Former Rep. Mikva to get Presidential Medal of Freedom
Former Illinois congressman Abner Mikva will be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, President Barack Obama announced Monday.
Mikva once represented the north suburban 10th Congressional District.
He'll join Meryl Streep, Stevie Wonder and Tom Brokaw as the latest Americans tapped to receive the honor.
The performers and former NBC anchor will join 16 others at the White House on Nov. 24 for a ceremony marking their achievements. The medal is the highest honor granted to civilians in the U.S. and honors contributions to U.S. security, world peace and cultural achievement.
"From scientists who kept America on the cutting edge to public servants who help write new chapters in our American story, these citizens have made extraordinary contributions to our country and the world," Obama said in a statement from Beijing, where the president was traveling for an economic summit.
Sen. Dick Durbin tweeted Monday night: "Congratulations to Fmr. Illinois U.S. Representative Abner Mikva, who was selected to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom."
Mikva holds the distinction of having served in all three branches of government - as a five-term Democrat congressman from Illinois, chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals in the D.C. circuit, and the White House counsel for President Bill Clinton, according to the Institute of Government and Public Affairs website.
He earned accolades all along the way, beginning with "best freshman legislator" after being elected to the Illinois House in 1956, the IGPA site says. He fought against Mayor Richard J. Daley's political machine and pushed for fair housing and against corruption in the state's welfare system before moving on to Washington.
In 1979, President Jimmy Carter nominated Mikva for the federal appeals court in the District of Columbia. He served 16 years there, rising to be chief judge, before President Clinton asked him to give up his lifetime appointment and become the White House counsel, the IGPA says.
Mikva joins musical theater composer Stephen Sondheim and actress Marlo Thomas, who will also receive the award. Choreographer Alvin Ailey, who died in 1989, will receive the medal posthumously. So will former Rep. Edward Roybal of California, who founded the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
Those being honored include slain civil rights activists James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, who were killed during their work in a historic voter registration effort in Mississippi in 1964.
Rep. John Dingell of Michigan, the longest-serving congressman in American history, will receive the award, as will Ethel Kennedy, the widow of former Sen. Robert Kennedy. Native American activist Suzan Harjo and former Rep. Patsy Takemoto Mink of Hawaii are also on the list.
Other recipients include author Isabel Allende, scientist Mildred Dresselhaus, golfer Charles Sifford and economist Robert Solow.