John McCain

Biography

Date of Birth 29 August 1936, Canal Zone, Panama Birth Name John Sidney McCain III Height 5' 8" (1.73 m) Has been Senior Senator from Arizona since 3 January 1987. Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona from 1983 to 1987. Was the first sitting senator to host "Saturday Night Live" (1975). The first time his appearance on "Saturday Night Live" (1975) aired, it was pre-empted in the Washington D.C./Baltimore metro area due to a sniper shooting. Graduated fifth from the bottom of his class at the United States Naval Academy. Favorite movie is Paths of Glory (1957). As a U.S. Navy pilot, he was captured on 26 October 1967, after his plane was shot down while on a bombing run over Hanoi. He parachuted into a lake, breaking both arms and a leg. He was then imprisoned at the notorious North Vietnamese hell-hole, known as the Hanoi Hilton. He has described his five and a half year imprisonment as a nightmarish time, in which he was beaten and kept in solitary confinement. Twice he tried to hang himself, only to be cut down and assaulted by the guards. At the time he was shot down, his father Admiral Jack McCain was Commander of the entire U.S. Fleet. Good friends with Massachusetts senator John Kerry. Longtime friend of Comedy Central show "The Daily Show" (1996) and of Jon Stewart. His Senate seat was previously held by Barry Goldwater. He is a second cousin seven times removed of President George Washington and a ninth cousin of Quincy Jones, both through the Washington line. His candidacy for the Republican nomination in the 2008 presidential election has been endorsed by several celebrities including President George W. Bush, Henry Kissinger Sylvester Stallone and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. U.S. Senators William Cohen and Gary Hart were the best men at his second wedding (17 May 1980). Retired from the Navy as a Captain (1981). After adopting his first wife Carol's children Doug and Andy, she gave birth to their daughter Sidney in September 1966. Born to Admiral John S. "Jack" McCain Sr. (1911-1981) and his wife Roberta Wright (born in 1912), he grew up with his older sister Sandy and his younger brother Joe. Was an excellent wrestler in high school. Once joked about Chelsea Clinton at a Republican fundraiser, saying "Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly? Because her father is Janet Reno.", but later apologized (1998). Is of Scotish-Irish descent.