John McCain

John McCain
Born	John Sidney McCain III 29 8, 1936
Birthplace	Coco Solo, Panama Canal Zone
Died	Template:Death date and age Cornville, Arizona, United States
Nationality	American
Occupation	Politician, naval officer
Known for	Vietnam War prisoner of war, 2008 Republican presidential nominee, McCain–Feingold Act, Senate career representing Arizona
Education	United States Naval Academy (B.S., 1958)
Spouse(s)	Carol Shepp (m. 1965; div. 1980), Cindy Hensley (m. 1980)
Children	7
Awards	Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Purple Heart

John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and military officer who served as a United States Senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. A member of the Republican Party, McCain also served two terms in the United States House of Representatives from 1983 to 1987, representing Arizona's 1st congressional district. He was the Republican nominee for President of the United States in the 2008 presidential election, in which he lost to Barack Obama. Born at the Coco Solo Naval Air Station in the Panama Canal Zone into a distinguished military family, McCain graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1958 and became a naval aviator. His military career was marked by extraordinary endurance: after being shot down over Hanoi during the Vietnam War in October 1967, he spent more than five years as a prisoner of war, enduring torture and solitary confinement while refusing an early release offered out of sequence. The physical injuries he sustained left him with permanent disabilities. After retiring from the Navy as a captain in 1981, McCain entered politics in Arizona. Over more than three decades in Congress, he built a reputation for independence from party orthodoxy on issues such as campaign finance reform, immigration, and government spending, earning him the label of "maverick." His legislative achievements included the McCain–Feingold Act of 2002, which overhauled the financing of federal political campaigns. McCain chaired several prominent Senate committees, including the Senate Commerce Committee and the Senate Armed Services Committee, and remained an influential voice on national security and foreign policy until his death from glioblastoma at the age of 81.

Early Life

John Sidney McCain III was born on August 29, 1936, at the Coco Solo Naval Air Station in the Panama Canal Zone, where his father was stationed. He came from a prominent military family: both his father, John S. McCain Jr., and his grandfather, John S. McCain Sr., achieved the rank of four-star admiral in the United States Navy, making the McCains one of the few American families to produce two four-star admirals.

Growing up in a military family, McCain moved frequently during his childhood, attending approximately twenty schools before graduating from high school. The family lived at various naval installations across the United States and abroad. His father's naval career meant long absences, and much of McCain's early upbringing was shaped by the traditions and expectations of military service. Despite this heritage of discipline, McCain developed a reputation early in life for a rebellious streak and a fiery temper—characteristics that would follow him throughout his career in both the military and politics.

McCain attended Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia, a boarding school with a tradition of producing military officers. There, he participated in athletics, particularly wrestling, and began to develop the interpersonal skills and combative style that would later define his public persona. His academic performance, while not distinguished, was sufficient to gain him admission to the United States Naval Academy, continuing the family tradition of naval service.

Education

McCain entered the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, in 1954. By his own later accounts, he was not a model midshipman; he accumulated a significant number of demerits and clashed with authority figures throughout his time at the academy. He graduated in 1958, ranked 894th out of 899 in his class. Despite his low class ranking, McCain received his commission as an ensign in the United States Navy and proceeded to flight training, where he trained as a naval aviator. His education at the Naval Academy provided the foundation for a military career that would span more than two decades and profoundly shape his subsequent political identity.

Career

Naval Service and Vietnam War

After graduating from the Naval Academy in 1958, McCain underwent flight training and became a naval aviator, flying ground-attack aircraft from aircraft carriers. He was assigned to attack squadrons and flew Douglas A-1 Skyraider and later Douglas A-4 Skyhawk aircraft. His early naval career included several incidents; he survived at least two aircraft crashes and a training accident before his deployment to Vietnam.

On July 29, 1967, McCain was aboard the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal when a catastrophic fire broke out on the flight deck. The disaster, triggered when a Zuni rocket accidentally fired and struck aircraft loaded with fuel and ordnance, killed 134 sailors and injured 161 others. McCain narrowly escaped death in the conflagration, which remains one of the worst accidents in United States naval history.

Despite the trauma of the Forrestal disaster, McCain volunteered for combat duty and was transferred to the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany, flying missions over North Vietnam as part of Operation Rolling Thunder. On October 26, 1967, during his 23rd bombing mission over Hanoi, McCain's A-4E Skyhawk was struck by a Soviet-made surface-to-air missile. He ejected from the aircraft, breaking both arms and a leg in the process, and landed in Trúc Bạch Lake in central Hanoi. He was pulled from the lake by North Vietnamese soldiers and civilians and taken into captivity.

Prisoner of War

McCain spent five and a half years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam, held primarily at the Hanoi Hilton (Hỏa Lò Prison). His captors, learning that his father was a high-ranking admiral, offered him early release—a propaganda opportunity that would have allowed North Vietnam to claim a morale victory and embarrass the United States military. McCain refused the offer, adhering to the military Code of Conduct stipulating that prisoners must be released in the order in which they were captured. His refusal resulted in intensified torture and prolonged solitary confinement.

During his captivity, McCain was subjected to repeated beatings, rope bindings, and other forms of physical and psychological abuse. He suffered broken bones that were not properly treated, leaving him with permanent injuries that would limit his range of motion for the rest of his life—he was never again able to raise his arms above his head. At one point, after prolonged torture, McCain provided a false confession, an act that caused him deep personal anguish.

McCain was finally released on March 14, 1973, as part of Operation Homecoming, the repatriation of American prisoners of war following the Paris Peace Accords. He returned to the United States a decorated war hero, having received the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, and other commendations for his service and conduct as a prisoner.

Following his release, McCain underwent extensive physical rehabilitation. He continued his naval career, eventually commanding a training squadron and serving as the Navy's liaison to the United States Senate—a position that introduced him to the workings of Congress and ignited his interest in politics. He retired from the Navy in 1981 with the rank of captain and moved to Arizona, where his second wife, Cindy Hensley, had family connections.

Entry into Politics and House of Representatives

In 1982, McCain ran for the United States House of Representatives in Arizona's 1st congressional district. Despite being a recent arrival in the state and facing accusations of being a carpetbagger, he won the Republican primary and the general election. He served two terms in the House from 1983 to 1987, establishing a conservative voting record while beginning to develop relationships with colleagues on both sides of the aisle.

United States Senate

In 1986, when the legendary Barry Goldwater retired from the United States Senate, McCain ran for and won Goldwater's seat, representing Arizona. He would go on to win re-election five more times, serving in the Senate from January 3, 1987, until his death on August 25, 2018—a tenure of more than 31 years.

The Keating Five

Early in his Senate career, McCain was investigated as one of the Keating Five—a group of five senators accused of improperly intervening with federal regulators on behalf of Charles Keating, the chairman of the failed Lincoln Savings and Loan Association. The Senate Ethics Committee investigation, which concluded in 1991, found that McCain had exercised "poor judgment" but largely exonerated him of improper conduct, determining that his actions did not reach the level of ethical violations attributed to some of the other senators involved. The experience profoundly affected McCain, who described the scandal as one of the most difficult episodes of his life, and it catalyzed his commitment to campaign finance reform.

Campaign Finance Reform and the McCain–Feingold Act

Following the Keating Five scandal, McCain made the reform of campaign finance laws a central focus of his legislative career. Working across party lines with Democratic Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, McCain spent years advocating for legislation to limit the influence of money in politics. The effort faced sustained opposition from members of both parties and powerful interest groups, but the pair persisted through multiple congressional sessions. Their work culminated in the passage of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, commonly known as the McCain–Feingold Act, which banned unrestricted "soft money" contributions to national political parties and regulated the financing of political advertising. The law represented one of the most significant overhauls of federal campaign finance rules in decades.

For their efforts on campaign finance reform, McCain and Feingold jointly received the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award in 1999, recognizing their willingness to take politically unpopular stances in pursuit of what the award committee deemed the public interest.

Committee Leadership

McCain held several significant committee chairmanships during his Senate tenure. He chaired the Senate Commerce Committee from 1997 to 2001 and again from 2003 to 2005, where he focused on telecommunications policy, consumer protection, and opposition to pork barrel spending and earmarks. He also chaired the Senate Indian Affairs Committee from 1995 to 1997 and from 2005 to 2007. In 2015, McCain became Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, a position he held until his death in 2018, using the role to advocate for a strong national defense and to scrutinize defense spending and military policy.

The "Maverick" Reputation

Throughout his Senate career, McCain cultivated a reputation for independence from Republican Party leadership, earning the label of "maverick." While his voting record was generally conservative, he broke with his party on several notable occasions. In addition to campaign finance reform, he diverged from Republican orthodoxy on issues including immigration reform, where he co-sponsored comprehensive immigration legislation; gun regulations, where he supported certain measures to expand background checks; and climate change, where he acknowledged the scientific consensus and supported cap-and-trade proposals. He was a member of the bipartisan "Gang of 14," a group of moderate senators from both parties who brokered a compromise in 2005 to avert a crisis over the use of the filibuster to block judicial nominations.

His willingness to work with Democrats and challenge his own party's leadership generated both admiration and frustration among Republicans. Some conservatives viewed him with suspicion, while centrists and some Democrats respected his willingness to seek bipartisan solutions. Reports from 2007 indicated that some Democratic leaders believed McCain had at one point considered leaving the Republican Party, though he denied this.

Vietnam Reconciliation

In the 1990s, McCain played a prominent role in efforts to restore diplomatic relations between the United States and Vietnam. Having endured years of captivity and torture at the hands of the North Vietnamese, his advocacy for normalization carried particular moral weight. He worked with Democratic senators, including John Kerry, to investigate the fate of American servicemembers still listed as missing in action and to lay the groundwork for the establishment of full diplomatic ties, which were achieved in 1995.

Presidential Campaigns

2000 Republican Primary

In 2000, McCain launched a campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, promising "straight talk" and extensive government reform. Running as a reformist alternative to the party establishment's preferred candidate, Texas Governor George W. Bush, McCain attracted significant media attention and independent voter support. He scored a major upset victory in the New Hampshire primary but ultimately lost a contentious primary contest to Bush, particularly after a bitter campaign in South Carolina. The 2000 primary was marked by negative campaigning, including attacks on McCain's character and mental fitness—tactics that generated lasting bitterness.

2008 Presidential Election

McCain secured the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, defeating rivals including Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee. He selected Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate, a choice that energized the party's conservative base but also drew criticism. The general election campaign took place against the backdrop of the 2007–2008 financial crisis, which dramatically reshaped the political landscape. McCain lost the November general election to Democratic Senator Barack Obama, who won 365 electoral votes to McCain's 173. In his concession speech, McCain called for national unity and praised the historic nature of Obama's election as the first African-American president.

Later Senate Career and Opposition to Trump

Following his 2008 defeat, McCain returned to the Senate and adopted more orthodox conservative positions on several issues, frequently opposing the policies of the Obama administration, particularly on foreign policy and national security matters. He was a vocal advocate for military intervention and criticized what he viewed as insufficient American leadership abroad.

In 2015, when Donald Trump entered the Republican presidential primary and publicly questioned McCain's status as a war hero, stating that he preferred "people that weren't captured," the relationship between the two men became acrimonious. McCain refused to support Trump in the 2016 presidential election and subsequently became one of the most prominent Republican critics of the Trump administration. In a dramatic moment on the Senate floor in July 2017, McCain—recently diagnosed with glioblastoma and bearing a scar from surgery above his left eye—cast the decisive vote against the Republican effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act, delivering a thumbs-down that stunned his colleagues and preserved the law.

Personal Life

McCain married Carol Shepp in 1965; they had three children together, including two from Shepp's previous marriage whom McCain adopted. The couple divorced in 1980. Later that year, McCain married Cindy Lou Hensley, daughter of a prominent Arizona businessman. Together they had four children, including a daughter adopted from Bangladesh. In total, McCain was father to seven children.

McCain's physical injuries from his time as a prisoner of war left him with lasting disabilities. He was unable to raise his arms above shoulder height and walked with a slight limp. Despite these limitations, he maintained an active schedule throughout his political career.

In July 2017, McCain was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. He continued to serve in the Senate for more than a year following his diagnosis, making several consequential votes and public statements. On August 24, 2018, his family announced that he had chosen to discontinue medical treatment. He died the following day, August 25, 2018, at his ranch in Cornville, Arizona, four days before his 82nd birthday. His youngest son, James "Jimmy" McCain, was appointed to the Arizona Board of Regents in September 2025 by Governor Katie Hobbs.

Recognition

McCain received numerous military decorations for his service in the Vietnam War, including the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star, and the Purple Heart. His conduct as a prisoner of war, particularly his refusal of early release, became one of the most frequently cited examples of personal sacrifice and adherence to military honor in modern American history.

In 1999, McCain and Senator Russ Feingold were jointly awarded the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for their work on campaign finance reform.

The Munich Security Conference established the John McCain Dissertation Award, given annually to outstanding doctoral dissertations for exceptional academic contributions to the study of international security.

In 2026, Arizona State University broke ground on the John McCain Library and Museum along Tempe Town Lake, designed to blend historical exhibits with civics education programming as a "living landmark." Roads and public facilities have also been named in his honor, including John McCain Road in Colleyville, Texas.

Legacy

McCain's legacy encompasses his service as a naval officer, prisoner of war, and legislator over more than five decades of public life. His experience in Vietnam and his refusal to accept early release from captivity became defining narratives of personal sacrifice and duty in American political culture. In Congress, his willingness to cross party lines on issues such as campaign finance, immigration, and judicial nominations established him as one of the most prominent centrist voices within the Republican Party during an era of increasing political polarization.

The McCain–Feingold Act, while later partially undermined by the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. FEC (2010), represented a landmark effort to regulate the role of money in American elections. His advocacy for the restoration of diplomatic relations with Vietnam demonstrated a capacity for reconciliation that drew admiration across the political spectrum.

McCain's relationship with the Republican Party was complex. His "maverick" reputation won him bipartisan respect but also generated friction with party leaders and conservative activists. His decision to vote against the repeal of the Affordable Care Act in 2017 encapsulated the tensions that defined his later career. Following his death, debates over his legacy continued within the Republican Party, with some factions honoring his bipartisan approach while others, aligned with the Trump movement, challenged it. His daughter, Meghan McCain, has publicly defended her father's legacy against criticism from elements within the party.

The establishment of institutions such as the John McCain Library and Museum at Arizona State University and the John McCain Dissertation Award at the Munich Security Conference reflect ongoing efforts to preserve and extend his influence in the fields of civic engagement and international security. McCain's career illustrated both the possibilities and the limits of political independence within the American two-party system, and his life story—from the Panama Canal Zone to the Hanoi Hilton to the floor of the United States Senate—remains a significant chapter in the history of American public life.