John McCain

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History & Society

John McCain

United States senator

Also known as: John Sidney McCain III

Written by Sean Wilentz

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Mar 29, 2024 • Article History

John McCain

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Category: History & Society

In full:: John Sidney McCain III

Born:: August 29, 1936, Panama Canal Zone

Died:: August 25, 2018, Cornville, Arizona, U.S. (aged 81)

Title / Office:: United States Senate (1987-2018), United States

Political Affiliation:: Republican Party

Awards And Honors:: Legion of Merit; Purple Heart; Presidential Medal of Freedom (2022)

On the Web:: BBC News - The key moments in John McCain's life (Mar. 29, 2024)

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Mar. 27, 2024, 10:37 PM ET (AP)

Former Sen. Joe Lieberman, Democrats’ VP pick in 2000, dead at 82

John McCain (born August 29, 1936, Panama Canal Zone—died August 25, 2018, Cornville, Arizona, U.S.) U.S. senator who was the Republican Party’s nominee for president in 2008 but was defeated by Barack Obama. McCain represented Arizona in the U.S. House of Representatives (1983–87) before being elected to the U.S. Senate (1987–2018). Although a self-described conservative “foot soldier in the Reagan revolution,” McCain clashed with his party’s right wing on a wide range of issues. Long a favourite of reporters, who admired what they saw as his directness, he garnered a reputation as a political maverick. McCain had strong Southern roots–—his ...(100 of 1972 words)

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