GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Former House Speaker Thomas “Tip” O’Neill has been selected posthumously as the recipient of the 2012 Gerald R. Ford Medal for Distinguished Public Service.

The medal is to be presented by the late president’s son, Steve Ford, on Monday at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel in Washington.

O’Neill’s oldest son, Thomas O’Neill III, is to accept the award.

He says the honor “makes the centennial year of” his “father’s birth even more special.”

“Tip” O’Neill’s service from 1977 until his retirement in 1987 made him the longest consecutive-serving House speaker in U.S. history.

The medal is being presented in memory and recognition of the leadership attributes of Ford, who served as president from 1974 to 1977.

Past recipients include Henry Kissinger, John Paul Stevens, James Baker, Dick Cheney and Alan Greenspan.


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