John Sidney McCain III
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37
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John McCain, a U.S. Navy pilot, was shot down over Hanoi on October 26, 1967, and spent five and a half years as a prisoner of war at the Hanoi Hilton. After retiring from the Navy as a captain, he served as a U.S. Senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018, and was the Republican nominee for president in 2008. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2022. McCain’s maverick political style and his outspoken criticism of President Donald Trump defined his later career.
Names, aliases, and relatives of John McCain — birth name, kin, and personal ties.
John McCain by the numbers — life, work, and family.
John McCain — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
John Sidney McCain III was born on August 29, 1936, in the Canal Zone, Panama, to Admiral John S. McCain Jr. and Roberta McCain. Growing up in a prominent military family, he moved frequently and attended Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia. He was an excellent wrestler in high school. McCain graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1958, ranking fifth from the bottom of his class, and followed his father and grandfather into naval service.
McCain’s naval career was defined by his capture in 1967. After his release in 1973, he attended the National War College and retired as a captain in 1981. He entered politics, winning a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona in 1982. In 1986, he was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he served until his death. He gained national prominence during his 2000 and 2008 presidential campaigns, winning the Republican nomination in 2008 with Sarah Palin as his running mate. In television, he was the first sitting senator to host Saturday Night Live 2002 and made cameo appearances on Parks and Recreation and The Daily Show.
He was a major supporter of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, but later called it a mistake in his 2018 memoir. In his final years, he became President Donald Trump’s most outspoken Republican critic.
McCain married Carol Shepp in 1965 and adopted her two children, Doug and Andy; they had a daughter, Sidney, in 1966. The couple divorced in 1980. On May 17, 1980, he married Cindy Hensley, with whom he had four children: Meghan born 1984, John Sidney IV 1986, James Hensley 1988, and Bridget adopted in 1991. His mother, Roberta, lived to 108 and attended his funeral. He counted among his close friends senators Joe Biden and John Kerry, and maintained a friendship with Warren Beatty despite political differences.
John McCain survived brutal torture as a prisoner of war, crossed party lines as a maverick senator, and shaped national security debates. His books, including Faith of My Fathers and Worth the Fighting For, chronicled his life and philosophy. In 2010, he was inducted into the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame. On July 7, 2022, President Joe Biden posthumously awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. His funeral, which President Trump was forbidden from attending, drew tributes from across the political spectrum. His slogan Country First and his enduring integrity became hallmarks of his public image.
Browse the complete filmography of John McCain — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.
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Every award, honor, and recognition received by John McCain — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.
John McCain's bibliography — every authored, edited, and co-written book, ranked by edition count.
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A wall of memorable lines from John McCain — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.
We Must Win in Iraq. If We Withdraw, There Will Be Chaos. There Will Be Genocide; and They Will Follow Us Home.
War Is Wretched Beyond Description, and Only a Fool or a Fraud Could Sentimentalize Its Cruel Reality.
I Am Fully Prepared to Be Commander in Chief. I Don’t Need on the Job Training.
The Core Political Values of Our Free Society Are so Deeply Embedded in Our Collective Consciousness That Only a Few Malcontents, Lunatics Generally, Ever Dare to Threaten Them.
I Believe in Evolution. but I Also Believe, When I Hike in the Grand Canyon and See It at Sunset, That the Hand of God Is There Also.
I Will Not Take the Low Road to the Highest Office in This Land. I Want the Presidency in the Best Way, Not the Worst Way.
I Spent Five and a Half Years in Prison. the Worst Part Was Coming Home and Finding Out ‘Green Acres’ Had Been Canceled. What the Hell Was I Fighting For?
The Tea Partiers Are a Great Addition. They Have Invigorated a Base That Has Been Dormant for a Long Period of Time. We’re Going to Have a Broad Array of Different Views in Our Republican Conference, and I Think It Might Be More Interesting Than Any I’ve Been in in a Long Time.
Our Armed Forces Will Fight for Peace in Iraq, a Peace Built on More Secure Foundations That Are Found Today in the Middle East. Even More Important, They Will Fight for Two Human Conditions of Even Greater Value Than Peace: Liberty and Justice.
The Use of Torture Compromises That Which Most Distinguishes Us from Our Enemies, Our Belief That All People, Even Captured Enemies, Possess Basic Human Rights.
No One Is Above the Law and the Individuals Entrusted with the Privilege of Being Sworn Law Officers Should Always Seek to Be Beyond Reproach in Their Commitment to Fairly Enforcing the Laws They Swore to Uphold. Mr. Arpaio Was Found Guilty of Criminal Contempt for Continuing to Illegally Profile Latinos Living in Arizona Based on Their Perceived Immigration Status in Violation of a Judge’s Orders. the President Has the Authority to Make This Pardon, but Doing so at This Time Undermines His Claim for the Respect of Rule of Law as Mr. Arpaio Has Shown No Remorse for His Actions
Our Political Differences, Now Matter How Sharply They Are Debated, Are Really Quite Narrow in Comparison to the Remarkably Durable National Consensus on Our Founding Convictions.
I Would Consider Supporting Legislation Similar to That Offered by My Friends Senators Graham and Cassidy Were It the Product of Extensive Hearings, Debate and Amendment. but That Has Not Been the Case. Instead, the Specter of September 30 Budget Reconciliation Deadline Has Hung Over This Entire Process.
We Should Not Be Content to Pass Health Care Legislation on a Party Line Basis, as Democrats Did When They Rammed Obamacare Through Congress in 2009. If We Do So, Our Success Could Be as Short Lived as Theirs When the Political Winds Shift, as They Regularly Do. the Issue Is Too Important, and Too Many Lives Are at Risk, for Us to Leave the American People Guessing from One Election to the Next Whether and How They Will Acquire Health Insurance. a Bill of This Impact Requires a Bipartisan Approach.
Only Truth and Transparency Can Guarantee Freedom.
I Came Out of the Vietnam War Convinced That Frankly We Could Have Won, and We Had It Won. Just as I Believed We Had the Iraq Conflict Won After the Surge and for Which I Sacrificed Everything, Including My Presidential Ambitions, That It Would Succeed.
Securing Ever Increasing Parts of Iraq and Preventing the Emergence of New Terrorist Safe Havens Will Require More Troops and Money. It Will Take Time, Probably Years, and Mean More American Casualties. Those Are Terrible Prices to Pay. but with the Stakes so High, I Believe We Must Choose the Strategy with the Best Chance of Success.
The Principal Reason for Invading Iraq, That Saddam Had WMD, Was Wrong. the War, with Its Cost in Lives and Treasure and Security, Can’t Be Judged as Anything Other Than a Mistake, a Very Serious One, and I Have to Accept My Share of the Blame for It.
I Will Defend the Decision to Destroy Saddam Hussein’s Regime as I Criticized the Failed Tactics That Were Employed for Too Long to Establish the Conditions That Will Allow Us to Leave That Country with Our Country’s Interests Secure and Our Honor Intact. We Are in Iraq and Our Most Vital Security Interests Are Clearly Involved There.
Russia Is a Gas Station Masquerading as a Country. It’s Kleptocracy. It’s Corruption. It’s a Nation That’s Really Only Dependent Upon Oil and Gas for Their Economy, and so Economic Sanctions Are Important.
Little-known facts about John McCain — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
First sitting U.S. senator to host Saturday Night Live.
Graduated in 1958 fifth from the bottom of his class at the United States Naval Academy.
President Donald Trump was forbidden from attending his funeral.
Of the three major U.S. presidential candidates who chose a female running mate Walter Mondale and Joe Biden are the other two, McCain is the only one who didn’t previously serve as Vice President.
As a U.S. Navy pilot, he was captured on October 26, 1967, after his plane was shot down over Hanoi. He parachuted into a lake, breaking both arms and a leg. He was imprisoned at the notorious Hanoi Hilton, where he was beaten and kept in solitary confinement. He attempted suicide twice.
At the time he was shot down, his father, Admiral John S. McCain Jr., was Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.
Technically he should not have been allowed to run for President in 2008 because he was born in the Panama Canal Zone, which was not official U.S. territory until 1937.
He was a major supporter of the 2003 invasion of Iraq but later called it a mistake in his 2018 memoir.
His first appearance as host on Saturday Night Live in 2002 was pre-empted in the Washington D.C./Baltimore area due to the D.C. sniper attacks.
He was a second cousin seven times removed of President George Washington and a ninth cousin of Quincy Jones.
He had English, Scottish, and Ulster-Scots ancestry.
He was treated for cancer four times.
Co-authored the book Character is Destiny: Inspiring Stories Every Young Person Should Know and Every Adult Should Remember with Mark Salter.
Despite representing Arizona in the Senate, he came from a prominent east coast military family. The USS John S. McCain DDG-56 is named after his father and grandfather.
Father-in-law of Benjamin Domenech.
First 21st-century U.S. presidential candidate to pass away.
His 2008 presidential campaign was endorsed by George W. Bush, Henry Kissinger, Sylvester Stallone, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
After adopting his first wife Carol’s children, Doug and Andy, she gave birth to their daughter Sidney in September 1966.
He was born to Admiral John S. McCain Jr. and Roberta McCain, and grew up with older sister Sandy and younger brother Joe.
Children with second wife Cindy: Meghan b. Oct 23, 1984, John Sidney IV b. May 2, 1986, James Hensley b. May 21, 1988, and Bridget b. July 21, 1991.
Presidential campaign slogan: Country first.
Favorite book was Ernest Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls; the title of his memoir Worth the Fighting For is a phrase from the novel.
Naval honors include Silver Star, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart.
Diagnosed with brain cancer in 2017.
Underwent surgery for a blood clot over the left eye.
He died four days shy of his 82nd birthday; his mother Roberta, aged 106, attended his funeral. She died on Oct 12, 2020, at age 108.
Was an excellent wrestler in high school.
In his final years, he was President Trump’s most outspoken Republican critic.
Became the junior senator from Arizona on January 3, 1987, and served as senior senator from 1995 until his death.
Retired from the Navy as a captain in 1981.
Once joked about Chelsea Clinton at a 1998 Republican fundraiser but later apologized.
Ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Longtime friend of The Daily Show and Jon Stewart.
Senators William Cohen and Gary Hart were best men at his second wedding on May 17, 1980.
Chose little-known Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate on August 29, 2008, his 72nd birthday and Palin’s 20th wedding anniversary.
Had a look-alike puppet on the French show Les Guignols de l’info.
Inducted into the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame in 2010.
His birthday, August 29, is Judgment Day in Terminator 2: Judgment Day 1991.
Posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Joe Biden on July 7, 2022.
Good friends with Massachusetts senator John Kerry.
Favorite movies included Paths of Glory 1957, Viva Zapata! 1952, and Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope 1977.
Quit his two-pack-a-day cigarette habit in 1979.
Friend of Warren Beatty despite political differences.
Longtime close friend of Joe Biden.
Co-authored Faith of My Fathers with Mark Salter.
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona from 1983 to 1987.
His Senate seat was previously held by Barry Goldwater.
Co-authored Hard Call: Great Decisions and the Extraordinary People Who Made Them with Mark Salter.
Member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee.
Maternal grandfather, Archibald Wright, was an oil wildcatter who made his fortune and retired by age 40.
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about John McCain.
Celebrities similar to John McCain — same craft, ranked by reach.
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