THE ACTUAL HISTORIC PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM WITH DISTINCTION AWARDED BY JFK TO SUPREME COURT JUSTICE FELIX FRANKFURTER
JFK Awards USSC Justice Felix Frankfurter Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction
Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction Awarded to Felix Frankfurter. Stately and colorful, this is considered the highest civilian award the United States government offers. This set is contained in the original presentation case. The 3.25-inch medal features a border of five gold-colored eagles, with a red pentagon peeking out from behind a white five-pointed star. At the center of the star is a deep blue circle with a constellation of thirteen stars. The engraving on the reverse side reads, “Presidential Medal / of Freedom / Felix Frankfurter / D.4 / Maco NY.” An approximately 3.375 x 31.75-inch (folded in half) grosgrain ribbon sash is adorned with a 2″ gold-colored medal, designed with a blue field and a constellation of thirteen stars, framed by a blue rosette trimmed in white. The bar pin of the set measures approximately 1.5 x 0.375 inches and features a small gold-colored eagle. A 1-inch diameter miniature of the Medal of Freedom with suspension hoop at the back is included with a 0.75 x 1.5 inches blue and white trimmed ribbon with suspension hoop at the bottom (intended to be worn together) , and a pinback. The blue 1.25 x 0.25-inch lapel badge is pinned with a small gold-colored eagle. The wooden case measures 7.75 inches with a height of 2 inches and a length of 12.75 inches. It is inset with a silver-colored seal of the president of the United States centered at the top, with the interior lined in a combination of cream-colored satin and a lovely dove-gray velvet.
The Medal was gifted to a family friend of the Frankfurters, who in turn presented it to Mr. Henrik Perry Taubman on the occasion of his Bar mitzvah on March 20, 1976. A handwritten note with envelope addressed to Mr. Taubman, accompanies the set, and reads: “Henrik Perry Taubman, For Perry, ‘Uncle Felix’s’ Freedom Medal, the highest civilian award of the United States and its President, as a symbol of blessing and inspiration for the rest of his life. With congratulations on the achievements of his past and with confident high hopes for his success for the future. With deep and everlasting love. From Aunt Stella, For 20 March, 1976.”
Honored for his dedication to integrity during his twenty-three years serving as a United States Supreme Court Justice and for assisting in the founding of the American Civil Liberties Union, Felix Frankfurter was chosen for the honor of receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction by John F. Kennedy. Due to the President’s tragic assassination, Frankfurter was ultimately awarded the medal by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The Harvard University graduate was an assistant U.S. attorney under Henry L. Stimson before he accepted a position teaching at Harvard Law School. After helping to found the American Civil Liberties Union in 1920, Frankfurter would influence government by serving as an advisor to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, assisting with New Deal programs, and would later be nominated by Roosevelt for the Supreme Court. Frankfurter was known for being an advocate for judicial self-restraint and only resigned from the bench in 1962 after a severe stroke.
