John Sidney McCain III August 29, — August 25, was an American statesman [ 2 ] and naval officer who represented the state of Arizona in Congress for over 35 years, first as a Representative from to , and then as a U. He was the Republican Party 's nominee in the U. McCain was a son of Admiral John S. McCain Jr. McCain Sr.
He graduated from the U. Naval Academy in and received a commission in the U. McCain became a naval aviator and flew ground-attack aircraft from aircraft carriers. He was a prisoner of war until McCain experienced episodes of torture and refused an out-of-sequence early release. He sustained wounds that left him with lifelong physical disabilities. McCain retired from the Navy as a captain in and moved to Arizona. In , McCain was elected to the House of Representatives, where he served two terms.
Four years later, he was elected to the Senate, where he served six terms. While generally adhering to conservative principles, McCain also gained a reputation as a "maverick" for his willingness to break from his party on certain issues, including abortion , divorce , birth control , LGBT rights , gun regulations , and campaign finance reform where his stances were more moderate than those of the party's base.
McCain was investigated and largely exonerated in a political influence scandal of the s as one of the Keating Five ; he then made regulating the financing of political campaigns one of his signature concerns, which eventually resulted in passage of the McCain—Feingold Act in He was also known for his work in the s to restore diplomatic relations with Vietnam.
McCain chaired the Senate Commerce Committee from to and to , where he opposed pork barrel spending and earmarks. He belonged to the bipartisan " Gang of 14 ", which played a key role in alleviating a crisis over judicial nominations. McCain entered the race for the Republican presidential nomination , but lost a heated primary season contest to George W.
