{"id":934,"date":"2026-05-24T15:34:44","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T15:34:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/humanitystories.pics\/?p=934"},"modified":"2026-05-24T15:34:44","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T15:34:44","slug":"doug-mccain-the-oldest-son-of-sen-john-mccain-dead-at-66","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/humanitystories.pics\/?p=934","title":{"rendered":"Doug McCain, the oldest son of Sen. John McCain, dead at 66"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"single__header\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"single__content entry-content m-bottom\">\n<p>WASHINGTON \u2014 Doug McCain, a Navy pilot and the eldest child of late Sen. John McCain, has died suddenly at the age of 66, his family announced.<\/p>\n<p>The cause of death is not immediately clear.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am deeply saddened to share the news of my brother Doug McCain\u2019s sudden passing,\u201d Meghan McCain said in a public tribute to her brother.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><button class=\"button button--modal-trigger\" aria-label=\"Open the image in a modal.\" data-modal-image=\"39472878\"><\/button><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-39472878\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/2019-traveling-recently-i-able-128640371.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 787px) 100vw, 787px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/2019-traveling-recently-i-able-128640371.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 960w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/2019-traveling-recently-i-able-128640371.jpg?resize=300,225&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/2019-traveling-recently-i-able-128640371.jpg?resize=768,576&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 768w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/2019-traveling-recently-i-able-128640371.jpg?resize=600,450&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 600w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/2019-traveling-recently-i-able-128640371.jpg?resize=785,589&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 785w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/2019-traveling-recently-i-able-128640371.jpg?resize=661,496&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 661w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/2019-traveling-recently-i-able-128640371.jpg?resize=576,432&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 576w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/2019-traveling-recently-i-able-128640371.jpg?resize=440,330&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 440w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/2019-traveling-recently-i-able-128640371.jpg?resize=376,282&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 376w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/2019-traveling-recently-i-able-128640371.jpg?resize=180,135&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 180w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/2019-traveling-recently-i-able-128640371.jpg?resize=95,71&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 95w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/2019-traveling-recently-i-able-128640371.jpg?resize=53,40&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 53w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/2019-traveling-recently-i-able-128640371.jpg?resize=93,70&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 93w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/2019-traveling-recently-i-able-128640371.jpg?resize=72,54&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 72w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/2019-traveling-recently-i-able-128640371.jpg?resize=200,150&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 200w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/2019-traveling-recently-i-able-128640371.jpg?resize=231,173&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 231w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/2019-traveling-recently-i-able-128640371.jpg?resize=322,242&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 322w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/2019-traveling-recently-i-able-128640371.jpg?resize=588,441&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 588w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/2019-traveling-recently-i-able-128640371.jpg?resize=80,60&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 80w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/2019-traveling-recently-i-able-128640371.jpg?resize=107,80&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 107w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/2019-traveling-recently-i-able-128640371.jpg?resize=77,58&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 77w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/2019-traveling-recently-i-able-128640371.jpg?resize=208,156&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 208w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/2019-traveling-recently-i-able-128640371.jpg?resize=50,38&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 50w\" alt=\"Captain Doug McCain and Captain C.B. &quot;Sully&quot; Sullenberger in a cockpit.\" width=\"787\" height=\"590\" data-modal-image=\"39472878\" \/><figcaption>Doug McCain (left), John McCain\u2019s eldest son, has died suddenly at the age of 66.<span class=\"credit\">Facebook\/Captain C.B. Sully Sullenberger<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cHe was a truly wonderful, joyful man who supported me throughout my life,\u201d she added. \u201cHe brought humor, fun and great conversation to every room. I will cherish our memories together. Our prayers are with his wife Ashley and children Caroline and Shepp.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The younger McCain is survived by his wife, Ashley; mother, Carol; two children; and extended family.<br \/>\nDoug was the son of John McCain\u2019s first wife Carol Shepp, and McCain adopted him when he and Shepp married in 1965.<\/p>\n<p>Doug was the son of John McCain\u2019s first wife Carol Shepp, and McCain adopted him when they married in 1965.\u00a0The late senator later divorced his first wife and married Cindy in 1980. Cindy is Meghan\u2019s mother.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<div class=\"inline-module inline-module--more inline-module--trending inline-module--more--thirds\" data-source-unit=\"Explore More - Trending\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__inner\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>The late senator\u00a0had\u00a0met his first wife during his time in the Navy through their mutual friend,\u00a0Alasdair Swanson, who was Doug\u2019s biological father. Swanson and Carol\u00a0had been\u00a0married for about six years until she alleged he had cheated on her and divorced him.<\/p>\n<p>After marrying Carol,\u00a0McCain adopted her two sons, Doug and\u00a0Andrew.<\/p>\n<p>Initially, her children clashed with John\u00a0after the divorce from Carol in 1980,\u00a0but\u00a0ultimately managed to reconcile\u00a0with him over time,\u00a0the New\u00a0York Times reported in 2000.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><button class=\"button button--modal-trigger\" aria-label=\"Open the image in a modal.\" data-modal-image=\"39472903\"><\/button><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-39472903\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/campaigning-behalf-parts-new-england-128640852.jpg?w=1024\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 709px) 100vw, 709px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/campaigning-behalf-parts-new-england-128640852.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1983w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/campaigning-behalf-parts-new-england-128640852.jpg?resize=300,250&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/campaigning-behalf-parts-new-england-128640852.jpg?resize=768,639&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 768w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/campaigning-behalf-parts-new-england-128640852.jpg?resize=1024,852&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/campaigning-behalf-parts-new-england-128640852.jpg?resize=1536,1278&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/campaigning-behalf-parts-new-england-128640852.jpg?resize=600,499&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 600w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/campaigning-behalf-parts-new-england-128640852.jpg?resize=708,589&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 708w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/campaigning-behalf-parts-new-england-128640852.jpg?resize=596,496&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 596w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/campaigning-behalf-parts-new-england-128640852.jpg?resize=576,479&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 576w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/campaigning-behalf-parts-new-england-128640852.jpg?resize=440,366&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 440w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/campaigning-behalf-parts-new-england-128640852.jpg?resize=339,282&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 339w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/campaigning-behalf-parts-new-england-128640852.jpg?resize=180,150&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 180w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/campaigning-behalf-parts-new-england-128640852.jpg?resize=85,71&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 85w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/campaigning-behalf-parts-new-england-128640852.jpg?resize=48,40&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 48w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/campaigning-behalf-parts-new-england-128640852.jpg?resize=84,70&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 84w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/campaigning-behalf-parts-new-england-128640852.jpg?resize=65,54&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 65w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/campaigning-behalf-parts-new-england-128640852.jpg?resize=200,166&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 200w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/campaigning-behalf-parts-new-england-128640852.jpg?resize=231,192&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 231w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/campaigning-behalf-parts-new-england-128640852.jpg?resize=322,268&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 322w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/campaigning-behalf-parts-new-england-128640852.jpg?resize=530,441&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 530w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/campaigning-behalf-parts-new-england-128640852.jpg?resize=72,60&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 72w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/campaigning-behalf-parts-new-england-128640852.jpg?resize=96,80&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 96w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/campaigning-behalf-parts-new-england-128640852.jpg?resize=1200,998&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 1200w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/campaigning-behalf-parts-new-england-128640852.jpg?resize=70,58&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 70w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/campaigning-behalf-parts-new-england-128640852.jpg?resize=187,156&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 187w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/campaigning-behalf-parts-new-england-128640852.jpg?resize=50,42&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 50w\" alt=\"John McCain greets his wife, Cindy, at an airport in Syracuse, New York.\" width=\"709\" height=\"590\" data-modal-image=\"39472903\" \/><figcaption>The McCain family announced Doug\u2019s passing, adding that they are \u201cdeeply saddened\u201d by the Navy pilot\u2019s death.<span class=\"credit\">REUTERS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Doug McCain grew up in\u00a0Jacksonville, Fla.<\/p>\n<p>An\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.legacy.com\/us\/obituaries\/name\/douglas-mccain-obituary?id=61533889\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">obituary for the McCain scion<\/a>\u00a0revealed that he died last Wednesday. Services will be held for him next weekend.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was a loyal friend to many and cherished each and every friendship. He was a devoted son, a loving father to Caroline and Shepp, and most recently found great joy in being Teddy\u2019s grandfather,\u201d his obituary said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoug will be remembered for his generous heart, his loyal friendships, and his unwavering love for his family. He will be dearly missed by those close to him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>John McCain, who had seven children, died from an\u00a0aggressive cancerous brain tumor in 2018.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"single__footer\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WASHINGTON \u2014 Doug McCain, a Navy pilot and the eldest child of late Sen. John McCain, has died suddenly at the age of 66, his family announced. The cause of&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-934","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/humanitystories.pics\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/934","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/humanitystories.pics\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/humanitystories.pics\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humanitystories.pics\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humanitystories.pics\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=934"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/humanitystories.pics\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/934\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":935,"href":"https:\/\/humanitystories.pics\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/934\/revisions\/935"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/humanitystories.pics\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=934"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humanitystories.pics\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=934"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humanitystories.pics\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=934"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}