John S. McCain Sr.

John S. McCain Sr.
John S. McCain Sr.
Birth name	John Sidney McCain
Nickname(s)	Slew
Born	August 9, 1884; Carroll County, Mississippi, U.S.
Died	September 6, 1945 (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 Nitro; USS Sirius; USS Ranger; Air Forces for Western Sea Frontier and the South Pacific Force; Bureau of Aeronautics; Second Fast Carrier Force; Task Group 38.1; Task Force 38;
Battles/wars	World War I; World War II Pacific War; Guadalcanal Campaign; Mariana Campaign; Philippines Campaign; Battle of Okinawa;
Awards	Navy Cross; Navy Distinguished Service Medal (3)
Spouse(s)	Catherine Davey Vaulx
Relations	John S. McCain Jr. (son); John S. McCain III (grandson)

John Sidney "Slew" McCain Sr. (August 9, 1884 – September 6, 1945) was a U.S. Navy admiral and the patriarch of the McCain military family. McCain held several command assignments during the Pacific campaign of World War II. He was a pioneer of aircraft carrier operations.^[1] Serving in the Pacific Ocean theater of World War II, he commanded all land-based air operations in support of the Guadalcanal campaign, and in 1944–45, he aggressively led the Fast Carrier Task Force. His operations off the Philippines and Okinawa and air strikes against Formosa and the Japanese home islands caused tremendous destruction of Japanese naval and air forces in the closing period of the war.^[2] He died four days after 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, currently serve in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps, respectively.