Presidential Medal of Freedom
The Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award, recognizes exceptional meritorious service. The medal was established by President Truman in 1945 to recognize notable service in the war. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy reintroduced it as an honor for distinguished civilian service in peacetime.
Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipients
Gary S. Becker
AM’53, PhD’55; University Professor in Economics and Sociology, 1970–2014
Mildred Dresselhaus
PhD’58
John Hope Franklin
John Matthews Manly Distinguished Service Professor in History, 1969–1982
Milton Friedman
AM'33; Research Assistant in the Social Science Research Committee, 1934–35; Associate Professor in the Department of Economics, 1946–48; Professor, 1948–62; Paul Snowden Russell Distinguished Service Professor, 1962–82; Paul Snowden Russell Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus, 1982–2006
Katharine Graham
AB’38; former member of the University of Chicago Board of Trustees
Hanna Holborn Gray
Assistant Professor in History, 1961–64; Associate Professor of History, 1964–72; President of the University of Chicago, 1978–93; Harry Pratt Judson Distinguished Service Professor of History, 1993–2000
Abner Mikva
JD’51
Patsy Takemoto Mink
JD’51
Janet Davison Rowley
BS’46, MD’48; Blum Riese Distinguished Service Professor of Medicine, Molecular Genetics & Cell Biology and Human Genetics (1984-2013)
David M. Rubenstein
JD'73; chair of the University of Chicago Board of Trustees
Friedrich August von Hayek
Professor of Social and Moral Science in the Committee on Social Thought, 1950–64
James D. Watson
PhB’46, SB’47
Thornton Wilder
Lecturer, 1930–37
James Q. Wilson
PhD'59
Albert Wohlstetter
University Professor in Political Science, 1964–80