President Biden honors Chris Dodd with 2nd highest civilian award

President Joe Biden is bestowing the Presidential Citizens Medal, the second highest civilian medal, on former Senator Chris Dodd.

Dodd, who was born in Willimantic, served in the United States Senate  with Biden for decades.

Dodd represented Connecticut in the United States House of Representatives from 1975 to 1981 and then he served in the United States Senate from 1981 to 2011.

Biden served in the U.S. Senate from 1973 until 2009 when he was elected as Vice President of the United States.

In 2021, Biden was at UConn for the dedication of the Dodd Center for Human Rights, which celebrates the life and legacy of Senator Thomas J. Dodd and Senator Christopher J. Dodd.

Biden is presenting the awards at the White House on Thursday.

“Chris Dodd has served our Nation with distinction for more than 50 years as a United States Congressman, Senator, respected lawyer, and diplomat. From advancing childcare, to reforming our financial markets, to fostering partnerships across the Western Hemisphere—he has stood watch over America as a beacon to the world,” a statement on the White House website says.

U.S. Rep. John B. Larson (CT-District 1) congratulated Dodd on the honor.

“Senator Chris Dodd’s lifetime of public serve is unparalleled,” Larson said in a statement.

“I had the privilege of seeing his dedication firsthand over the twelve years we served together in Congress, as well as working with him on his campaigns and as Senate President pro tempore in the Connecticut General Assembly. Many, including myself, have modeled their legislative approach and ability to get things done after him. During his time in the House and the Senate, he stood up for working families, authoring the landmark Family and Medical Leave Act and working with Barney Frank to protect Main Street and rein in Wall Street after the 2008 financial crisis,” Larson added. “As a diplomat and adviser to President Biden, Senator Dodd forged partnerships across Latin America on some of the most pressing issues facing the Western Hemisphere, including migration, human rights, and food security. Like his father before him, Chris Dodd represented our state and nation with a genuine and sincere commitment to the people he was sworn to serve. Intelligence, wit, and the determination to legislate in the best interests of the citizens of this country are a badge he will always wear. I can think of no one more richly deserving of this great honor.”

The Presidential Citizens Medal was created by President Richard Nixon in 1969 and is the country’s second highest civilian honor after the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It recognizes people who “performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens.”

Dodd now serves as senior counsel at Arnold & Porter in Washington, D.C.

In the city where good friends are hard to come by and where Harry S. Truman allegedly said if you want a friend buy a dog, President Biden is awarding one of the nation’s highest civilian honors to 20 recipients, including his good friend Chris Dodd, who served Connecticut…

— Governor Ned Lamont (@GovNedLamont) January 2, 2025

Learn more about the recipients here.