Honorary citizen of the United States

Last updated

Churchill's identification document as an honorary citizen, provided as a gift from President Kennedy. Though similar in appearance, it could not function as a passport. ChurchillsUSPassport.png
Churchill's identification document as an honorary citizen, provided as a gift from President Kennedy. Though similar in appearance, it could not function as a passport.

A person of exceptional merit, a non-United States citizen, may be declared an honorary citizen of the United States by an Act of Congress or by a proclamation issued by the president of the United States, pursuant to authorization granted by Congress.

Contents

Eight people have been so honored, six posthumously, and two, Sir Winston Churchill and Saint Teresa of Calcutta, during their lifetimes. For Lafayette and Mother Teresa, the honor was proclaimed directly by an Act of Congress. In the other cases, an Act of Congress was passed authorizing the President to grant honorary citizenship by proclamation. What rights and privileges honorary citizenship bestows, if any, is unclear. According to State Department documents, it does not grant eligibility for United States passports. [1]

Despite widespread belief that Lafayette received honorary citizenship of the United States before Churchill, [2] he did not receive honorary citizenship until 2002. Lafayette did become a natural-born citizen during his lifetime. On December 28, 1784, the Maryland General Assembly passed a resolution stating that Lafayette and his male heirs "forever shall be...natural born Citizens" of the state. [3] This made him a natural-born citizen of the United States under the Articles of Confederation and as defined in Section 1 of Article Two of the United States Constitution. [4] [5] [2] [6] [7] [8]

Lafayette boasted in 1792 that he had become an American citizen before the French Revolution created the concept of French citizenship. [9] In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson wrote that he would have offered to make Lafayette governor of Louisiana, had he been "on the spot". [10] In 1932, descendant René de Chambrun established his American citizenship based on the Maryland resolution, [11] [12] although he was probably ineligible for the distinction, as the inherited citizenship was likely only intended for direct descendants who were heir to Lafayette's estate and title. [13] The Board of Immigration Appeals ruled in 1955 that "it is possible to argue" that Lafayette and living male heirs became American citizens when the Constitution became effective on March 4, 1789, but that heirs born later were not U.S. citizens. [5]

Honorary citizenship should not be confused with citizenship or permanent residency bestowed by a private bill. Private bills are, on rare occasions, used to provide relief to individuals, often in immigration cases, and are also passed by Congress and signed into law by the president. One such statute, granting Elián González U.S. citizenship, was suggested in 1999 but never enacted. [14]

Recipients

List of honorary citizens of the United States
Num.NameImageDateNationalityNoteRef.
1 Sir Winston Churchill Sir Winston Churchill (cropped 3 by 4).jpg April 9, 1963Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, notably during World War II. [8] [15]
2 Raoul Wallenberg Raoul Wallenberg (cropped 3 by 4).jpg October 5, 1981
[a] 		Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden Swedish diplomat who rescued Jews in Hungary from the Holocaust. [16]
3, 4 William Penn William Penn (cropped).png October 19, 1984
[a] 		Flag of England.svg  England Founder of the Province of Pennsylvania. [17] [18]
Hannah Callowhill Penn Hannah-Penn-01.jpg Administrator of the Province of Pennsylvania, second wife of William Penn. [17]
5 Mother Teresa Mother Teresa (cropped 3 by 4).jpg October 1, 1996Flag of India.svg  India [b] Catholic nun of Albanian ethnicity and Indian citizenship, who founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta. [19] [20]
6 Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette Gilbert du Motier Marquis de Lafayette (cropped).jpg August 6, 2002
[a] 		Royal Standard of the King of France.svg  Kingdom of France A Frenchman who was an officer in the American Revolutionary War. [21]
7 Casimir Pulaski Kazimierz Pulaski (cropped).PNG November 6, 2009
[a] 		Choragiew krolewska krola Zygmunta III Wazy.svg  Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Polish military officer who saved the life of George Washington, and fought and died for the United States against the British during the American Revolutionary War; notable politician and member of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth nobility, American brigadier general who has been called "The Father of the American Cavalry" and died during the Siege of Savannah. Remembered as a national hero both in Poland and in the United States. [22] [23] [24] [25]
8 Bernardo de Gálvez Bernardo Galvez (cropped).jpg December 16, 2014
[a] 		Flag of Spain.svg  Spain A Spanish officer and colonial governor who was a hero of the American Revolutionary War, risking his life for the freedom of United States citizens; provided supplies, intelligence, and strong military support to the war effort; was wounded during the Siege of Pensacola, demonstrating bravery that forever endeared him to the United States soldiers. [26] [27]

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 awarded posthumously
  2. ↑ Born in Ottoman Empire

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alien and Sedition Acts</span> 1798 U.S. laws restricting immigration and outlawing criticism of the government

The Alien and Sedition Acts were a set of four laws enacted in 1798 that applied restrictions to immigration and speech in the United States. The Naturalization Act of 1798 increased the requirements to seek citizenship, the Alien Friends Act of 1798 allowed the president to imprison and deport non-citizens, the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 gave the president additional powers to detain non-citizens during times of war, and the Sedition Act of 1798 criminalized false and malicious statements about the federal government. The Alien Friends Act and the Sedition Act expired after a set number of years, and the Naturalization Act was repealed in 1802. The Alien Enemies Act, as amended, is still in effect as 50 U.S.C. ch. 3.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution</span> 1865 Reconstruction amendment

The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. The amendment was passed by the Senate on April 8, 1864, by the House of Representatives on January 31, 1865, and ratified by the required 27 of the then 36 states on December 6, 1865, and proclaimed on December 18. It was the first of the three Reconstruction Amendments adopted following the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casimir Pulaski</span> Polish nobleman and American Revolutionary War general (1745–1779)

Kazimierz Michał Władysław Wiktor Pułaski, anglicized as Casimir Pulaski, was a Polish nobleman, soldier, and military commander who has been called "The Father of American cavalry" or "The Soldier of Liberty".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casimir Pulaski Day</span> Holiday celebrated in Illinois, United States

Casimir Pulaski Day is a local holiday officially observed in Illinois, on the first Monday of March in memory of Casimir Pulaski, a Revolutionary War cavalry officer born in Poland as Kazimierz Pułaski. He is praised for his contributions to the U.S. military in the American Revolution and known as "the father of the American cavalry".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cable Act</span> 1922 United States federal law

The Cable Act of 1922 was a United States federal law that partially reversed the Expatriation Act of 1907. (It is also known as the Married Women's Citizenship Act or the Women's Citizenship Act). In theory the law was designed to grant women their own national identity; however, in practice, as it still retained vestiges of coverture, tying a woman's legal identity to her husband's, it had to be amended multiple times before it granted women citizenship in their own right.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constitution Day and Citizenship Day</span> Holiday in the US

Constitution Day and Citizenship Day is an American federal observance that recognizes the adoption of the United States Constitution and those who have become U.S. citizens. It is normally observed on September 17, the day in 1787 that delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the document in Philadelphia. The United States Congress designated September 17 as Constitution Day and Citizenship Day on February 29, 1952, by joint resolution. It begins Constitution Week in the United States, which continues through September 23.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">37th United States Congress</span> 1861-1863 U.S. Congress

The 37th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from March 4, 1861, to March 4, 1863, during the first two years of Abraham Lincoln's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1850 United States census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles G. Atherton</span> American politician

Charles Gordon Atherton was an American politician and lawyer from New Hampshire. He was elected to the United States House of Representatives from 1837 to 1843. He was elected to the United States Senate from 1843 to 1849 and then again in 1853. He was a Democrat.

In February 1982, Senator William L. Armstrong and Congressman Carlos Moorhead sponsored Senate Joint Resolution 165, 96 Stat. 1211 a joint resolution authorizing and requesting the President to proclaim 1983 as the "Year of the Bible". In the United States, 1983 was designated as the national Year of the Bible by President Ronald Reagan by Proclamation 5018, made on February 3, 1983, at the annual National Prayer Breakfast. President Reagan was authorized and requested to so designate 1983 by Public Law 97-280 passed by Congress and approved on October 4, 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerusalem Embassy Act</span> United States law

The Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 is a public law of the United States passed by the 104th Congress on October 23, 1995. The proposed law was adopted by the Senate (93–5), and the House (374–37). The Act became law without a presidential signature on November 8, 1995.

In United States law, habeas corpus is a recourse challenging the reasons or conditions of a person's confinement under color of law. A petition for habeas corpus is filed with a court that has jurisdiction over the custodian, and if granted, a writ is issued directing the custodian to bring the confined person before the court for examination into those reasons or conditions. The Suspension Clause of the United States Constitution specifically included the English common law procedure in Article One, Section 9, clause 2, which demands that "The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it."

Financial Literacy Month is recognized annually in Canada in November, and National Financial Literacy Month was recognized in the United States in April 2004, in an effort to highlight the importance of financial literacy and teach citizens how to establish and maintain healthy financial habits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">René de Chambrun</span> French businessman (1906–2002)

Count René Aldebert Pineton de Chambrun was a French-American aristocrat, lawyer, businessman and author. He practised law at the Court of Appeals of Paris and the New York State Bar Association. He was the author of several books about World War II and his father-in-law, Vichy France Prime Minister Pierre Laval, to whom he served as legal counsel. He defended Coco Chanel in her lawsuit against Pierre Wertheimer over her marketing rights to Chanel No. 5. He was the chairman of Baccarat, the crystal manufacturer, from 1960 to 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul W. Grimm</span> American judge (born 1951)

Paul William Grimm is a former United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Citizenship of the United States</span> Legal status in the U.S.

Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Constitution and laws of the United States, such as freedom of expression, due process, the rights to vote, live and work in the United States, and to receive federal assistance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Habeas Corpus Suspension Act (1863)</span> American Law during the Civil War

The Habeas Corpus Suspension Act, 12 Stat. 755 (1863), entitled An Act relating to Habeas Corpus, and regulating Judicial Proceedings in Certain Cases, was an Act of Congress that authorized the president of the United States to suspend the right of habeas corpus in response to the American Civil War and provided for the release of political prisoners. It began in the House of Representatives as an indemnity bill, introduced on December 5, 1862, releasing the president and his subordinates from any liability for having suspended habeas corpus without congressional approval. The Senate amended the House's bill, and the compromise reported out of the conference committee altered it to qualify the indemnity and to suspend habeas corpus on Congress's own authority. Abraham Lincoln signed the bill into law on March 3, 1863, and suspended habeas corpus under the authority it granted him six months later. The suspension was partially lifted with the issuance of Proclamation 148 by Andrew Johnson, and the Act became inoperative with the end of the Civil War. The exceptions to Johnson's Proclamation 148 were the States of Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas, the District of Columbia, and the Territories of New Mexico and Arizona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Renunciation Act of 1944</span>

The Renunciation Act of 1944 was an act of the 78th Congress regarding the renunciation of United States citizenship. Prior to the law's passage, it was not possible to lose U.S. citizenship while in U.S. territory except by conviction for treason; the Renunciation Act allowed people physically present in the U.S. to renounce citizenship when the country was in a state of war by making an application to the Attorney General. The intention of the 1944 Act was to encourage Japanese American internees to renounce citizenship so that they could be deported to Japan.

Posthumous citizenship is a form of honorary citizenship granted by countries to immigrants or other foreigners after their deaths.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honors and memorials to the Marquis de Lafayette</span>

Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757–1834), a French aristocrat and Revolutionary War hero, was widely commemorated in the U.S. and elsewhere. Below is a list of the many homages and/or tributes named in his honor:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slavery in the District of Columbia</span>

In the District of Columbia, the slave trade was legal from its creation until it was outlawed as part of the Compromise of 1850. That restrictions on slavery in the District were probably coming was a major factor in the retrocession of the Virginia part of the District back to Virginia in 1847. Thus the large slave-trading businesses in Alexandria, such as Franklin & Armfield, could continue their operations in Virginia, where slavery was more secure.

References

  1. 1 2 "8 FAM 306.1: Honorary Citizenship". Foreign Affairs Manual Volume 8. U.S. Department of State. June 27, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Sir Winston May Get U.S. Citizenship". Sarasota Journal. UPI. March 11, 1963. p. 5. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  3. ↑ Lafayette again became an honorary citizen of Maryland in 1823, as well as of Connecticut the same year.
  4. ↑ Speare, Morris Edmund (September 7, 1919). "Lafayette, Citizen of America" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
  5. 1 2 IN THE MATTER OF M, 6INDec. 749 (B.I.A.1955)("We need not consider the precise effect of the Maryland act of 1784 upon the political status of Lafayette and such of his male heirs as had been born prior to the date when the Constitution of the United States became effective (March 4, 1789). It is possible to argue that they were citizens of Maryland and under Section 2 of Article IV of the United States Constitution should be considered citizens of the United States. However, we hold that when Congress by legislation set forth the requirements for citizenship, the descendents of Lafayette who were born thereafter could only acquire United States citizenship on the terms specified by Congress, and they were not in a position to acquire such citizenship by virtue of the Maryland act of 1784.").
  6. ↑ Folliard, Edward T. (May 25, 1973). "JFK Slipped on Historical Data In Churchill Tribute". Sarasota Journal . Retrieved February 2, 2011.
  7. ↑ Cornell, Douglas B. (April 10, 1963). "Churchill Acceptance 'Honors Us Far More'". The Sumter Daily Item . Retrieved February 2, 2011.
  8. 1 2 Plumpton, John (Summer 1988). "A Son of America Though a Subject of Britain". Finest Hour (60). The Churchill Centre.
  9. ↑ "Lafayette: Citizen of Two Worlds". Lafayette: Citizen of Two Worlds. Cornell University Library. 2006. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
  10. ↑ "Lafayette's Triumphal Tour: America, 1824–1825". Lafayette: Citizen of Two Worlds. Cornell University Library. 2006. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
  11. ↑ "Letters". TIME . December 2, 1940. Archived from the original on September 17, 2011. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
  12. ↑ Rogister, John (August 17, 2002). "Obituaries: René de Chambrun". The Independent . Archived from the original on January 1, 2010. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
  13. ↑ Gottschalk, Louis Reichenthal (1950). Lafayette Between the American and the French Revolution (1783–1789). University of Chicago Press. pp. 435–436.
  14. ↑ Bash, Dana (December 23, 1999). "Helms says he aims to offer U.S. citizenship to Elian Gonzalez". CNN . Archived from the original on June 22, 2011. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
  15. ↑ "An Act to Proclaim Sir Winston Churchill an Honorary Citizen of the United States of America" (PDF). Public Law 88–6; 77 Stat. Senate. April 9, 1963. p. 5. Retrieved June 28, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  16. ↑ "Proclaiming Raul Wallenberg to be an Honorary Citizen of the United States, and Requesting the President to Ascertain from the Soviet Union the Whereabouts of Raul Wallenberg and to Secure his Return to Freedom" (PDF). Public Law 97–54; 95 Stat. Senate. October 5, 1981. p. 971. Retrieved June 28, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  17. 1 2 "Proclamation 5284 – Honorary United States Citizenship for William and Hannah Penn". Proclamation 5284. Reagan Presidential Library. November 28, 1984. Archived from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
  18. ↑ "Joint Resolution to Grant Posthumously Full Rights of Citizenship to William Penn and to Hannah Callowhill Penn" (PDF). Public Law 98–516; 98 Stat. Senate. October 19, 1984. p. 2423. Retrieved June 28, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  19. ↑ H.J. Res. 191 (Pub. L.   104–218 (text) (PDF) , 110  Stat.   3021 , enacted October 1, 1996)
  20. ↑ "Joint Resolution To Confer Honorary Citizenship of the United States on Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, also Known as Mother Teresa" (PDF). Public Law 104–218; 110 Stat. Senate. October 1, 1996. p. 3021. Retrieved June 28, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  21. ↑ "Joint Resolution Conferring Honorary Citizenship of the United States Posthumously on Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roche Gilbert du Motier, the Marquis de Lafayette" (PDF). Public Law 107–209; 116 Stat. Senate. August 6, 2002. p. 931. Retrieved June 28, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  22. ↑ "Casimir Pulaski Day". Office of Civil Rights and Diversity at Eastern Illinois University. 2005. Archived from the original on July 22, 2012. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
  23. ↑ Richmond, Yale (1995). From Da to Yes: Understanding the East Europeans. Yarmouth, Me: Intercultural Press. p. 72. ISBN   1-877864-30-7.
  24. ↑ "Citizenship for Polish Hero of American Revolution". The New York Times . Associated Press. November 7, 2009. Retrieved November 19, 2009. Gen. Casimir Pulaski finally became an American citizen, 230 years after he died fighting in the Revolutionary War.
  25. ↑ "Joint Resolution Proclaiming Casimir Pulaski to be an Honorary Citizen of the United States Posthumously" (PDF). Public Law 111–94; 123 Stat. Senate. November 9, 2009. p. 2999. Retrieved June 28, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  26. ↑ Galvez, Bernardo. "H.J. Res. 105 Engrossed in House (EH)". US Congress. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  27. ↑ "Joint Resolution Conferring Honorary Citizenship of the United States on Bernardo de Gálvez y Madrid, Viscount of Galveston and Count of Gálvez" (PDF). Public Law 113–229; 128 Stat. Senate. December 16, 2014. p. 2117. Retrieved June 28, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.