February 3, 2005

Sen. McCain will address graduates

Sen. John McCain

U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) will address graduates, parents and guests at Northwestern’s 147th annual commencement exercises June 17.

Sen. McCain will receive an honorary doctor of laws degree at the ceremony in Ryan Field on the Evanston campus.

“Recognized for his independence of thought, John McCain has a long and distinguished career of public service and is a leader in national defense and foreign policy matters,” said University President Henry S. Bienen. “We warmly remember his and Senator Feingold’s 2001 town hall meeting at Northwestern regarding campaign finance reform. We are pleased he has accepted our invitation to return, and we look forward to hearing from and honoring him.”

McCain graduated from the Naval Academy in 1958 and began his career as a Naval aircraft carrier pilot. He was shot down over Vietnam in 1967 and was held as a prisoner of war in Hanoi for five-and-a-half years. When his captors discovered he was the son and grandson of admirals, he was offered a chance to go home, but he refused to break the military code that POWs are released in the order that they are captured.

He was discharged from the Navy in 1981 as a Captain and the next year was elected to Congress from the first congressional district of Arizona. In 1986, he was elected to the U.S. Senate to take the place of Arizona Sen. Barry Goldwater.

In 2004, Sen. McCain received more than 76 percent of the vote and began serving his fourth term in January.

He is currently the chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and serves on the Armed Services, and Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committees.