John McCain

John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and naval officer who represented Arizona in the United States Congress for over 35 years. He was first a U.S. representative and later a U.S. senator, becoming known for his service and dedication. McCain was a member of the Republican Party and even ran to become the next president of the United States in the 2008 presidential election.

Born into a well-known military family in the Panama Canal Zone, McCain graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and became a naval aviator. During the Vietnam War, he was shot down during a mission, captured, and held as a prisoner of war until 1973. Despite being seriously injured, he refused early release and showed great courage.

After retiring from the Navy, McCain moved to Arizona and began a political career. He was known for being independent and willing to work across party lines on important issues like campaign finance reform. He also worked to improve diplomatic relations with Vietnam and helped create laws to change how money is used in political campaigns. Although he ran for president twice, he is remembered for his service in the Senate and his commitment to doing what he believed was right.

Early life and military career (1936–1981)

Main article: Early life and military career of John McCain

John Sidney McCain III was born on August 29, 1936, at Coco Solo Naval Air Station in the Panama Canal Zone, to naval officer John S. McCain Jr. and Roberta Wright McCain. He had an older sister, Sandy, and a younger brother, Joe. At that time, the Panama Canal was under U.S. control.

His father and his paternal grandfather, John S. McCain Sr., were also Naval Academy graduates and both became four-star admirals in the United States Navy. The McCain family moved with their father as he took various naval postings in the United States and in the Pacific. As a result, the younger McCain attended a total of about 20 schools. In 1951, the family settled in Northern Virginia, and McCain attended Episcopal High School, a private preparatory boarding school in Alexandria. He excelled at wrestling and graduated in 1954.

Following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, McCain entered the United States Naval Academy, where he graduated in 1958. McCain began his early military career when he was commissioned as an ensign, and started training to become a naval aviator. He completed flight school in 1960, and became a naval pilot.

McCain was taken prisoner of war on October 26, 1967. He was flying his 23rd bombing mission over North Vietnam when his A-4E Skyhawk was shot down by a missile over Hanoi. McCain fractured both arms and a leg when he ejected from the aircraft. He was taken prisoner and spent over five years as a prisoner of war.

After the war, McCain returned to the United States. He retired from the Navy as a captain on April 1, 1981. He was designated as disabled and awarded a disability pension. Upon leaving the military, he moved to Arizona.

House and Senate elections and career (1982–2000)

Main article: U.S. House and Senate career of John McCain (until 2000)

U.S. Representative

John McCain decided to run for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives because he was interested in current events and wanted a new challenge. He worked for a large beer company in Phoenix and met many important local leaders. In 1982, he ran for an open seat in Arizona and won the election.

In 1983, McCain was elected to lead the group of new Republican representatives and joined a committee focused on land and natural resources. He changed his mind later about a holiday for civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., after first opposing it.

Growing family

In 1984, McCain and his wife Cindy had their first child, a daughter named Meghan. Two years later, they had a son named John IV, and in 1988, another son named James. In 1991, they adopted a baby girl named Bridget from Bangladesh.

First two terms in the U.S. Senate

McCain began his time in the U.S. Senate in 1987 after winning the election. He joined committees focused on the military, business, and Native American affairs. He helped create rules for Native American gambling and supported laws to reduce government spending.

McCain became well-known and was mentioned as a possible running mate for the president in 1988. He also became chairman of a group supporting democratic elections around the world.

Keating Five

McCain was involved in a situation in the 1980s where he met with regulators about a savings and loan company. He later said it was a mistake to meet with them, but he was cleared of doing anything wrong.

Political independence

During the 1990s, McCain became known for thinking independently. He worked on investigating whether any American soldiers were still missing from the Vietnam War. He also voted to confirm judges chosen by President Clinton.

Campaign finance reform

McCain worked with a senator from Wisconsin to try to limit large donations to political campaigns. Many people opposed their idea, but McCain believed it was important to try.

Start of third term in the U.S. Senate

In 1998, McCain was re-elected to the Senate. In 1999, he published a book about his family and his time in the military, which became very popular.

2000 presidential campaign

John McCain announced that he wanted to be president on September 27, 1999, in Nashua, New Hampshire. He said he wanted to take the government back from powerful groups and give it back to the people. At the time, George W. Bush, the governor of Texas, was the leading candidate for the Republican nomination. McCain focused on the New Hampshire primary and won it on February 1, 2000, with 49% of the vote compared to Bush's 30%.

However, McCain faced many challenges, especially in the South Carolina primary. He lost there on February 19, and after winning in Arizona and Michigan, he continued to face difficulties. He criticized some Christian leaders for being divisive and lost several more primaries. On March 9, 2000, McCain withdrew from the race and later endorsed Bush.

Senate career (2000–2008)

Main article: U.S. Senate career of John McCain (2001–2014)

John McCain started 2001 by disagreeing with the new administration on several important issues, like changing rules for health maintenance organizations, protecting the environment, and laws about guns. In May 2001, he was one of only two Republican senators to vote against a plan to change tax amounts. There were also strong feelings between him and the leader of the country from their past work together.

After the attacks on September 11, 2001, McCain supported the country's leader and the war in Afghanistan. He worked with another senator to create a special group to look back on the attacks. He also helped pass a law to make airport safety better.

In March 2002, a very important law about campaign money was passed, and it was McCain’s biggest success in making laws.

McCain also supported going to war in Iraq and voted for it in 2002. But later, he said more soldiers were needed there. He also worked on laws to help protect the environment and supported better rules for how people from other countries could live in the United States.

In 2004, McCain was mentioned as a possible running mate for the Democratic candidate, but he said he was not asked and would not have accepted. He also won his race to stay in the Senate with a big majority.

In 2005, McCain helped make a deal about choosing judges for the highest court in the country. He also worked on laws to change how Native American gaming worked and helped expose some wrongdoings.

McCain spoke out against unfair treatment of people captured during wars and pushed for better rules to make sure they were treated right. He also kept talking about how the war in Iraq was going and supported sending more soldiers there in 2007, which helped reduce violence later on.

2008 presidential campaign

Further information: 2008 Republican Party presidential primaries and 2008 United States presidential election

John McCain announced he wanted to be President of the United States on April 25, 2007, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He said he was running to do important work, not just to be famous.

McCain was known for being well-known nationwide and for his work on important issues. He had served in the military and was a former prisoner of war. But at first, he had trouble raising money and lost some of his team members. Later, he became stronger again, especially in New Hampshire, and won several important early votes.

McCain kept working hard and won many votes on Super Tuesday, becoming the leading candidate for the Republican nomination. If he had been elected president, he would have been the first president born outside the United States, but there was discussion about whether he met the rules for being president.

McCain chose Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate, making her the first woman to be a major party’s vice presidential candidate. They became the official Republican nominees at their convention in September 2008.

During the campaign, McCain faced many challenges, including questions about his age and health. He also had to deal with changes in his campaign team and tried to discuss important issues like the economy with his opponent, Barack Obama.

McCain often talked about his experience and tried to show he could lead better than Obama. But Obama usually led in polls. McCain temporarily paused his campaign to help with a plan to support the economy, but Obama did not join him.

In the debates, Obama was often thought to do better. Near the end of the campaign, McCain talked about small business owners and criticized some of Obama’s ideas. During one event, a person said bad things about Obama, and McCain corrected them, saying Obama was a good person even though they disagreed.

The election was held on November 4, and Obama was chosen as president. McCain gave a speech saying that, no matter their differences, they were all Americans. McCain received 173 electoral votes to Obama’s 365 and got 46 percent of the votes nationwide compared to Obama’s 53 percent.

Senate career after 2008

Main article: US Senate career of John McCain (2001–2014)

Remainder of fourth Senate term

After losing an election, McCain went back to the Senate. He planned to run again in 2010. During this time, he worked with the new president on many issues.

McCain spoke out against some of the new president’s plans, like a big project to help the economy and a plan for health care. He also talked about supporting the war in Afghanistan and criticized some decisions about defense plans.

In 2010, McCain faced a challenge in his re-election but won. He continued to speak up on many issues, including laws about immigration and working with other senators on different topics.

Fifth Senate term

McCain kept working in the Senate and spoke up about many world events, like what was happening in the Middle East. He visited places like Libya and Syria to show support for people there.

He also talked about the need to change some laws in the U.S. and worked with other senators to try to fix problems, like the government shutting down.

Sixth and final Senate term

McCain kept working hard in the Senate. In 2017, he had to have surgery for a health problem but came back to help with important votes.

Sadly, McCain faced health issues again in 2018 and had to stop voting in the Senate. He passed away later that year.

Committee assignments

• Committee on Armed Services (Chair)
  • as chair of the full committee may serve as an ex officio member of any subcommittee
• Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
  • Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations
  • Subcommittee on Financial and Contracting Oversight
• Committee on Indian Affairs
• Committee on Intelligence (ex officio)

Caucus memberships

• International Conservation Caucus
• Senate Diabetes Caucus
• Senate National Security Caucus (Co-chair)
• Sportsmen's Caucus
• Senate Wilderness and Public Lands Caucus
• Senate Ukraine Caucus
• Republican Main Street Partnership

Death and funeral

On August 24, 2018, John McCain's family announced he would stop cancer treatment. He passed away the next day at his home in Cornville, Arizona.

McCain was honored with several services. His body lay in state at the Arizona State Capitol on what would have been his 82nd birthday. Later, his remains were moved to Washington, D.C., where they also lay in state in the United States Capitol rotunda. A service followed at the Washington National Cathedral. McCain planned his own funeral and chose who would carry his casket, including leaders and friends like Joe Biden and actor Warren Beatty.

Many important people from around the world attended the services. Leaders such as Barack Obama and George W. Bush spoke at the memorial. McCain was finally buried at the United States Naval Academy Cemetery after a private service.

Political positions

Main article: Political positions of John McCain

See also: Comparison of the 2008 United States presidential candidates

John McCain was known for his views on many important issues. Groups that watch how politicians vote gave him scores to show how his ideas matched theirs. One group gave him a score that showed he was in the middle, not very liberal or very conservative.

During his time as a senator, McCain often voted in ways that were a mix of liberal and conservative ideas. Sometimes he agreed with the ideas of other senators, and sometimes he did not. After losing a big election in 2008, he started to support more traditional conservative ideas.

McCain believed in keeping taxes low, having a strong military, and supporting free markets and trade. He also valued important American values and the rights of people to live freely.

Cultural and political image

Main article: Public image of John McCain

John McCain was known for his strong personal character and unique public image. People remembered him for his time in the military, both for himself and his family, as well as his stand-out, independent way of doing things in politics. He was also known for his quick temper and sometimes saying things he later regretted.

McCain was liked by many for his courage, not just in war but in politics as well. Over time, his political views changed, especially after running for president in 2008. Even so, many still respected him for his service and strong beliefs.

McCain was open about his mistakes and apologized when needed. He had close friendships with a few fellow senators, and his family stayed close to him throughout his career. His children followed in his footsteps, with some joining the military and others becoming well-known public figures. McCain also appeared in several TV shows and movies during his time as a senator.

Awards and honors

See also: Early life and military career of John McCain § Military awards

John McCain received many important awards and honors during his career. In 1997, Time magazine named him one of the "25 Most Influential People in America". In 1999, he and Senator Russ Feingold won the Profile in Courage Award for their work on fair voting laws. He also received the Paul H. Douglas Award for Ethics in Government, the Eisenhower Leadership Prize, and the Bruce F. Vento Public Service Award, among others.

McCain was given special awards from leaders around the world, including the Order of National Hero from Georgia and the Order of Liberty from Ukraine. He also received honorary degrees from many universities, such as Colgate University and the University of Southern California. In 2018, a ship was named after him, and in 2019, a airport terminal in Phoenix was dedicated in his honor.

Commemoration

In 2019, a street in Kyiv, Ukraine, was renamed "John McCain Street" to honor him. Other cities in Ukraine, such as Kryvyi Rih, Vinnytsia, and Sumy, also have streets named after Senator McCain. A memorial for McCain was built in Hanoi, Vietnam, showing his connection to the country and the United States.

Electoral history

Main article: Electoral history of John McCain

Works

John McCain wrote many books with his friend Mark Salter. Some of his popular books include Faith of My Fathers, Worth the Fighting For, and Why Courage Matters. These books share stories about courage and important decisions.

McCain also wrote articles and introductions for other books. He talked about his experiences as a prisoner during the Vietnam War and shared his ideas about peace and security. His writings appear in magazines and books, showing his thoughts on many important topics.