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John McCain
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John McCain McCain and Reagan John McCain after his plane was shot down during the Vietnam War Cindy and John McCain John McCain John McCain McCain and Palin magazine cover Map of the United States showing the 2008 presidential election results by state, with states won by Barack Obama (Democratic) shaded in blue and those won by John McCain (Republican) in red. Electoral vote counts are marked on each state, and Nebraska is shown splitting its electoral votes. Obama won 365 electoral votes, while McCain won 173. John McCain celebrating his 69th birthday a day early with U.S. Pres. George W. Bush in Phoenix, Aug. 28, 2005. (Right to left) John McCain's father, John S. McCain II, and grandfather, John S. McCain I, aboard a U.S. Navy ship in Tokyo Bay, 1945.
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John McCain summary
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John McCain: References & Edit History

Additional Reading

The best biography of McCain is Robert Timberg, John McCain: An American Odyssey (1999). In Elizabeth Drew, Citizen McCain (2002, reissued with a new introduction, 2008), a veteran political reporter focuses on the fight for campaign reform and offers a close look at McCain as a working senator. David Brock and Paul Waldman, Free Ride: John McCain and the Media (2008), presents a baleful view of McCain’s reputation as a maverick. McCain’s own sense of himself, his background, and the values he most admires comes across in his own coauthored volumes: John McCain and Mark Salter, Faith of My Fathers (1999), Worth the Fighting For: A Memoir (2002), and Hard Call: Great Decisions and the Extraordinary People Who Made Them (2007); and John McCain and Marshall Salter, Why Courage Matters: The Way to a Braver Life (2004).

Sean Wilentz

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  • Sean Wilentz
  • The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
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Article History

Type Description Contributor Date
Modified link of Web site: Canadian Encyclopedia - US Presidential Candidate John McCain. Oct 31, 2026
Anniversary information added. Aug 25, 2026
Anniversary information added. Aug 21, 2026
Added cross-reference. Apr 07, 2026
Add new Web site: CBS News - One of a kind: The remarkable life and times of Senator John McCain. Jan 01, 2026
Add new Web site: CNN - Transcripts - Interview With John McCain. Nov 21, 2025
Add new Web site: NPR - 'Fresh Air' Remembers Sen. John McCain. Oct 10, 2025
First paragraph modernization. Apr 29, 2024
Add new Web site: BBC - The Documentary Podcast - The Life and Times of Senator John McCain. Mar 29, 2024
Add new Web site: Al Jazeera - John McCain: The impossible man. Jan 02, 2024
Add new Web site: PBS - American Masters - John McCain. Nov 07, 2023
Link added. Jun 15, 2023
Add new Web site: Canadian Encyclopedia - US Presidential Candidate John McCain. Jan 05, 2023
Add new Web site: John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum - John McCain. Nov 09, 2022
Add new Web site: CNN US - John McCain Fast Facts. Aug 18, 2022
Noted that he was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Jul 11, 2022
Corrected display issue. Oct 30, 2020
Added a description of events leading up to McCain's death in August 2018. Aug 29, 2018
Updated for his death. Aug 25, 2018
Added the book The Restless Wave: Good Times, Just Causes, Great Fights, and Other Appreciations. May 22, 2018
Add new Web site: Official Site of John McCain. May 17, 2018
Added a description of events in McCain's life from 2008 to 2017. Jul 21, 2017
Added map and table. Nov 16, 2015
Text added. Aug 28, 2015
Add new Web site: Buzzle.com - Facts About John McCain. Jun 24, 2014
Add new Web site: Social Studies for Kids - Biography of John McCain. Jun 24, 2014
Add new Web site: Offcial Site of John McCain. Aug 11, 2013
Add new Web site: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress - Biography of John Sidney, III McCane. Aug 11, 2013
Added a period at the end of the last sentence in the introductory paragraph. Mar 08, 2011
Media added. Aug 26, 2010
Deleted premature modifier. Jan 28, 2009
Updated to include election results. Jan 23, 2009
Electoral map added. Nov 12, 2008
Added new Web site: How Stuff Works - History - Biography of John McCain. Nov 10, 2008
Updated for election results. Nov 06, 2008
Media added. Sep 19, 2008
Article revised and updated. Aug 29, 2008
Article thoroughly revised. Aug 28, 2008
Bibliography revised and updated. Aug 28, 2008
Article revised and updated. Feb 06, 2008
Article revised and updated. Jan 09, 2008
Media added. Aug 24, 2007
Article revised and updated. Apr 25, 2007
Media added. Mar 01, 2007
Added new Web site: Official Site of U.S. Senator John McCain. Feb 09, 2007
Added new Web site: Official Site of U.S. Senator John McCain. Feb 09, 2007
New article added. Feb 02, 2007
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