America's highest civilian award, recognizing exceptional meritorious service. Created by President Harry S. Truman in 1945. It is not known how precisely many Medals of Freedom have been awarded, but the number exceeds 20,000.
| Name | Occupation | Birth | Death | Known for |
|---|
| Hank Aaron |
Baseball |
5-Feb-1934 |
|
Hit 755 home runs over his career |
| Dean Acheson |
Government |
11-Apr-1893 |
12-Oct-1971 |
US Secretary of State, 1949-53 |
| Ansel Adams |
Photographer |
20-Feb-1902 |
22-Apr-1984 |
Yosemite photographer |
| Buzz Aldrin |
Astronaut |
20-Jan-1930 |
|
Second man on the Moon |
| Muhammad Ali |
Boxing |
17-Jan-1942 |
|
Floated like butterfly, stung like bee |
| Marian Anderson |
Singer |
27-Feb-1897 |
8-Apr-1993 |
Operatic contralto |
| Robert B. Anderson |
Government |
4-Jun-1910 |
14-Aug-1989 |
US Secretary of the Treasury, 1957-61 |
| Walter Annenberg |
Business |
13-Mar-1908 |
1-Oct-2002 |
Media mogul, created TV Guide |
| Anne L. Armstrong |
Government |
27-Dec-1927 |
|
US Ambassador to the UK, 1976-77 |
| Neil Armstrong |
Astronaut |
5-Aug-1930 |
|
First man on the Moon |
| Arthur Ashe |
Tennis |
10-Jul-1943 |
6-Feb-1993 |
First black man to win Wimbledon |
| Brooke Astor |
Philanthropist |
30-Mar-1902 |
13-Aug-2007 |
Heiress, philanthropist |
| Pearl Bailey |
Singer |
29-Mar-1918 |
17-Aug-1990 |
Appointed by Nixon as Ambassador of Love |
| Howard Baker |
Government |
15-Nov-1925 |
|
Reagan's Chief of Staff, 1987-88 |
| James Baker |
Government |
28-Apr-1930 |
|
US Secretary of State, 1989-92 |
| Malcolm Baldrige |
Politician |
4-Oct-1922 |
25-Jul-1987 |
US Secretary of Commerce 1981-87 |
| Robert L. Bartley |
Editor |
12-Oct-1937 |
10-Dec-2003 |
Editor of the Wall Street Journal, 1979-2003 |
| Jacques Barzun |
Historian |
30-Nov-1907 |
|
From Dawn to Decadence |
| Lloyd Bentsen, Jr. |
Politician |
11-Feb-1921 |
23-May-2006 |
US Senator, Treasury Secretary |
| Earl Blaik |
Football |
15-Feb-1897 |
6-May-1989 |
Head Coach at Army, 1941-58 |
| James Brady |
Government |
29-Aug-1940 |
|
White House Press Secy. shot by John Hinckley |
| L. Paul Bremer |
Government |
30-Sep-1941 |
|
Director of the Iraq Provisional Authority |
| William J. Brennan |
Judge |
25-Apr-1906 |
24-Jul-1997 |
US Supreme Court Justice, 1956-90 |
| Ellis O. Briggs |
Diplomat |
1-Dec-1899 |
Jun-1976 |
US Ambassador to South Korea, 1952-55 |
| David Brinkley |
Journalist |
10-Jul-1920 |
11-Jun-2003 |
The Huntley-Brinkley Report |
| Edward Brooke |
Politician |
26-Oct-1919 |
|
US Senator from Massachusetts, 1967-79 |
| Harold Brown |
Government |
19-Sep-1927 |
|
US Secretary of Defense, 1977-81 |
| David K. E. Bruce |
Diplomat |
12-Feb-1898 |
5-Dec-1977 |
US Ambassador to England, France, Germany |
| Bear Bryant |
Football |
11-Sep-1913 |
26-Jan-1983 |
Legendary Alabama head coach |
| Zbigniew Brzezinski |
Government |
28-Mar-1928 |
|
National Security Advisor, 1977-81 |
| William F. Buckley |
Columnist |
24-Nov-1925 |
27-Feb-2008 |
National Review |
| Ralph Bunche |
Diplomat |
4-Aug-1904 |
9-Dec-1971 |
UN Mediator in Palestine 1948 |
| Ellsworth Bunker |
Diplomat |
11-May-1894 |
30-Sep-1984 |
US Ambassador to South Vietnam, 1967-73 |
| Carol Burnett |
Actor |
26-Apr-1933 |
|
The Carol Burnett Show |
| James Cagney |
Actor |
17-Jul-1899 |
30-Mar-1986 |
New York tough guy |
| Johnny Carson |
Talk Show Host |
23-Oct-1925 |
23-Jan-2005 |
Longtime host of Tonight Show |
| Rachel Carson |
Scientist |
27-May-1907 |
14-Apr-1964 |
Silent Spring |
| Jimmy Carter |
Head of State |
1-Oct-1924 |
|
39th US President, 1977-81 |
| Rosalynn Carter |
First Lady |
18-Aug-1927 |
|
Wife of US President Jimmy Carter |
| Pablo Casals |
Musician |
29-Dec-1876 |
22-Oct-1973 |
Spanish cellist and conductor |
| Vint Cerf |
Scientist |
23-Jun-1943 |
|
Co-designed Internet's TCP-IP protocol |
| John H. Chafee |
Politician |
22-Oct-1922 |
24-Oct-1999 |
US Senator from Rhode Island, 1976-99 |
| Whittaker Chambers |
Author |
1-Apr-1901 |
9-Jul-1961 |
Accuser of Alger Hiss |
| Cesar Chavez |
Labor Leader |
31-Mar-1927 |
23-Apr-1993 |
Mastermind of the California grape boycott |
| Dick Cheney |
Politician |
30-Jan-1941 |
|
Dubya's VP, ex-CEO of Halliburton |
| Julia Child |
Chef |
15-Aug-1912 |
12-Aug-2004 |
Haute cuisine with a unique voice |
| Warren Christopher |
Government |
27-Oct-1925 |
|
US Secretary of State, 1993-97 |
| Wesley Clark |
Military |
23-Dec-1944 |
|
Supreme Allied Commander, 1997-2000 |
| Roberto Clemente |
Baseball |
18-Aug-1934 |
31-Dec-1972 |
Puerto Rican baseball star |
| Harlan Cleveland |
Government |
19-Jan-1918 |
30-May-2008 |
Futurist, diplomat |
| Van Cliburn |
Pianist |
12-Jul-1934 |
|
Piano prodigy |
| Clark Clifford |
Government |
25-Dec-1906 |
10-Oct-1998 |
US Secretary of Defense, 1968-69 |
| William T. Coleman, Jr. |
Government |
7-Jul-1920 |
|
US Secretary of Transportation, 1975-77 |
| Denton Cooley |
Doctor |
22-Aug-1920 |
|
Pioneering heart surgeon |
| Joan Ganz Cooney |
Film/TV Producer |
30-Nov-1929 |
|
Producer of Sesame Street |
| Bill Cosby |
Comic |
12-Jul-1937 |
|
Comedy fixture, pudding industry shill |
| Jacques Cousteau |
Scientist |
11-Jun-1910 |
25-Jun-1997 |
Oceanographer, environmentalist |
| Walter Cronkite |
Journalist |
4-Nov-1916 |
|
America's most trusted newscaster |
| William J. Crowe, Jr. |
Government |
2-Jan-1925 |
18-Oct-2007 |
US Navy Admiral |
| Javier Pérez de Cuellar |
Government |
19-Jan-1920 |
|
Secretary General of UN 1982-91 |
| Justin Dart, Jr. |
Activist |
29-Aug-1930 |
22-Jun-2002 |
Father of the Americans with Disabilities Act |
| Justin Dart |
Business |
17-Aug-1907 |
26-Jan-1984 |
Drug store magnate |
| Doris Day |
Actor |
3-Apr-1924 |
|
The Man Who Knew Too Much |
| Michael DeBakey |
Doctor |
7-Sep-1908 |
|
Pioneering heart surgeon |
| Marlene Dietrich |
Actor |
27-Dec-1901 |
6-May-1992 |
The Blue Angel |
| C. Douglas Dillon |
Government |
21-Aug-1909 |
10-Jan-2003 |
US Treasury Secretary, 1961-65 |
| Joe DiMaggio |
Baseball |
25-Nov-1914 |
8-Mar-1999 |
Where have you gone |
| Walt Disney |
Business |
5-Dec-1901 |
15-Dec-1966 |
Founder of Disney empire |
| Bob Dole |
Politician |
22-Jul-1923 |
|
US Senator from Kansas, Viagra spokesman |
| Placido Domingo |
Singer |
21-Jan-1941 |
|
Tenorissimo! |
| James Doolittle |
Aviator |
14-Dec-1896 |
27-Sep-1993 |
Doolittle Raid against Tokyo in 1942 |
| Peter Drucker |
Business |
19-Nov-1909 |
11-Nov-2005 |
Management guru |
| John Foster Dulles |
Government |
25-Feb-1888 |
24-May-1959 |
Eisenhower's Secretary of State |
| Ariel Durant |
Historian |
10-May-1898 |
25-Oct-1981 |
The Story of Civilization |
| Will Durant |
Historian |
5-Nov-1885 |
7-Nov-1981 |
The Story of Civilization |
| T. S. Eliot |
Poet |
26-Sep-1888 |
4-Jan-1965 |
The Hollow Men |
| Duke Ellington |
Jazz Musician |
29-Apr-1899 |
24-May-1974 |
Jazz composer |
| Ralph Ellison |
Novelist |
1-Mar-1914 |
16-Apr-1994 |
Invisible Man |
| John F. Enders |
Scientist |
10-Feb-1897 |
8-Sep-1985 |
Cultured the polio virus |
| James Farmer |
Activist |
12-Jan-1920 |
9-Jul-1999 |
Co-Founder, CORE |
| Dante Fascell |
Politician |
9-Mar-1917 |
28-Nov-1998 |
Congressman from Florida, 1955-93 |
| Arthur S. Flemming |
Government |
12-Jun-1905 |
7-Sep-1996 |
HEW Secretary, 1958-61 |
| Lynn Fontanne |
Actor |
6-Dec-1887 |
30-Jul-1983 |
English-American stage actress |
| Betty Ford |
First Lady |
8-Apr-1918 |
|
Former First Lady, founded Betty Ford Center |
| Gerald Ford |
Head of State |
14-Jul-1913 |
26-Dec-2006 |
38th US President, 1974-77 |
| Felix Frankfurter |
Judge |
15-Nov-1882 |
22-Feb-1965 |
US Supreme Court Justice, 1939-62 |
| Aretha Franklin |
Singer |
25-Mar-1942 |
|
R-E-S-P-E-C-T |
| John Hope Franklin |
Historian |
2-Jan-1915 |
|
From Slavery to Freedom |
| Tommy Franks |
Military |
17-Jun-1945 |
|
Former C-in-C, US Central Command |
| Milton Friedman |
Economist |
31-Jul-1912 |
16-Nov-2006 |
1976 Nobel Prize for Economics |
| J. William Fulbright |
Politician |
9-Apr-1905 |
9-Feb-1995 |
Conceived the Fulbright Scholarships |
| R. Buckminster Fuller |
Architect |
12-Jul-1895 |
1-Jul-1983 |
Futurist, invented the geodesic dome |
| John Kenneth Galbraith |
Economist |
15-Oct-1908 |
29-Apr-2006 |
Modern economics renegade |
| John W. Gardner |
Administrator |
8-Oct-1912 |
16-Feb-2002 |
Founder of Common Cause |
| Arthur J. Goldberg |
Judge |
8-Aug-1908 |
19-Jan-1990 |
Supreme Court Justice, 1962-65 |
| Barry Goldwater |
Politician |
1-Jan-1909 |
29-May-1998 |
US Senator from Arizona, 1953-65, 1969-87 |
| Katharine Graham |
Publisher |
16-Jun-1917 |
17-Jul-2001 |
Washington Post publisher, 1966-79 |
| Martha Graham |
Dancer |
11-May-1894 |
1-Apr-1991 |
Innovator of modern dance |
| Ella T. Grasso |
Politician |
10-May-1919 |
5-Feb-1981 |
First woman elected governor of Connecticut |
| Gordon Gray |
Government |
30-May-1909 |
26-Nov-1982 |
Secretary of the Army, 1949-50 |
| Hanna Holborn Gray |
Educator |
1930 |
|
President, University of Chicago, 1978-93 |
| Alan Greenspan |
Economist |
6-Mar-1926 |
|
Federal Reserve Chairman, 1987-2006 |
| Vartan Gregorian |
Educator |
8-Apr-1934 |
|
President of Carnegie Corporation |
| Andy Griffith |
Actor |
1-Jun-1926 |
|
Laconic sheriff on The Andy Griffith Show |
| Philip C. Habib |
Diplomat |
25-Feb-1920 |
24-May-1992 |
US Ambassador to South Korea, 1971-74 |
| W. Averell Harriman |
Diplomat |
15-Nov-1891 |
26-Jul-1986 |
Ambassador to USSR, Governor of NY |
| George Russell Harrison |
Physicist |
14-Jul-1898 |
27-Jul-1979 |
Echelle spectrograph |
| Paul Harvey |
Radio Personality |
4-Sep-1918 |
|
Folksy radio quasi-journalist |
| Vaclav Havel |
Head of State |
5-Oct-1936 |
|
Playwright President of Czechia |
| Christian Herter |
Politician |
28-Mar-1895 |
30-Dec-1966 |
US Secretary of State, 1959-61 |
| Charlton Heston |
Actor |
4-Oct-1923 |
5-Apr-2008 |
The Ten Commandments |
| A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr. |
Judge |
25-Feb-1928 |
14-Dec-1998 |
Chief Justice, 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals |
| Gordon Hinckley |
Religion |
23-Jun-1910 |
27-Jan-2008 |
President of the Mormon Church, 1995-2008 |
| Eric Hoffer |
Author |
25-Jul-1902 |
21-May-1983 |
The True Believer |
| Sidney Hook |
Philosopher |
20-Dec-1902 |
12-Jul-1989 |
Pragmatist |
| Bob Hope |
Comic |
29-May-1903 |
27-Jul-2003 |
Centenarian comic |
| Hubert Humphrey |
Politician |
27-May-1911 |
13-Jan-1978 |
US Vice President, 1965-69 |
| John N. Irwin II |
Diplomat |
31-Dec-1913 |
28-Feb-2000 |
US Deputy Secretary of State, 1970-73 |
| Henry "Scoop" Jackson |
Politician |
31-May-1912 |
1-Sep-1983 |
US Senator from Washington, 1953-83 |
| Jesse Jackson |
Activist |
8-Oct-1941 |
|
Rainbow Coalition |
| Jacob K. Javits |
Politician |
18-Mar-1904 |
7-Mar-1986 |
US Senator from New York, 1957-81 |
| Pope John Paul II |
Religion |
18-May-1920 |
2-Apr-2005 |
Roman Catholic Pontiff, 1978-2005 |
| Lady Bird Johnson |
First Lady |
22-Dec-1912 |
11-Jul-2007 |
Wife of US President Lyndon Baines Johnson |
| Lyndon B. Johnson |
Head of State |
27-Aug-1908 |
22-Jan-1973 |
36th US President, 1963-69 |
| Barbara Jordan |
Politician |
21-Feb-1936 |
17-Jan-1996 |
Gave 1976 Democratic keynote speech |
| Robert E. Kahn |
Scientist |
23-Dec-1938 |
|
Co-Inventor, Internet's TCP-IP protocol |
| Max Kampelman |
Diplomat |
7-Nov-1920 |
|
US Ambassador to the CSCE |
| Helen Keller |
Activist |
27-Jun-1880 |
1-Jun-1968 |
Deaf and blind activist |
| John F. Kennedy |
Head of State |
29-May-1917 |
22-Nov-1963 |
35th US President, 1961-63 |
| Martin Luther King |
Activist |
15-Jan-1929 |
4-Apr-1968 |
Pacifist civil rights activist |
| Lane Kirkland |
Labor Leader |
12-Mar-1922 |
14-Aug-1999 |
AFL-CIO President, 1979-95 |
| Jeane Kirkpatrick |
Government |
19-Nov-1926 |
7-Dec-2006 |
Reagan's UN Ambassador |
| Lincoln Kirstein |
Author |
4-May-1907 |
5-Jan-1996 |
Co-Founder, New York City Ballet |
| Henry Kissinger |
Government |
27-May-1923 |
|
Secretly bombed Cambodia |
| Helmut Kohl |
Head of State |
3-Apr-1930 |
|
Chancellor of Germany 1982-98 |
| C. Everett Koop |
Government |
14-Oct-1916 |
|
US Surgeon General, 1982-89 |
| Irving Kristol |
Columnist |
1920 |
|
Influential neocon |
| Melvin Laird |
Government |
1-Sep-1922 |
|
US Secretary of Defense, 1969-73 |
| Edwin H. Land |
Inventor |
7-May-1909 |
1-Mar-1991 |
Polaroid Land Camera |
| Estée Lauder |
Business |
1-Jul-1908 |
24-Apr-2004 |
Cosmetics magnate |
| Joshua Lederberg |
Biologist |
23-May-1925 |
2-Feb-2008 |
Genetic properties of bacteria |
| Herbert H. Lehman |
Politician |
28-Mar-1878 |
5-Dec-1963 |
Governor of New York, 1933-42 |
| Sol Linowitz |
Business |
17-Dec-1913 |
18-Mar-2005 |
Negotiated return of the Panama Canal |
| Jim Lovell |
Astronaut |
25-Mar-1928 |
|
Apollo 13 |
| Robert A. Lovett |
Government |
14-Sep-1895 |
7-May-1986 |
US Secretary of Defense, 1951-53 |
| Clare Boothe Luce |
Politician |
10-Apr-1903 |
9-Oct-1987 |
Congresswoman, wife of Henry R. Luce |
| Alfred Lunt |
Actor |
12-Aug-1892 |
3-Aug-1977 |
American stage actor |
| Nelson Mandela |
Head of State |
18-Jul-1918 |
|
Former President of South Africa |
| Mike Mansfield |
Politician |
16-Mar-1903 |
5-Oct-2001 |
US Senator from Montana, 1953-77 |
| Thurgood Marshall |
Judge |
2-Jul-1908 |
24-Jan-1993 |
First black U.S. Supreme Court justice |
| John J. McCloy |
Military |
31-Mar-1895 |
11-Mar-1989 |
World Bank, Warren Commission |
| John McCone |
Government |
4-Jan-1902 |
14-Feb-1991 |
CIA Director, 1961-65 |
| George McGovern |
Politician |
19-Jul-1922 |
|
US Senator from South Dakota, 1963-81 |
| Robert McNamara |
Government |
9-Jun-1916 |
|
US Secretary of Defense, 1961-68 |
| Margaret Mead |
Anthropologist |
16-Dec-1901 |
15-Nov-1978 |
Coming of Age in Samoa |
| George Meany |
Labor Leader |
16-Aug-1894 |
10-Jan-1980 |
AFL-CIO President, 1955-79 |
| Karl Menninger |
Psychiatrist |
22-Jul-1893 |
18-Jul-1990 |
The Human Mind |
| Robert H. Michel |
Politician |
2-Mar-1923 |
|
Congressman from Illinois, 1957-95 |
| James A. Michener |
Novelist |
3-Feb-1907 |
16-Oct-1997 |
South Pacific |
| Edgar Mitchell |
Astronaut |
17-Sep-1930 |
|
6th to walk on the Moon |
| George J. Mitchell |
Politician |
20-Aug-1933 |
|
US Senator from Maine, 1980-95 |
| Jean Monnet |
Diplomat |
09-Nov-1888 |
16-Mar-1979 |
Worked to unify Europe |
| Sonny Montgomery |
Politician |
5-Aug-1920 |
12-May-2006 |
Congressman from Mississippi, 1967-97 |
| Rita Moreno |
Actor |
11-Dec-1931 |
|
West Side Story, Electric Company |
| Samuel Eliot Morison |
Historian |
9-Jul-1887 |
15-May-1976 |
Rear Admiral and naval historian |
| Daniel Patrick Moynihan |
Politician |
16-Mar-1927 |
26-Mar-2003 |
US Senator from New York, 1977-2001 |
| Lewis Mumford |
Historian |
19-Oct-1895 |
26-Jan-1990 |
Technics and Civilization |
| Edward R. Murrow |
Journalist |
25-Apr-1908 |
27-Apr-1965 |
The epitome of broadcast journalism |
| Ed Muskie |
Politician |
28-Mar-1914 |
26-Mar-1996 |
US Senator from Maine, 1959-80 |
| Richard Myers |
Military |
1-Mar-1942 |
|
Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, 2001-05 |
| Gaylord Nelson |
Politician |
4-Jun-1916 |
3-Jul-2005 |
Founded Earth Day in 1970 |
| Jack Nicklaus |
Golf |
21-Jan-1940 |
|
Golf legend |
| Reinhold Niebuhr |
Religion |
21-Jun-1892 |
1-Jun-1971 |
Prominent historical/political theologian |
| Paul Nitze |
Diplomat |
16-Jan-1907 |
19-Oct-2004 |
US cold warrior |
| Georgia O'Keeffe |
Painter |
15-Nov-1887 |
6-Mar-1986 |
American abstract and landscape painter |
| Tip O'Neill |
Politician |
9-Dec-1912 |
5-Jan-1994 |
Speaker of the House, 1977-87 |
| Jesse Owens |
Track and Field |
12-Sep-1913 |
31-Mar-1980 |
Four track and field medals in 1936 Olympics |
| David Packard |
Business |
7-Sep-1912 |
26-Mar-1996 |
Co-Founder of Hewlett Packard |
| Arnold Palmer |
Golf |
10-Sep-1929 |
|
Won 61 PGA tournaments |
| Rosa Parks |
Activist |
4-Feb-1913 |
24-Oct-2005 |
Wouldn't sit in the back of the bus |
| Norman Vincent Peale |
Religion |
31-May-1898 |
24-Dec-1993 |
The Power of Positive Thinking |
| Gregory Peck |
Actor |
5-Apr-1916 |
12-Jun-2003 |
To Kill A Mockingbird |
| Claude Pepper |
Politician |
8-Sep-1900 |
30-May-1989 |
Congressman from Florida, 1963-89 |
| William J. Perry |
Government |
11-Oct-1927 |
|
US Secretary of Defense, 1994-97 |
| Norman Podhoretz |
Author |
16-Jan-1930 |
|
Prominent neocon author |
| Colin Powell |
Government |
5-Apr-1937 |
|
US Secretary of State, 2001-05 |
| Leontyne Price |
Singer |
10-Feb-1927 |
|
Operatic soprano |
| Martha Raye |
Actor |
27-Aug-1916 |
19-Oct-1994 |
Monsieur Verdoux |
| Nancy Reagan |
First Lady |
6-Jul-1921 |
|
Just Say No |
| Ronald Reagan |
Head of State |
6-Feb-1911 |
5-Jun-2004 |
40th US President, 1981-89 |
| Elliot Richardson |
Government |
20-Jul-1920 |
31-Dec-1999 |
Refused to fire Watergate Special Prosecutor |
| Hyman Rickover |
Military |
27-Jan-1900 |
8-Jul-1986 |
Built the nuclear navy |
| Lord Robertson |
Government |
12-Apr-1946 |
|
NATO Secretary General, 1999-2003 |
| Frank Robinson |
Baseball |
31-Aug-1935 |
|
MVP for both AL and NL |
| Sir Robert Robinson |
Chemist |
13-Sep-1886 |
8-Feb-1975 |
Researcher of alkaloids |
| Nelson Rockefeller |
Politician |
8-Jul-1908 |
26-Jan-1979 |
Ford's VP, died atop mistress |
| Norman Rockwell |
Painter |
3-Feb-1894 |
8-Nov-1978 |
Saturday Evening Post artist |
| Fred Rogers |
TV Personality |
20-Mar-1928 |
27-Feb-2003 |
Mister Rogers |
| William P. Rogers |
Government |
23-Jun-1913 |
2-Jan-2001 |
US Secretary of State, 1969-73 |
| Ludwig Mies van der Rohe |
Architect |
27-Mar-1886 |
17-Aug-1969 |
The Glass Skyscraper |
| Abe Rosenthal |
Journalist |
2-May-1922 |
10-May-2006 |
NY Times executive editor 1977-86 |
| Walt Rostow |
Government |
7-Oct-1916 |
13-Feb-2003 |
National Security Advisor, 1966-69 |
| Mstislav Rostropovich |
Musician |
27-Mar-1927 |
27-Apr-2007 |
Cellist and conductor |
| Donald Rumsfeld |
Government |
9-Jul-1932 |
|
US Secretary of Defense, 2001-06 |
| Dean Rusk |
Government |
9-Feb-1909 |
21-Dec-1994 |
US Secretary of State, 1961-69 |
| Jonas Salk |
Scientist |
28-Oct-1914 |
23-Jun-1995 |
Discoverer of the polio vaccine |
| Norman Schwarzkopf |
Military |
22-Aug-1934 |
|
Leader in Persian Gulf War |
| Brent Scowcroft |
Government |
19-Mar-1925 |
|
National Security Advisor to Ford and GHWB |
| John Shalikashvili |
Military |
27-Jun-1936 |
|
Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, 1993-97 |
| Albert Shanker |
Labor Leader |
14-Sep-1928 |
22-Feb-1997 |
American Federation of Teachers |
| Harry W. Shlaudeman |
Diplomat |
17-May-1926 |
|
US Ambassador to Nicaragua, 1990-92 |
| Sargent Shriver |
Politician |
9-Nov-1915 |
|
Ran for VP with George McGovern |
| George Shultz |
Government |
13-Dec-1920 |
|
US Secretary of State, 1982-89 |
| Beverly Sills |
Singer |
25-May-1929 |
2-Jul-2007 |
Soprano at the New York City Opera |
| Kate Smith |
Singer |
1-May-1907 |
17-Jun-1986 |
God Bless America |
| Margaret Chase Smith |
Politician |
14-Dec-1897 |
29-May-1995 |
US Senator from Maine, 1949-73 |
| Edward Steichen |
Photographer |
27-Mar-1879 |
25-Mar-1973 |
Photo-Secessionist |
| John Steinbeck |
Novelist |
27-Feb-1902 |
20-Dec-1968 |
The Grapes of Wrath |
| Robert S. Strauss |
Diplomat |
19-Oct-1918 |
|
US Ambassador to Russia, 1991-92 |
| Edward Teller |
Physicist |
15-Jan-1908 |
9-Sep-2003 |
Father of the H Bomb |
| George Tenet |
Government |
5-Jan-1953 |
|
CIA Director, 1997-2004 |
| Mother Teresa |
Religion |
26-Aug-1910 |
5-Sep-1997 |
Missionaries of Charity |
| Dave Thomas |
Business |
2-Jul-1932 |
8-Jan-2002 |
Founder of Wendy's Hamburgers |
| Lowell Thomas |
Journalist |
6-Apr-1892 |
29-Aug-1981 |
With Lawrence in Arabia |
| Juan Trippe |
Business |
27-Jun-1899 |
3-Apr-1981 |
Founder of Pan-Am |
| Mo Udall |
Politician |
15-Jun-1922 |
12-Dec-1998 |
Congressman from Arizona, 1961-91 |
| Cyrus Vance |
Government |
27-Mar-1917 |
12-Jan-2002 |
US Secretary of State, 1977-80 |
| John Vessey |
Military |
29-Jun-1922 |
|
Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff 1982-85 |
| John von Neumann |
Scientist |
28-Dec-1903 |
8-Feb-1957 |
Computing pioneer, inventor of Game Theory |
| DeWitt Wallace |
Author |
12-Nov-1889 |
30-Mar-1981 |
Founder of Reader's Digest |
| Vernon Walters |
Government |
3-Jan-1917 |
10-Feb-2002 |
US Ambassador to the UN, 1985-89 |
| Sam Walton |
Business |
29-Mar-1918 |
5-Apr-1992 |
America's richest man, founded Wal-Mart |
| Earl Warren |
Judge |
19-Mar-1891 |
9-Jul-1974 |
US Supreme Court Chief Justice, 1953-69 |
| Thomas J. Watson, Jr. |
Business |
14-Jan-1914 |
31-Dec-1993 |
CEO of IBM, 1956-71 |
| William Webster |
Government |
6-Mar-1924 |
|
FBI Director 1978-87, CIA Director 1987-91 |
| Caspar Weinberger |
Government |
18-Aug-1917 |
28-Mar-2006 |
Iran-Contra figure pardoned by Bush |
| Eudora Welty |
Author |
13-Apr-1909 |
23-Jul-2001 |
The Optimist's Daughter |
| Byron White |
Judge |
8-Jun-1917 |
15-Apr-2002 |
US Supreme Court Justice |
| E. B. White |
Author |
11-Jul-1899 |
01-Oct-1985 |
Charlotte's Web |
| Elie Wiesel |
Activist |
30-Sep-1928 |
|
Anti-Holocaust and human-rights activist |
| Simon Wiesenthal |
Activist |
31-Dec-1908 |
20-Sep-2005 |
Nazi hunter |
| Thornton Wilder |
Novelist |
17-Apr-1897 |
7-Dec-1975 |
The Bridge of San Luis Rey |
| Ted Williams |
Baseball |
30-Aug-1918 |
5-Jul-2002 |
Cryonically preserved .400 hitter |
| Edmund Wilson |
Author |
8-May-1895 |
12-Jun-1972 |
Axel's Castle |
| James Q. Wilson |
Scholar |
27-May-1931 |
|
The Moral Sense |
| Albert Wohlstetter |
Author |
19-Dec-1913 |
10-Jan-1997 |
Nuclear strategist |
| John Wooden |
Basketball |
14-Oct-1910 |
|
Winningest-ever college coach |
| Walter B. Wriston |
Business |
3-Aug-1919 |
19-Jan-2005 |
CEO of Citibank, 1967-84 |
| Andrew Wyeth |
Painter |
12-Jul-1917 |
|
American watercolorist |
| Chuck Yeager |
Aviator |
13-Feb-1923 |
|
Test pilot, first to break speed of sound |
| Andrew Young |
Politician |
12-Mar-1932 |
|
Second black mayor of Atlanta |
