Presidential Medal of Freedom

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The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award in the United States, bestowed by the President to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the country, world peace, or cultural and other significant public or private endeavors.

All labels observed (13)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf civilian award
state decoration
alsoKnownAs Presidential Medal of Freedom
surface form: Medal of Freedom
awardedFor especially meritorious contribution to cultural endeavors
especially meritorious contribution to other significant private endeavors
especially meritorious contribution to other significant public endeavors
especially meritorious contribution to the national interests of the United States
especially meritorious contribution to the security of the United States
especially meritorious contribution to world peace
awardingAuthority discretion of the President of the United States
awardingBody Executive Office of the President of the United States
awardingFrequency irregular, at the President’s discretion
canBeAwardedMultipleTimes true
canBeAwardedPosthumously true
country United States of America
surface form: United States
eligibility civilians
military personnel
non‑citizens
establishedBy Executive Order 11085
John F. Kennedy
establishedOn 1963
firstAwarded 1963
hasGrades with Distinction
without Distinction
insigniaType neck decoration
isCivilianEquivalentOf Congressional Gold Medal in terms of prestige
isHighest civilian award in the United States
legalBasis Executive Order 11085
surface form: Executive Order 11085 of February 22, 1963
predecessor Medal of Freedom (1945)
presentedBy President of the United States
purpose to recognize contributions to cultural endeavors
to recognize contributions to world peace
to recognize especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States
to recognize significant private endeavors
to recognize significant public endeavors
rank higher than Congressional Gold Medal in protocol of U.S. civilian awards
relatedAward Congressional Gold Medal
Presidential Citizens Medal
replaced Medal of Freedom (1945)
ribbonColor blue with white edge stripes
scope national and international contributions
status currently awarded
typeOfDecoration single‑grade decoration with optional degree of Distinction
typicalRecipients artists
athletes
civil rights leaders
humanitarians
political leaders
scientists

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Referenced by (455)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Yitzhak Rabin awardReceived Presidential Medal of Freedom
this entity surface form: US Presidential Medal of Freedom
Walter Annenberg awardReceived Presidential Medal of Freedom
Presidential Unit Citation (United States) isDifferentFrom Presidential Medal of Freedom
William P. Rogers awardReceived Presidential Medal of Freedom
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis honor Presidential Medal of Freedom
this entity surface form: Presidential Medal of Freedom (posthumous, 1994)
John Lewis awardReceived Presidential Medal of Freedom
Presidential Citizens Medal higherAward Presidential Medal of Freedom
Isabel Allende awardReceived Presidential Medal of Freedom
Nancy Goodman Brinker awardReceived Presidential Medal of Freedom
Bayard Rustin awardReceived Presidential Medal of Freedom
James R. Schlesinger awardReceived Presidential Medal of Freedom
Georgia O’Keeffe awardReceived Presidential Medal of Freedom
John Negroponte awardReceived Presidential Medal of Freedom
Diane Nash awardReceived Presidential Medal of Freedom
A. Philip Randolph awardReceived Presidential Medal of Freedom
Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. awardReceived Presidential Medal of Freedom
James Farmer awardReceived Presidential Medal of Freedom
Roy Wilkins awardReceived Presidential Medal of Freedom
Whitney Young awardReceived Presidential Medal of Freedom
Count Basie awardReceived Presidential Medal of Freedom
Frank Sinatra awardReceived Presidential Medal of Freedom
Ralph Abernathy awardReceived Presidential Medal of Freedom
Lewis F. Powell Jr. awardReceived Presidential Medal of Freedom
Duke Ellington notableAward Presidential Medal of Freedom
Mildred Dresselhaus awardReceived Presidential Medal of Freedom
United States awards and decorations includes Presidential Medal of Freedom
William J. Brennan Jr. awardReceived Presidential Medal of Freedom
Barbra Streisand awardReceived Presidential Medal of Freedom
Colin Powell (U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff) awardReceived Presidential Medal of Freedom
subject surface form: Colin Powell
Antonin Scalia awardReceived Presidential Medal of Freedom
Andrew Young hasHonor Presidential Medal of Freedom
Sandra Day O’Connor awardReceived Presidential Medal of Freedom
Jesse Jackson awardReceived Presidential Medal of Freedom
Tommy Franks awardReceived Presidential Medal of Freedom
John Paul Stevens awardReceived Presidential Medal of Freedom
Luis Muñoz Marín honor Presidential Medal of Freedom
this entity surface form: Medal of Freedom
Buzz Aldrin awardReceived Presidential Medal of Freedom
Billy Graham awardReceived Presidential Medal of Freedom
Henry Ford II awardReceived Presidential Medal of Freedom
James Stewart awardReceived Presidential Medal of Freedom
William F. Buckley Jr. awardReceived Presidential Medal of Freedom
Mark O. Hatfield awardReceived Presidential Medal of Freedom
Vinton Cerf awardReceived Presidential Medal of Freedom
Executive Order 11085 subject Presidential Medal of Freedom
Executive Order 11085 establishedFrameworkFor Presidential Medal of Freedom
Foege awardReceived Presidential Medal of Freedom
subject surface form: William H. Foege
Medal of Freedom (1945) replacedBy Presidential Medal of Freedom
Medal of Freedom (1945) isDifferentFrom Presidential Medal of Freedom
Medal of Freedom (1945) relatedAward Presidential Medal of Freedom
Jackie Robinson awardReceived Presidential Medal of Freedom