James A. Baker III and Lee H. Hamilton 2007 Medal for Distinguished Public Service

James A. Baker III and Lee H. Hamilton have been selected as co-recipients of the 2007 Gerald R. Ford Medal for Distinguished Public Service. The medal will be presented by Jack Ford, Chairman of the Gerald R. Ford Foundation and son of President Ford at the annual dinner of the Gerald R. Ford Foundation on June 11, 2007 at the JW Marriott Hotel in Washington, DC.

Pictured: James Baker and Lee Hamilton

“In this, the first year, that the medal will be presented in memory as well as in recognition of the leadership attributes of President Ford, it is only fitting that medals should be awarded to two men whose long time careers in public service have placed patriotism before partisanship and have demonstrated so many of the other character traits of my father” said Jack Ford.

“Most recently, our nation has once again benefited from the distinguished service and bipartisan approach of Messers Hamilton and Baker with their leadership as Co-Chairs of the Iraq Study Group,” said Ford

The medal is given annually to an individual who has served the public good in the private or public sector and was established by the Board of Trustees of the Gerald R. Ford Foundation in 2003. Previous recipients have been Alan Greenspan, Richard Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld, Betty Ford, and the Men and Women of the United States Armed Forces.

According to Board Chairman Emeritus, Martin J. Allen, Jr.,

“The criteria for the recipient are based on characteristics that President Ford demonstrated in his public service. They include courage, strength of character, integrity, diligence and determination in the face of adversity all of which have been characteristic of Jim Baker and Lee Hamilton’s commitment to public service.”

Lee Hamilton was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1965, a seat he held for the next 34 years. He chaired key committees, including the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Subcommittee on Europe and the Middle East, the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the Joint Economic Committee. Since leaving Congress his service has included vice chair of the 9/11 Commission and co-chair, with Jim Baker, of the Iraq Study Group as well as numerous advisory boards to the President, the FBI, the CIA, and the Defense Department. Mr. Hamilton currently serves as president and director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

Jim Baker III has had a distinguished public service career of over fifty years, beginning as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Marines and subsequently included positions as Undersecretary of Commerce, White House Chief of Staff, Treasury Secretary, and Secretary of State. He led presidential campaigns for Presidents Ford, Reagan, and Bush over the course of five consecutive presidential elections from 1976 to 1992. In 1993, he founded the James A. Baker III Institute of Public Policy at Rice University in Houston, Texas. From 1997to 2004, he served as the Personal Envoy of the United Nation Secretary-General Kofi Annan to seek a political solution to the conflict over Western Sahara. In 2005, he was co-chair, with former President Carter, of the Commission on Federal Election Reform, and in 2006, he co-chaired the Iraq Study Group with Lee Hamilton.

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, conference, 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 the public 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.

Photos of the Event