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Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient Donald H. Rumsfeld
DONALD H. RUMSFELD
Awarded by
President Gerald R. Ford
January 19, 1977
Donald Rumsfeld has served his country with rare distinction as a naval officer, legislator, diplomat, Counselor to the President, and the Secretary of Defense. As United States Ambassador to NATO, he brought a new level of understanding and cooperation to our relations with our oldest allies. Under his superb leadership as Secretary of Defense, the security of the United States was preserved and strengthened.
In each of these endeavors, Donald Rumsfeld has contributed immeasurably to the security of the United States and to the continued strength of the free world.
Secretary of Defense The Honorable Donald Rumsfeld
Until being sworn in as the 21st Secretary of Defense, Mr. Rumsfeld was in private business. He served as non-executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of Gilead Sciences, Inc. and on the boards of directors of ABB (Asea Brown Boveri) Ltd. and Amylin Pharmaceuticals. He was Chairman of the Salomon Smith Barney International Advisory Board and served as an advisor to a number of companies.
Married in 1954, he and his wife Joyce have three children and five grandchildren. Mrs. Rumsfeld was the founding Chairman of the Chicago Foundation for Education.
Mr. Rumsfeld was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1932. He attended Princeton University on scholarship (AB, 1954), served in the U.S. Navy (1954-57) as a Naval aviator and was All Navy Wrestling Champion.
He went to Washington, DC, in 1957, during the Eisenhower Administration, to serve as Administrative Assistant to a Congressman from Ohio. After a stint with an investment banking firm, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois in 1962, at the age of 30, and was re-elected in 1964, 1966, and 1968.
Mr. Rumsfeld resigned from Congress in 1969 during his fourth term to serve in the Nixon Administration as:
- Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity, Assistant to the President, and a member of the President's Cabinet (1969-1970); and, later as
- Counselor to the President, Director of the Economic Stabilization Program, and a member of the President's Cabinet (1971-1972).
In 1973, he left Washington, DC, to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Brussels, Belgium (1973-1974).
In August 1974, he was called back to Washington, DC, to serve in the Ford Administration successively as:
- Chairman of the transition to the Presidency of Gerald R. Ford (1974);
- Chief of Staff of the White House and a member of the President's Cabinet (1974-1975); and, as
- The 13th U.S. Secretary of Defense, the youngest in our country's history (1975-1977).
After some 20 years of public service, he left Washington, DC and lectured for a semester at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of International Affairs and at Northwestern University's Kellogg Graduate School of Management prior to entering business. From 1977 to 1985 he served as Chief Executive Officer, President, and then Chairman of G.D. Searle & Co., a worldwide pharmaceutical company. The highly successful turnaround there earned him awards as the Outstanding Chief Executive Officer in the Pharmaceutical Industry from the Wall Street Transcript (1980) and Financial World (1981). From 1985 to 1990 he was in private business.
Mr. Rumsfeld served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of General Instrument Corporation (GI) from 1990 to 1993. GI, a leader in broadband transmission, distribution, and access control technologies for cable, satellite and terrestrial broadcasting applications, pioneered the development of the first all-digital high definition television (HDTV) technology. After taking the company public and returning it to profitability, Mr. Rumsfeld returned to private business in late 1993.
During his business career, Mr. Rumsfeld continued public service in a variety of posts, including:
- Member of the President's General Advisory Committee on Arms Control – Reagan Administration (1982 - 1986);
- President Reagan's Special Envoy on the Law of the Sea Treaty (1982 - 1983);
- Senior Advisor to President Reagan's Panel on Strategic Systems (1983 - 1984);
- Member of the U.S. Joint Advisory Commission on U.S./Japan Relations – Reagan Administration (1983 - 1984);
- President Reagan's Special Envoy to the Middle East (1983 - 1984);
- Member of the National Commission on the Public Service (1987 - 1990);
- Member of the National Economic Commission (1988 - 1989);
- Member of the Board of Visitors of the National Defense University (1988 - 1992);
- Member of the Commission on U.S./Japan Relations (1989 - 1991);
- FCC's High Definition Television Advisory Committee (1992 - 1993);
- Chairman, Commission on the Ballistic Missile Threat to the United States (1998 - 1999);
- Member of the U.S. Trade Deficit Review Commission (1999 - 2000); and
- Chairman of the U.S. Commission to Assess National Security Space Management and Organization (2000).
Mr. Rumsfeld's civic activities included service as a member of the National Academy of Public Administration, member of the boards of trustees of the Chicago Historical Society, the Gerald R. Ford Foundation, Eisenhower Exchange Fellowships, the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, the National Park Foundation, and the RAND Corporation. He was also a member of the U.S./Russia Business Forum and Chairman of the Congressional Leadership's National Security Advisory Group.
In 1977, Mr. Rumsfeld was awarded the nation’s highest civilian award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Swearing-in ceremony:
[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents] From the 2001 Presidential Documents Online via GPO Access [frwais.access.gpo.gov] Monday, January 29, 2001 Volume 37--Number 4 Pages 209-230 Week Ending Friday, January 26, 2001 Remarks at the Swearing-In Ceremony for Donald H. Rumsfeld as Secretary of Defense January 26, 2001
It's a great honor to welcome Secretary Rumsfeld and his wife and family here to the Oval Office. Thank you all for coming. In swearing in Don Rumsfeld, we have just sworn in a leader of exceptional strength and ability and vision. And I'm grateful that he has returned to service to our country. Don and I have set three clear goals to guide American defense policy. First, we will strengthen the bond of trust between the American people and those who wear our Nation's uniform. We'll give them the tools they need and the respect they deserve. Second, we will work to defend our people and our allies against growing threats: the threats of missiles; information warfare; the threats of biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons. We will confront the new threats of a new century. Third, we will begin creating the military of the future, one that takes full advantage of revolutionary new technologies. We will promote the peace by redefining the way wars will be fought. These are great and exciting objectives, and our new Secretary of Defense is uniquely qualified to accomplish them. As a former Navy pilot, Don Rumsfeld understands that if we ever send our forces into harm's way, we must send them fully prepared and equipped for the dangers they face. As a highly successful businessman, he understands that we must modernize and transform the business of defense, getting the value for our taxpayers' money. He is willing to challenge the status quo inside the Pentagon. As the head of the National Commission on Ballistic Missile Threats, he is the among the country's most informed experts on this vital issue. As a former Congressman, he understands the need to work closely with the Congress. As a former White House Chief of Staff, as a former Secretary of Defense, he understands what it takes to be a leader. This is an exceptional history of service, and Don Rumsfeld is an exceptional man with integrity and honesty as a cornerstone of his foundation. Mr. Secretary, congratulations.
Note: The President spoke at 1:23 p.m. in the Oval Office at the White House. In his remarks, he referred to Joyce Rumsfeld, wife of Secretary Rumsfeld. The transcript released by the Office of the Press Secretary also included the remarks of Secretary Rumsfeld.
DICK CHENEY AND DON RUMSFELD JOINT RECIPIENTS OF THE 2004 GERALD R. FORD MEDAL FOR DISTINGUISHED PUBLIC SERVICE
Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of Defense Don Rumsfeld, will be the joint recipients of the 2004 Gerald R. Ford Medal for Distinguished Public Service. The medals will be presented by President Ford at a dinner at the U.S. Capitol Building celebrating the 30th anniversary of President Ford taking the oath of office as 38th President of the United States on August 9, 2004.
“Dick and Don exemplify what public service is all about. I was fortunate to have them both serve in my administration as part of their public service careers,” stated President Ford. Ford went on to say that “they have had distinguished careers which in many ways have paralleled each other.” “Both served in the House of Representatives, as Chiefs of Staff in my administration, and as Secretary of Defense. Both had successful careers in the private sector as business executives and returned when called to public service in the current Bush Administration as Vice President and Secretary of Defense,” Ford said.
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The medal is given annually to an individual who has served the public good in the private and public sector and was established by the Board of Trustees of the Gerald R. Ford Foundation. According to the Board Chairman, Martin J. Allen, Jr., “the criteria for the recipient are based on characteristics that President Ford demonstrated in his public service. They include strength of character; diligence; decisiveness; sound judgment; and integrity all of which have been characteristic of Vice President Cheney and Secretary Rumsfeld’s careers. Having served as President Ford’s Chiefs of Staff, it is most appropriate that they receive this award at a dinner honoring the beginning of the Ford Presidency.”
The Gerald R. Ford Foundation is a private, non-profit corporation whose primary mission is to support the Gerald R. Ford Library and Museum through historical exhibits, educational programs, conferences, research grants and awards. In fulfilling its mission, the Foundation seeks to honor the principles and values demonstrated by President Ford throughout his public service career. The Foundation also seeks to educate Americans about the unique history and significant events of the Ford presidency. Finally, the Foundation seeks to enhance public understanding of American history and government, particularly the presidency.
Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld shows Kevin Young the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction he received from President Gerald Ford. Young, a fifth grader, wrote the winning essay "What Freedom Means to Me" in a nationwide contest hosted by Weekly Reader. With Young is his sister Kristy and mother Karen.
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Medal History
