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Who was the first Medal of Honor recipient to receive his medal at the White House?

Question #152192. Asked by serpa.
Last updated Aug 09 2025.
Originally posted Aug 06 2025 1:05 PM.

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Kalibre star
Answer has 2 votes
Kalibre star
21 replies avatar

Answer has 2 votes.

Aug 06 2025, 3:18 PM
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Kalibre star
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Kalibre star
21 replies avatar

Answer has 0 votes.
Another source says that it was Roger H. C. Donlon who was the first to receive the medal at the White House.
link https://www.cmohs.org/news-events/press-releases/congressional-medal-of-honor-society-announces-passing-of-medal-of-honor-recipient-roger-h-c-donlon/

Aug 06 2025, 3:22 PM
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spanishliz star
Answer has 1 vote
spanishliz star
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25 year member
196 replies avatar

Answer has 1 vote.
Jacob Parrott, the youngest (I recall) of the survivors of Andrews Raiders during the American Civil War, was the first who came to my mind. Donlon was the first recipient for the Vietnam War, close to a century later.

Aug 06 2025, 4:28 PM
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elburcher star
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elburcher star
25 year member
1616 replies avatar

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Jacob Parrott was the first recipient of the Medal of Honor, but there was no formal ceremony until Theodore Roosevelt enacted it in 1905...

Aug 08 2025, 12:15 PM
serpa
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serpa
17 year member
2395 replies

Answer has 0 votes.
Robert E. Cox on April14, 1921.

The Beatrice Daily Express (Beatrice, Neb.), April 21, 1921
link https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn84020107/1921-04-21/ed-1/?sp=1&r=0.301,0.358,0.498,0.305,0

Aug 08 2025, 1:01 PM
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pehinhota star
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pehinhota star
12 year member
458 replies avatar

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Jacob Parrott didn't receive the medal from William Seward in the White House?

Aug 08 2025, 3:32 PM
serpa
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serpa
17 year member
2395 replies

Answer has 0 votes.
Parrott's wikipedia page says Secretary of War Edwin M.Stanton presented the medal to him.
"The Great Locomotive Chase; a History of the Andrews Railroad Raid into Georgia in 1862," 1889. William Pittenger mentions "they were in the ante-room waiting" (page 411). Parrott was presented the medal on page 413.
link https://archive.org/details/greatlocomotivec00pitt_3/page/412/mode/2up?q=stanton

The White House is not mentioned but I don't know where else they would be.

Aug 08 2025, 4:49 PM
serpa
Answer has 1 vote
serpa
17 year member
2395 replies

Answer has 1 vote.
Let me add more confusion to this answer.
"The War Department moved into a comparable structure northwest of the White House, north of its old location where the Navy Department remained in the Southwest Executive Building. It also occupied the Winder Building across the street after it completion in 1848. During the Civil War, Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton added two floors to the War Department building. Abraham Lincoln would walk over from the White House to get updates from the War Department telegraph operators in the Army's headquarters....
In 1870, the US Congress decided to construct a new building west of the White House to house the State War, and Navy departments."
link http://www.virginiaplaces.org/military/beforethepentagon.html

Parrott most likely received his medal in the War Depart building and not the White House. Is Robert E. Cox the first to receive his medal in the White House as my first link mentions?

Aug 09 2025, 9:32 AM
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looney_tunes star
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looney_tunes star
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3343 replies avatar

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I found a source I cannot locate again that referred to Stanton presenting Parrott's medal in his office, which would be in the War Department building. So that combined with serpa's links seems to me to settle the issue.

Aug 09 2025, 2:12 PM
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Kalibre star
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Kalibre star
21 replies avatar

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There appears to be a lot of confusion about the answer to this question. It seems that the first person to actually receive his medal at the White House was Silvestre S. Herrera, on August 23, 1945. It was presented to him by Truman. Before this, no medals were actually given at the White House.

link https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silvestre_S._Herrera?

Aug 09 2025, 5:26 PM
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