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Sen. John S. McCain, III (R-AZ)

Born: August 29th, 1936 to a military family in the Panama Canal Zone. Education: Attended the Naval Academy. Although he was a popular student, he gained a reputation as a firebrand, graduating fifth from the bottom of a class of 899 while becoming a member of the “century club,” a nickname for those who accrued more than 100 demerits in one year. Experience: 1986-present: Senator from Arizona. 1982-86: Congressman from Arizona, District 1. 1967-1981: McCain served in Vietnam in 1967. After three months, he was shot down over Hanoi. The Vietcong placed him in a POW camp, where he was tortured and beaten in solitary confinement for five years. McCain, the son of an admiral, was offered early release but refused, insisting that prisoners be released in the order they were captured. He retired from the Navy in 1981. Most Important Pieces of Legislation Authored: McCain-Feingold Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act: Closed political fundraising loopholes and banned “issue ads” endorsing specific candidates. McCain-Kennedy Orderly Immigration Act: Proposed providing legal status to the illegal immigrants living in the US, as well as a viable path to citizenship to them, while dramatically enforcing border security. The bill never passed. Did You Know?: McCain appeared on Jeopardy in 1965, winning his first show and losing in the next. He lost on a question about Wuthering Heights. Scandal: In 1987, McCain was part of the “Keating Five,” a group of U.S. Senators accused of intervening improperly on behalf of an indicted financier. McCain was later cleared of impropriety.