John McCain is a U.S. senator from Arizona.

The son and grandson of prominent Navy admirals, Senator McCain was born on August 29, 1936, in Panama City, Panama. McCain is an Episcopalian and is married to Cindy Lou Hensley. They live in Phoenix, AZ, and have seven children and four grandchildren.

After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1958 with a B.S., Senator McCain began a 22-year career as a naval aviator. In 1967 he was shot down over Vietnam and held as a prisoner-of-war in Hanoi for 5 1/2 years (1967–73), much of it in solitary confinement. He retired from the Navy as a captain in 1981. His naval honors include the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart, and Distinguished Flying Cross.

John McCain was first elected to represent the state of Arizona in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1982. He served two terms there before being elected to the Senate in 1985. In November 1998, Senator McCain was reelected to his third term with almost 69% of the vote. During the 2000 presidential campaign, he became well known for his upset victory in the New Hampshire primary against Texas governor George W. Bush. McCain went on to gather much press attention and voter support, but it was not enough to stop Bush's nomination.

In the first half of the 107th Congress in the Senate, McCain served as chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and on the Armed Services Committee and the Indian Affairs Committee. He has also authored a best-selling family memoir titled, Faith of My Fathers, which details his early life and military career.