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Congressional Gold Medal Recipients (1776 to Present)
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 Rule VII (c)(vii) of the House Committee on Banking and Financial Service's Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy 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.
First Recipient George Washington
Next potential Recipient is Jackie Robinson
| Recipient(s) |
Date
of Approval |
Public
Law |
| George
Washington |
Mar.
25, 1776 |
Continental
Congress |
| Major
General Horatio Gates |
Nov.
4, 1777 |
Continental
Congress |
| Major
General Anthony Wayne |
July
26, 1779 |
Continental
Congress |
| Major
Henry Lee |
Sep.
24, 1779 |
Continental
Congress |
| Brigadier
General Daniel Morgan |
Mar.
9, 1781 |
Continental
Congress |
| Major
General Nathaniel Greene |
Oct.
29, 1781 |
Continental
Congress |
| John
Paul Jones |
Oct.
16, 1787 |
Continental
Congress |
| Captain
Thomas Truxtun |
Mar.
29, 1800 |
2
Stat. 87 |
| Commodore
Edward Preble |
Mar.
3, 1805 |
2
Stat. 346-347 |
Captain
Isaac Hull,
Captain Stephen Decatur, and
Captain Jacob Jones |
Jan.
29, 1813 |
2
Stat. 830 |
| Captain
William Bainbridge |
Mar.
3, 1813 |
2
Stat. 831 |
Captain
Oliver Hazard Perry and
Captain Jesse D. Elliott |
Jan.
6, 1814 |
3
Stat. 141 |
Lieutenant
William Burrows and
Lieutenant
Edward R. M'Call |
Jan.
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
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 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 Antartic 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 |
| Lieutentant
General Ira E. Eacker |
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 |
| 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.
98-172, 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
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 |
| Ecumentical
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 |
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Medal History
