John S. McCain Sr.

John S. McCain Sr.
Birth name	John Sidney McCain
Nickname(s)	Slew
Born	(1884-08-09)9 August 1884 Carroll County, Mississippi, U.S.
Died	6 September 1945(1945-09-06) (aged 61) Coronado, California, U.S.
Place of burial	Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1906–1945
Rank	Admiral
Commands held	USS Sirius USS Nitro USS Sirius USS Ranger Bureau of Aeronautics Task Group 38.1 Task Force 38
Battles/wars	World War I First Battle of the Atlantic World War II Guadalcanal Campaign Mariana Campaign Philippines Campaign Okinawa campaign
Awards	Navy Cross Navy Distinguished Service Medal Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Spouse(s)	Catherine Davey Vaulx
Relations	John S. McCain Jr. (son) John S. McCain III (grandson)

John Sidney "Slew" McCain Sr. (9 August 1884 – 6 September 1945) was a United States Navy admiral and the patriarch of the McCain military family. McCain held several command assignments during the Pacific War of World War II. He was a pioneer of aircraft carrier operations. During World War II, he commanded land-based air operations in support of the Guadalcanal campaign. In 1944–1945, he led the Fast Carrier Task Force. His operations off the Philippines and Okinawa and air strikes against Formosa and the Japanese home islands caused destruction of Japanese naval and air forces in the closing period of the war. He died four days after attending the formal Japanese surrender ceremony.

Several of McCain's descendants also graduated from the United States Naval Academy. He and his son, John S. McCain Jr., were the first father–son pair to achieve four-star admiral rank in the U.S. Navy during World War II. His grandson, John S. McCain III, was a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War and later a congressman and 2008 presidential nominee. His great-grandsons, John S. McCain IV and James McCain, serve in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps, respectively.