WASHINGTON – Former Virginia Senator John W. Warner was honored as a recipient of the Gerald R. Ford Medal of Distinguished Public Service Monday for his years of service and dedication to his country.
A 30-year veteran of the U.S. Senate, Warner is the second-longest serving senator in the state’s history and has garnered a reputation as one of the most effective legislators of his time.
Warner served as an enlistee in the U.S Navy during World War II and as a Marine during the Korean War. During his time in Congress, Warner served on five different committees, including the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
In addition to his long record of public service, Warner is also a 1953 graduate of The University of Virginia’s Law School, serving as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia from 1955-1960.
During the presentation, former Ambassador and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Carla Hills, who chairs the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation (GRFPF) awards committee, spoke about Warner’s service before he was elected to the U.S. Senate.
Hills noted Warner served for five years as Under Secretary, and later as Secretary, of the U.S. Navy and was appointed by Gerald R. Ford to be the director of the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration.
“Throughout his extraordinary public service career, Senator John Warner has demonstrated the personal and professional qualities exemplified by his dear friend President Gerald R. Ford – integrity, strength of character, diligence, patriotism, and sound judgment,” said Hills. “He is indeed a worthy recipient of the President Gerald R. Ford Medal for Distinguished Public Service.”
Now, 44 years after having been appointed to be the director of the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration by former President Gerald R. Ford, Warner received the medal named in Ford’s honor from Ford’s son, Michael, at the Capitol Hill Club in Washington.
By Vivian Alana Caesar
