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TheSylvanus Thayer Award is theUnited States Military Academy's highest honor, awarded annually to a U.S. citizen whose service and accomplishments exemplifyWest Point's values ofDuty, Honor, Country. Established in 1958 and named after ColonelSylvanus Thayer—Superintendent of the Academy from 1817 to 1833 and widely regarded as the "Father of the Military Academy"—the award is the Academy’s closest equivalent to an honorary degree.

Recipients are selected by the West Point Association of Graduates and honored in a formal ceremony attended by the entireCorps of Cadets. The event includes a full military review parade on the Plain and a formal award dinner, reflecting the gravity and tradition of the occasion. The award is symbolized by the Thayer Medal, which features Colonel Thayer’s likeness and the West Point motto. A permanent memorial to each recipient is displayed in the Thayer Award Room at Taylor Hall, West Point’s headquarters building.

Eligibility for the award is limited to non-West Point graduates who have demonstrated significant national service, moral character, and leadership. While originally open to graduates, the award has since been restricted to non-alumni to broaden its recognition beyond the Academy, and effectively demonstrate to cadets that a lifetime of selfless service to the country comes in many forms. While the majority of Thayer Award recipients have been long-serving public officials or military general officers, several civilian honorees have been recognized for exceptional contributions outside of formal public office, reflecting the award’s emphasis on national service and principled leadership. These recognized contributions include philanthropic efforts supporting veterans and active-duty service members, influential national security journalism, major advancements in civil rights, and groundbreaking scientific research with implications for national defense. Notable recipients include PresidentsDwight D. Eisenhower,George H. W. Bush, andBarack Obama; GeneralColin Powell; JusticeSandra Day O'Connor; comedian andUSO entertainerBob Hope; and humanitarianGary Sinise.

The Thayer Award underscores West Point’s mission to develop leaders of character and recognizes individuals who reflect the Academy’s enduring ideals. It serves as a bridge between the Corps of Cadets and exemplary national figures, often marked by memorable addresses that inspire future military leaders—most famously, GeneralDouglas MacArthur’s 1962 "Duty, Honor, Country" speech.

• 1958 –Ernest Lawrence – Nobel physicist
• 1959 –John Foster Dulles – Secretary of State
• 1960 –Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. – U.N. ambassador
• 1961 –Dwight D. Eisenhower – 34th U.S. President *USMA 1915
• 1962 –Douglas MacArthur – WWII general, Superintendent of USMA *USMA 1903
• 1963 –John J. McCloy – Presidential advisor
• 1964 –Robert A. Lovett – Secretary of Defense
• 1965 –James B. Conant – Science educator
• 1966 –Carl Vinson – Naval legislation champion
• 1967 –Francis Spellman – Military archbishop
• 1968 –Bob Hope – Comedian for troops
• 1969 –Dean Rusk – Secretary of State
• 1970 –Ellsworth Bunker – Peace negotiator
• 1971 –Neil Armstrong – First moonwalker
• 1972 –Billy Graham – Spiritual counselor
• 1973 –Omar Bradley – Five-star general *USMA 1915 (last graduate awardee)
• 1974 –Robert Daniel Murphy – Diplomatic envoy
• 1975 –W. Averell Harriman – Statesman & diplomat
• 1976 – Gordon Gray – National security advisor
• 1977 –Robert T. Stevens – Secretary of the Army
• 1978 –James R. Killian Jr. – Presidential science advisor
• 1979 –Clare Boothe Luce – Congresswoman & ambassador
• 1980 –Theodore M. Hesburgh – Notre Dame president
• 1981 –James E. Webb – NASA administrator
• 1982 –David Packard – Defense technologist
• 1983 –James H. Doolittle – Aviation pioneer
• 1984 –Stanley Rogers Resor – Secretary of the Army
• 1985 –Frank Pace Jr. – Secretary of the Army
• 1986 –Edward Teller – Nuclear scientist
• 1987 –Barry Goldwater – Senator & airman
• 1988 –Warren E. Burger – Chief Justice
• 1989 –Ronald Reagan – 40th U.S. President
• 1990 –Mike Mansfield – Senate leader
• 1991 –Paul H. Nitze – Arms strategist
• 1992 –George Shultz – Secretary of State
• 1993 –Cyrus R. Vance – Secretary of State
• 1994 –George H. W. Bush – 41st U.S. President
• 1995 –Barbara Jordan – Civil-rights leader
• 1996 –John W. Vessey – Joint Chiefs chairman
• 1997 –Walter Cronkite – Journalist
• 1998 –Colin Powell – General & Secretary of State
• 1999 –Norman R. Augustine – Defense executive
• 2000 –Henry Kissinger – National-security strategist
• 2001 –Daniel K. Inouye – War-hero senator
• 2002 –The American Soldier – Selfless service
• 2003 –Gordon R. Sullivan – Army chief of staff
• 2004 –Robert J. Dole – War-hero senator
• 2005 –Sandra Day O'Connor – Supreme Court justice
• 2006 –Tom Brokaw – Journalist
• 2007 –Frederick Kroesen – Army general
• 2008 –William J. Perry – Secretary of Defense
• 2009 –H. Ross Perot – Veteran advocate
• 2010 –James Baker – Statesman
• 2011 –Robert M. Gates – Secretary of Defense
• 2012 –Ike Skelton – House Armed Services chair
• 2013 –Madeleine Albright – Secretary of State
• 2014 –Condoleezza Rice – Secretary of State
• 2015 –Gary Sinise – Veterans advocate & actor
• 2016 –Robert S. Mueller – Marine & FBI director
• 2017 –George W. Bush – 43rd U.S. President
• 2018 –Leon E. Panetta – Secretary of Defense
• 2019 –Ann E. Dunwoody – First female four-star
• 2020 –Ryan Crocker – Career ambassador
• 2021 –Mae C. Jemison – Astronaut & physician
• 2022 –Kenneth Fisher – Veteran philanthropist
• 2023 –Elizabeth Dole – Senator & cabinet secretary
• 2024 –Barack Obama – 44th U.S. President
• 2025 –Tom Hanks – Veterans advocate & actor (award ceremony cancelled)^[1][2][3]

• "Sylvanus Thayer Award".West Point Association of Graduates. RetrievedJuly 4, 2025.

• "Fifth President to Receive Thayer Award".United States Military Academy. RetrievedJuly 4, 2025.

• "Duty, Honor, Country Speech by Gen. Douglas MacArthur".American Rhetoric. RetrievedJuly 4, 2025.

• "Thayer Award Created in 1958".ASCE. RetrievedJuly 4, 2025.

Sylvanus Thayer Award – West Point Association of Graduates

Audio of General MacArthur's 1962 address

• American awards
• Awards established in 1958
• United States Military Academy
• 1958 establishments in New York (state)

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