ONE of the most memorable dates of my first term as President was April 29, 1969. On that day Edward Kennedy Ellington, better known to generations of Americans as Duke, celebrated his 70th birthday by coming to the White House to accept the first Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded by my Administration.
The wit, taste, intelligence, and elegance that Duke Ellington brought to his music have made him, in the eyes of millions of people both here and abroad, America's foremost composer.
We are all poorer because the Duke is no longer with us. But his memory will live on for generations to come in the music with which he enriched his Nation.
Note: Mr. Ellington, 75, died in New York City, N.Y.
The President designated Pearl Bailey to be his personal representative at funeral services in New York City on May 27, 1974. Stanley S. Scott, Special Assistant to the President, was the official White House representative.
Richard Nixon, Statement on the Death of Duke Ellington. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/255639