McCain family
A prominent American family associated chiefly with senior U.S. Navy service across several generations.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
The McCain family is a prominent American naval family whose best-known members served the United States Navy from the early twentieth century through the Vietnam era and beyond. Its central line includes Admirals John S. McCain Sr. and John S. McCain Jr., who became the first father-and-son pair in U.S. Navy history to attain four-star admiral rank. The family’s public profile was later broadened by John S. McCain III, their grandson and son respectively, who served as a naval aviator, endured more than five years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam, and later became a long-serving United States senator from Arizona and a two-time Republican presidential candidate. The family’s documented American roots include William Alexander McCain, who lived in Carroll County, Mississippi, during the nineteenth century. He owned a large plantation known as Teoc or Waverly and enslaved dozens of people. The historical record also includes descendants of those enslaved people who use the McCain surname and identify themselves as Black McCains, adding a significant and complex dimension to the family’s history. Military service became the family’s most recognizable tradition. John S. McCain Sr. served as a senior Navy officer during World War II and was posthumously promoted to admiral. His relatives also held senior Army positions: his brother William Alexander McCain became a brigadier general, while his uncle Henry Pinckney McCain retired as a major general. Camp McCain in Mississippi was named for Henry Pinckney McCain and continues to have a military association as a Mississippi National Guard training site. John S. McCain Jr. commanded submarines during World War II and later served as commander in chief of the Pacific Command during the Vietnam War. His son, John S. McCain III, followed him into the Navy and became a carrier pilot. After his aircraft was shot down over North Vietnam in 1967, McCain was held captive until 1973, spending much of that period at the prison commonly known as the Hanoi Hilton. After leaving the Navy, he entered electoral politics, representing Arizona in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. His presidential campaigns in 2000 and 2008 made the McCain name prominent in national political life as well as military history. Later generations continued the family’s connection to the armed services. Joe McCain attended the United States Naval Academy and served as an enlisted member of the Navy. John Sidney “Jack” McCain IV graduated from the Naval Academy in 2009 and became a naval aviator. James Hensley “Jimmy” McCain enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and served in Iraq, while Douglas McCain served as a Navy A-6E Intruder carrier pilot before moving into commercial aviation. The family is therefore best understood not as a commercial brand but as a historically prominent American military and public-service family.
History
The McCain family’s recorded history in the United States reaches back to William Alexander McCain, who lived in Carroll County, Mississippi, in the nineteenth century. He owned a plantation variously called Teoc and Waverly, named in part for the nearby creek, and enslaved 52 people. Some descendants of those enslaved people share the McCain surname and identify as Black McCains, a historical relationship that is important to understanding the family’s wider legacy. The family’s most prominent public identity developed through military service. John S. McCain Sr. became a senior United States Navy officer and served during World War II. He was posthumously promoted to admiral. His relatives also established a record of Army service. William Alexander McCain, his older brother, attended the University of Mississippi before transferring to the United States Military Academy. He later became a brigadier general and received the Army Distinguished Service Medal for service in World War I, along with an Oak Leaf Cluster associated with World War II service. Henry Pinckney McCain, an uncle, also graduated from West Point and retired as a major general. Camp McCain in Mississippi was named in Henry McCain’s honor. John S. McCain Jr. continued the naval tradition. He commanded submarines during World War II and eventually held one of the Navy’s senior operational assignments as commander in chief of the Pacific Command during the Vietnam War. Together, he and his father became the first father-and-son pair to reach four-star admiral rank in the United States Navy. John S. McCain III, the son of McCain Jr., attended the Naval Academy and became a naval aviator. During the Vietnam War, he was shot down in 1967 and held as a prisoner of war in North Vietnamese detention facilities, including the prison known in American accounts as the Hanoi Hilton. He remained captive for more than five years before his release in 1973. After retiring from the Navy, he entered politics, first serving in the United States House of Representatives and later representing Arizona in the Senate. He sought the Republican presidential nomination in 2000 and became the Republican presidential nominee in 2008. The family’s later generations maintained links to military service. Joe McCain attended the Naval Academy and served as an enlisted sailor. John Sidney “Jack” McCain IV graduated from Annapolis in 2009 and became a naval aviator. James Hensley “Jimmy” McCain enlisted in the Marine Corps and completed a tour in Iraq. Douglas McCain served as a Navy A-6E Intruder carrier pilot before moving into commercial aviation. Across these generations, the McCain family’s significance has come from military leadership, wartime service, and public office rather than from commercial activity.
- 2009
Graduation of John Sidney McCain IV
[1]John Sidney “Jack” McCain IV graduated from the United States Naval Academy and became a naval aviator.
- 2008
Republican presidential nomination
[1]John S. McCain III became the Republican nominee for president of the United States.
- 2000
First presidential campaign of John S. McCain III
[1]John S. McCain III sought the Republican presidential nomination.
- 1972
End of the principal captivity period
[1]The family account identifies 1972 as the end of John S. McCain III’s approximately five-year period of captivity; his release occurred in 1973.
- 1967
John S. McCain III becomes a prisoner of war
[1]After being shot down during the Vietnam War, McCain was captured and held in North Vietnamese prisons.
- 1936
Birth of John S. McCain III
[1]John S. McCain III, later a naval officer, senator, and presidential candidate, was born.
- 1911
Birth of John S. McCain Jr.
[1]John S. McCain Jr., who later became a four-star admiral and Pacific commander, was born.
- 1884
Birth of John S. McCain Sr.
[1]John S. McCain Sr., the family’s principal naval patriarch, was born.
- 1817
Birth of William Alexander McCain
[1]William Alexander McCain, an early documented member of the family, was born in Mississippi.
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