Historical Highlight
Historical Highlight
Congressional Gold Medal Recipients
Since the American Revolution, Congress has commissioned gold medals as its highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions. Each medal honors a particular individual, institution, or event. Although the first recipients included citizens who participated in the American Revolution, the War of 1812 and the Mexican War, Congress broadened the scope of the medal to include actors, authors, entertainers, musicians, pioneers in aeronautics and space, explorers, lifesavers, notables in science and medicine, athletes, humanitarians, public servants, and foreign recipients.
In addition to the requirement that all Congressional Gold Medal legislation must be cosponsored by at least two-thirds (290) of the Members of the House, specific standards are set forth by by Rule X, 2 (h) of the House Committee on Financial Services's Subcommittee on Domestic Policy and Technology when considering such legislation. Additionally, the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee requires that at least 67 Senators must cosponsor any Congressional Gold Medal legislation before the committee will consider it.
Recipient(s) | Date of Approval | Public Law |
---|---|---|
George Washington | March 25, 1776 | Continental Congress |
Major General Horatio Gates | November 4, 1777 | Continental Congress |
Major General Anthony Wayne | July 26, 1779 | Continental Congress |
Major Henry 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 Burrows and Lieutenant Edward R. McCall | January 6, 1814 | 3 Stat. 141-142 |
Captain James Lawrence | January 11, 1814 | 3 Stat. 142 |
Captain Thomas MacDonough, Captain Robert Henly, 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 W. Ripley, Brigadier General James Miller, and Major General Peter B. 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 |
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 . 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 |
Major General Winfield Scott | March 9, 1848 | 9 Stat. 333 |
Major General Zachary Taylor | May 9, 1848 | 9 Stat. 334-335 |
Commander Duncan N. Ingraham | August 4, 1854 | 10 Stat. 594-595 |
Frederick A. Rose | 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 W. 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 S. 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 H. Newcomb | May 3, 1900 | 31 Stat. 717 |
First Lieutenant David H. Jarvis, Second Lieutenant Ellsworth P. Bertholf, and Dr. Samuel J. 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 S. Naon, and Eduardo Suarez | March 4, 1915 | 38 Stat. 1228 |
Charles A. Lindbergh | May 4, 1928 | 45 Stat. 490 |
Lincoln Ellsworth, Roald Amundsen, and Umberto Nobile | May 29, 1928 | 45 Stat. 2026-2027 |
Thomas A. 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 M. 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 |
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 William 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 E. Salk | August 9, 1955 | P.L. 84-297, 69 Stat. 589 |
Surviving Veterans of the War Between the States | July 18, 1956 | P.L. 84-730, 70 Stat. 577 |
Rear Admiral Hyman George Rickover | August 28, 1958 | P.L. 85-826, 72 Stat. 985 |
Doctor Robert H. 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 |
Winston Churchill | May 7, 1969 | P.L. 91-12, 83 Stat. 8-9 |
Roberto Walker 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 E. Eaker | October 10, 1978 | P.L. 95-438, 92 Stat. 1060 |
Robert F. 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 H. 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 Taylor | March 6, 1980 | P.L. 96-201, 94 Stat. 79 |
Simon Wiesenthal | March 17, 1980 | P.L. 96-211, 94 Stat. 101 |
1980 United States Summer Olympic Team1 | July 8, 1980 | P.L. 96-306, 94 Stat. 937 |
Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands | March 22, 1982 | P.L. 97-158, 96 Stat. 18-19 |
Admiral Hyman George Rickover | 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 J. Ryan | November 18, 1983 | P.L. 98-159, 97 Stat. 992 |
Danny Thomas | November 29, 1983 | P.L. 98-159, 97 Stat. 992 |
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 and Ira Gershwin | August 9, 1985 | P.L. 99-86, 99 Stat. 288-289 |
Anatoly 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 | P.L. 100-210, 101 Stat. 1441 |
Jesse Owens | September 20, 1988 | P.L. 100-437, 102 Stat. 1717 |
Andrew Wyeth | November 9, 1988 | P.L. 100-639, 102 Stat. 3331-3332 |
Laurence Spelman Rockefeller | May 17, 1990 | P.L. 101-296, 104 Stat. 197-199 |
General Matthew B. Ridgeway | November 5, 1990 | P.L. 101-510, 104 Stat. 1720-1721 |
General H. Norman Schwarzkopf | April 23, 1991 | P.L. 102-32, 105 Stat. 175-176 |
General Colin Powell | April 23, 1991 | P.L. 102-33, 105 Stat. 177-178 |
Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson | November 2, 1994 | P.L. 103-457, 108 Stat. 4799-4800 |
Ruth and Billy Graham | February 13, 1996 | P.L. 104-111, 110 Stat. 772-773 |
Francis Albert “Frank” Sinatra | May 14, 1997 | P.L. 105-14, 111 Stat. 32-33 |
Mother Teresa of Calcutta | June 2, 1997 | P.L. 105-16, 111 Stat. 35-36 |
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew | October 6, 1997 | P.L. 105-51, 111 Stat. 117-1171 |
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela | July 29, 1998 | P.L. 105-215, 112 Stat. 895-896 |
Little Rock Nine | October 21, 1998 | P.L. 105-277, 112 Stat. 2681-597 |
Gerald R. and Betty Ford | October 21, 1998 | P.L. 105-277, 112 Stat. 2681-598 |
Rosa Parks | May 4, 1999 | P.L. 106-26, 113 Stat. 50-51 |
Theodore M. Hesburgh | December 9, 1999 | P.L. 106-153, 113 Stat. 1733-1734 |
John Cardinal O'Connor | March 3, 2000 | P.L. 106-175, 114 Stat. 20-21 |
Charles M. Schulz | June 20, 2000 | P.L. 106-225, 114 Stat. 457-458 |
Pope John Paul II | July 27, 2000 | P.L. 106-250, 114 Stat. 622-623 |
Ronald and Nancy Reagan | July 27, 2000 | P.L. 106-251, 114 Stat. 624-625 |
Navajo Code Talkers | December 21, 2000 | P.L. 106-554, 114 Stat. 2763 |
General Henry H. Shelton | January 16, 2002 | P.L. 107-127, 115 Stat. 2405-2406 |
Prime Minister Tony Blair of the United Kingdom | July 17, 2003 | P.L. 108-60, 117 Stat. 862-863 |
Jackie Roosevelt Robinson | October 23, 2003 | P.L. 108-101, 117 Stat. 1195-1197 |
Dr. Dorothy Height | December 6, 2003 | P.L. 108-162, 117 Stat. 2017-2019 |
Reverend Joseph A. DeLaine, Harry and Eliza Briggs, and Levi Pearson | December 15, 2003 | P.L. 108-180, 117 Stat. 2645-2647 |
Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King | October 25 , 2004 | P.L. 108-368, 118 Stat. 1746-1748 |
The Tuskegee Airmen | April 11 , 2006 | P.L. 109-213, 120 Stat. 322 |
Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama | September 27, 2006 | P.L. 109-287, 120 Stat. 1231-1232 |
Byron Nelson | October 16, 2006 | P.L. 109-357, 120 Stat. 2044-2046 |
Dr. Norman E. Borlaug | December 14, 2006 | P.L. 109-395, 120 Stat. 2709 |
Michael Ellis DeBakey, M.D. | October 10, 2007 | P.L. 110-95, 121 Stat. 1008 |
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi | May 6, 2008 | P.L. 110-209, 122 Stat. 721 |
Constantino Brumidi | July 1, 2008 | P.L. 110-259, 122 Stat. 2430-2432 |
Edward William Brooke III | July 1, 2008 | P.L. 110-260, 122 Stat. 2433-2435 |
Native American Code Talkers | October 15, 2008 | P.L. 110-420, 122 Stat. 4774 |
Women Airforce Service Pilots of WWII (‘WASP’) | July 1, 2009 | P.L. 111-40, 123 Stat. 1958 |
Neil A. Armstrong, Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin, Jr., Michael Collins, and John Herschel Glenn, Jr. | August 7, 2009 | P.L. 111-44, 123 Stat. 1966-1967 |
Arnold Palmer | September 30, 2009 | P.L. 111-65, 123 Stat. 2003 |
Dr. Muhammad Yunus | October 5, 2010 | P.L. 111-253, 124 Stat. 2635 |
100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and the Military Intelligence Service, United States Army | October 5, 2010 | P.L. 111-254, 124 Stat. 2637 |
Montford Point Marines | November 11, 2011 | P.L. 112-59, 125 Stat. 751 |
The Fallen Heroes Act: Honoring the Men and Women who Perished as the result of the Terrorist Acts on the United States on September 11, 2001 | December 23, 2011 | P.L. 112-76, 125 Stat. 1275 and 1276 |
Footnotes
1H.R. 7482 designated 650 gold-plated Congressional Gold Medals to be presented to the entire 1980 Summer Olympic Team by the President of the United States. The large striking necessitated the creation of gold-plated medals.