Houston's most distinguished resident has earned yet another honor.

Former president George H. W. Bush will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama Tuesday in a ceremony at the White House.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the country's highest civilian honor, reserved for those "who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors," according to the White House statement.

Bush started his career in the navy during World War II before attending Yale and making a fortune in the oil industry. He was a member of the House of Representatives, an ambassador to the United Nations and the Director of the CIA before being elected as the vice president in 1980 (and 1984) and president in 1988.

As a 2010 honoree, Bush joins 14 other notable figures from across the spectrum of achievement, including cellist Yo-Yo Ma, writer and poet Maya Angelou, baseball great Stan Musial, artist Jasper Johns, civil rights leader and congressman John Lewis, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and investor and philanthropist Warren Buffet.

Fans of the former president or the other honorees can watch the ceremony live on the White House live broadcast starting at 12:30 p.m.