Medal of Freedom. Remarks on Presenting the Award to Dr. Jonas Salk and to Martin Luther King, Jr., 1977 Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, Jimmy Carter, 1228 (July 11, 1977). Back to Text
2 Presidential Medal of Freedom; Remarks at the Presentation Ceremony, 198081 Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, Jimmy Carter, 105758 (June 9, 1980).Back to Text
CITATION TEXT SOURCES
July 11, 1977 King, Martin Luther, Jr.; Salk, Jonas E.
Presidential Medal of Freedom. Remarks on Presenting the Award to Dr. Jonas Salk and to Martin Luther King, Jr., 1977 Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, Jimmy Carter, 122830 (July 11, 1977).
July 26, 1978 Goldberg, Arthur J.
Presidential Medal of Freedom; Remarks on Presenting the Award to Arthur J. Goldberg, 1978 Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, Jimmy Carter, 133840 (July 26, 1978).
January 20, 1979 Mead, Margaret
Presidential Medal of Freedom; Announcement of Award to Margaret Mead, 1979 Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, Jimmy Carter, 8788 (January 19, 1979).
June 9, 1980 Adams, Ansel; Carson, Rachel; Chase, Lucia; Humphrey, Hubert H.; Iakovos, Archbishop; Johnson, Lyndon Baines; Mitchell, Clarence M., Jr.; Peterson, Roger Tory; Rickover, Hyman; Greenough, Beverly Sills; Warren, Robert Penn; Wayne, John; Welty, Eudora; Williams, Tennessee
Presidential Medal of Freedom; Remarks at the Presentation Ceremony, 198081 Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, Jimmy Carter, 105761 (June 9, 1980).
December 8, 1980 Albright, Horace M.
Presidential Medal of Freedom Citation to Horace M. Albright (December 8, 1980), accompanying, K. Shuler, Jimmy Carter Library, facsimile to the author, December 30, 1992.
January 16, 1981 Brown, Harold; Brzezinski, Zbigniew; Christopher, Warren; Cronkite, Walter; Douglas, Kirk; McNamara, Margaret Craig; Menninger, Karl; Muskie, Edmund S.; Peterson, Esther; Smith, Gerard C.; Strauss, Robert S.; Tuttle, Elbert; Warren, Earl; Baldwin, Roger Nash; Young, Andrew
Presidential Medal of Freedom; Remarks at the Presentation Ceremony 198081 Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, Jimmy Carter, 292231 (January 16, 1981).
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