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Presidential Medals of Freedom Awarded by President George Bush
The Forty-First President of the United States
George Bush was elected President of the United States on November 8, 1988, sworn in on January 20, 1989, and served until January 20, 1993. During his term in Office, freedom prevailed in the Cold War; the threat of nuclear war was drastically reduced; the Soviet Union imploded and was replaced by a democratic Russia; the Berlin Wall fell, and Germany reunified; and an unprecedented international coalition force liberated Kuwait from Iraq – paving the way for Israel and her Arab neighbors to being anew their quest for peace in the Middle East.
Mr. Bush was the first sitting Vice President to ascend to the Presidency since Martin van Buren in 1837, but he was also only the second American President to serve a full term without Party control in either chamber of Congress. Nevertheless, President Bush signed into law, among other things, the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Clean Air Act – landmark civil rights, and environmental legislation. He also successfully fought for and negotiated the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) which was later signed into law.
Since leaving office, President Bush has visited 55 foreign countries, most of the 50 states and has helped to raise millions of dollars for a variety of charitable organizations. He serves as Vice Chairman of the Board of Visitors of M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, is Chairman of the Eisenhower Exchange Fellowships and is honorary Chairman of the Points of Light Foundation. In addition, President Bush has authored two books, Looking Forward , an autobiography, and A World Transformed , co-authored with General Brent Scowcroft. On November 6, 1997, The George Bush Presidential Library and Museum was open to the public. Along with the George Bush School of Government and Public Service, the Library is located on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. It is the 10th Presidential Library in existence.
President Bush’s career in politics and public service began in 1963, when he was elected Chairman of the Harris County (TX) Republican Party. After losing his first campaign for the United States Senate in 1964, he was elected in 1966 to the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas’ 7th District and served two terms. Mr. Bush accepted a series of senior level appointments following a second unsuccessful try for the Senate in 1970; U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (1971); Chairman of the Republican National Committee (1973); Chief of the U.S. Liaison Office in China (1974); and Director of Central Intelligence (1976). In 1980, Mr. Bush lost his first bid for the Republican Presidential nomination to Ronald Reagan, but he later accepted a spot on the national ticket and served as Vice President from 1981 to 1989.
Born on June 12, 1924, in Milton, Massachusetts, George Bush became a decorated naval pilot who flew torpedo bombers during World War II. He then graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Yale University in 1948 with a degree in economics and moved to Texas where he began making his way in the oil business. President Bush has received numerous honorary degrees and, since retiring from public life, has been awarded high honors from such countries as Kuwait, the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, Nicaragua, Poland, and Saudi Arabia.
President and Mrs. Bush have five children and 14 grandchildren. They have been married 53 years and reside in Houston, Texas and Kennebunkport, Maine.
Alphabetical List of Recipients
Presentation Speech Excerpts Citations (in chronological order) Speech Excerpt Sources
Citation Text Sources
Alphabetical List of Recipients
Baker, James Addison, III
Ball, Lucille
Brinkley, David
Buckley, William F., Jr.
Carson, Johnny
Cheney, Richard B.
Dillon, C. Douglas
Doolittle, James
Ferré, Luis
Fitzgerald, Ella
Ford, Betty
Gray, Hanna Holburn
Hepburn, Audrey
Kennan, George
O'Neill, Thomas P., Jr.
Pei, Ieoh Ming
Pepper, Claude
Perez de Cuellar, Javier
Petty, Richard Lee
Powell, Colin L.
Reagan, Ronald *
Schwarzkopf, H. Norman
Scowcroft, Brent
Shlaudeman, Harry W.
Smith, Margaret Chase
Stern, Isaac
Sullivan, Leon Howard
Thatcher, Margaret
Train, Russell E.
Vessey, John W.
von Hayek, Friedrich A.
Walesa, Lech
Walters, Vernon A.
Walton, Samuel M.
Wiesel, Elie
Williams, Theodore Samuel
* Indicates an award of the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction
PRESENTATION SPEECH EXCERPTS
President Bush experienced great pleasure in presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom to thirty–six "heroes who embody the achievement, vision, and dedication that is the greatness of this country."1 He believed that presenting the award to "some of our finest Americans,"2 was "one of the most distinguished duties of [the] office."3
When he presented the award to Gulf War heroes (Generals Schwarzkopf, Powell and Scowcroft, and Secretaries Baker and Cheney ), President Bush departed from the custom of presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom only "for a lifetime of service or near the end of a long career marked by distinction."4 However, in doing so, just as President Nixon had done in presenting the award to American astronauts, President Bush further enhanced the stature of the award by adding to its list of recipients several great American heroes whose lives are certainly worthy of emulation.
In assessing the contributions of those to whom he had presented the award, President Bush stated that:
These extraordinary individuals were pioneers in their own right, each a monument to individual achievement. . . .
. . . [They have] enriched our Nation, whether as leaders of popular movements, as friends of the common man, or as intellectual giants. Their achievement and dedication are unparalleled in America. And their standards of excellence are just as towering as their commitment to the ideal of freedom.5 At another presentation ceremony President Bush said:
History honors those people who wrest the torch of freedom from the hands of their oppressors. But in America, that torch lies safely in the hands of the people. And the Presidential Medal of Freedom honors those who carry that torch. And our light of freedom is bright enough to light the world.
Today, every man on the street in Moscow realizes what Americans have always understood. It is human nature to be free. And just as nature abhors a vacuum, so does human nature abhor the absence of freedom. So today in essence, by awarding people from these various different pursuits, we celebrate the triumph for freedom, by recognizing these 10 American greats who have set an example for the world.. . . .
Today we reward your greatness with America's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom . And you will join the ranks of our Nation's greatest public servants, scholars, and entertainers.6
George Bush Presidential Library and Museum
SPEECH EXCERPT SOURCES
1 Remarks at the Presentation Ceremony for the Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1989 Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, George Bush, 891–92 (July 6, 1989). Back to Text
2 Remarks on Presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1992–93 Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, George Bush, 2184 (December 11, 1992). Back to Text
3 Remarks at the Presentation Ceremony for the Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1989 Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, George Bush, 891 (July 6, 1989). Back to Text
4 Remarks at the Presentation Ceremony for the Presidential Medals of Freedom and Presidential Citizen's Medals, 1991 Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, George Bush, 817 (July 3, 1991). Back to Text
5 Remarks on Presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom Awards, 1991 Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, George Bush, 1481 (November 18, 1991). Back to Text
6 Remarks on Presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1992–93 Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, George Bush, 2184–85 (December 11, 1992). Back to Text
CITATION TEXT SOURCES
May 25, 1989 Pepper, Claude
Presidential Medal of Freedom citation text for award to Claude Pepper (May 25, 1989), accompanying, David Kalbaugh, Assistant to the Executive Clerk, The White House, letter to the author, February 9, 1993.
July 6, 1989 Doolittle, James; Kennan, George; Smith, Margaret Chase; Dillon, C. Douglas; Ball, Lucille
Remarks at the Presentation Ceremony for the Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1989 Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, George Bush, 891–94 (July 6, 1989).
November 13, 1989 Walesa, Lech
Remarks on Presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Lech Walesa and the Presidential Citizen's Medal to Lane Kirkland, 1989 Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, George Bush, 1510–12 (November 13, 1989).
March 7, 1991 Thatcher, Margaret
Remarks Upon Presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Margaret Thatcher, 1991 Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, George Bush, 225–27 (March 7, 1991).
July 3, 1991 Schwarzkopf, H. Norman; Powell, Colin L.; Baker, James Addison, III; Cheney, Richard B.; Scowcroft, Brent
Press Release, The White House Office of the Press Secretary (July 3, 1991), accompanying, David E. Alsobrook, Supervisory Archivist, George Bush Presidential Materials Project, letter to the author, February 23, 1993.
November 18, 1991 Buckley, William F., Jr.; Sullivan, Leon Howard; Train, Russell E.; Williams, Theodore Samuel; Ford, Betty; O'Neill, Thomas P., Jr.; Ferré, Luis; Gray, Hanna Holburn; Walters, Vernon A.; von Hayek, Friedrich A.
Press Release, The White House Office of the Press Secretary (November 18, 1991), accompanying, David E. Alsobrook, Supervisory Archivist, George Bush Presidential Materials Project, letter to the author, February 23, 1993.
December 12, 1991 Perez de Cuellar, Javier
Remarks on Presenting the Medal of Freedom and the Presidential Award for Exceptional Service to United Nations Officials, 1991 Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, George Bush, 1599–1602 (December 12, 1991). March 17, 1992 Walton, Samuel M.
Presidential Medal of Freedom citation text for award to Sam M. Walton (March 17, 1992), accompanying, David Kalbaugh, Assistant to the Executive Clerk, The White House, letter to the author, February 9, 1993.
December 11, 1992 Shlaudeman, Harry W.; Brinkley, David; Petty, Richard Lee; Vessey, John W.; Wiesel, Elie; Stern, Isaac; Pei, Ieoh Ming; Carson, Johnny; Fitzgerald, Ella; Hepburn, Audrey
Remarks by the President at Presidential Medal of Freedom Presentation Ceremony, Press Release, The White House Office of the Press Secretary (December 11, 1992), accompanying, David E. Alsobrook, Supervisory Archivist, George Bush Presidential Materials Project, letter to the author, February 24, 199[3].
January 13, 1993 Reagan, Ronald
Medal of Freedom Citation with Distinction to Ronald Reagan (January 13, 1993), accompanying, David E. Alsobrook, Supervisory Archivist, George Bush Presidential Materials Project, letter to the author, February 24, 199[3].
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Medal History
