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The Royal Society of Arts Benjamin Franklin Medal
[1] was instituted in 1956 to commemorate the 250th anniversary of
Benjamin Franklin 's birth and the 200th anniversary of his membership to the
Royal Society of Arts .
The medal is conferred by the RSA on individuals, groups, and organisations who have made profound efforts to forward Anglo-American understanding in areas closely linked to the RSA's agenda. It is also awarded to recognise those that have made a significant contribution to global affairs through co-operation and collaboration between the
United Kingdom and the
United States .
The medal is awarded annually, alternately to citizens of the United Kingdom and the United States.
The Benjamin Franklin Medal was designed by
Christopher Ironside OBE, in 1956.
Medalists
1957 Professor
Frederic Calland Williams OBE DSc MIEE FRS, professor of electrical engineering at the
University of Manchester
1958
Peter Ustinov , actor, producer, director, playwright
1959
George Horatio Nelson MA MICE MIMechE MIEE, managing director of The English Electric Company Limited
1960
Robert Nicholson , FSIA exhibition and interior designer
1961
Alick Dick , chairman and managing director of Standard-Triumph International Limited
1962
The Lord Rootes GBE, joint founder of the
Rootes Group
1963
John Hay Whitney , American diplomatist and publisher
1964 Sir
Evelyn Wrench KCMG, founder of the
English-Speaking Union and of the Overseas League
1965
Paul Mellon , American business and foundation executive
1966 Sir
Denis Brogan D-es Lettres LLD, writer on United States affairs
1967 Dr.
Detlev Bronk , president of the
Rockefeller University
1968
Peter Wilson , chairman of
Sotheby's
1969 Dr.
Louis Booker Wright PhD Dlitt LHD, director of the
Folger Shakespeare Library ,
Washington, DC
1970 Sir
Denning Pearson , chief executive and chairman of
Rolls-Royce Limited
1971
David Bruce , diplomat
1972 Sir
William Walton OM, composer
1973
Alistair Cooke , writer and journalist
1974 Dame
Margot Fonteyn DBE, prima ballerina
1975
Wilmarth Sheldon Lewis , English scholar
1976 Rt Hon
Harold Macmillan , statesman and publisher
1977
J. William Fulbright , former United States Senator for Arkansas
1978 Dr.
Ivor Armstrong Richards , professor emeritus of
Harvard University
1979 Professor
Henry-Russell Hitchcock , writer and lecturer on architectural history
1980 Sir
Bernard Lovell OBE FRS, professor of radio astronomy,
University of Manchester and then-director of
Jodrell Bank Observatory
1981
Lincoln Kirstein , director,
School of American Ballet ,
New York City Ballet Company
1982
The Lord Sherfield GCB GCMG Diplomat
1983 Dr.
Lewis Mumford , writer and teacher on town and country planning
1984 The Lord
Gordon Richardson of Duntisbourne, retired
Governor of the Bank of England
1985
Harry L. Hansen , professor at the
Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration
1986 Sir David Wills CBE TD DL, former chairman of the
Ditchley Foundation
1987
Kingman Brewster , diplomat
1988 Professor
Esmond Wright , English scholar
1989
Sam Wanamaker , actor, director and founder of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre
1990 Sir
David Attenborough , naturalist and broadcaster
1991
Edward Streator , diplomat
1993
Robert Venturi and
Denise Scott Brown , architects
1994 Sir
John Templeton , financial analyst and philanthropist
1995 The Honorable
Raymond G. H. Seitz , diplomat
1996 Sir
David Puttnam , film producer
1997
William R. Hewlett , co-founder and director emeritus of
Hewlett-Packard Company
1998 Sir
Alex Trotman , chairman and chief executive officer of
Ford Motor Company
1999 Senator
George J. Mitchell , special counsel and chairman of the peace negotiations in
Northern Ireland
2000 Dame
Judi Dench , actress
2001 Ambassador
Philip Lader , former
US Ambassador to the Court of St James's
2002 Dame
Marjorie Scardino , chief executive officer of
Pearson PLC
2003 General
Colin Powell , former
US Secretary of State
2004
Jonathan Ive , vice-president of design,
Apple Computer
2005 Dr.
Amory Lovins , chief executive officer of
Rocky Mountain Institute
2008 Sir
Ken Robinson , author, educator
2009 Professor
Elizabeth Gould , psychologist,
UCLA
2010 Professor
Jonathan Israel , School of Historical Studies,
Institute for Advanced Study , Princeton, New Jersey.
2011 Professor
Lawrence W. Sherman , Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge.
2013
Walter Isaacson , thought leader and author, CEO of the
Aspen Institute
2015
Chris Anderson , entrepreneur and the curator of
TED
2016
Wendy Kopp , CEO and co-founder of
Teach For All
2018
Herbie Hancock , musician/composer
References
Founding of the United States Inventions, other events Writings Legacy Related Family