Life of John McCain

1936: John McCain in the arms of his grandfather, John Sidney McCain, right, in the Panama Canal Zone. His father John Sidney McCain Jr is at left Photograph: AP

July 14, 1961: Lieutenant John McCain III, left, and his parents, Rear Admiral John McCain Jr and Roberta Wright McCain, take part in the ceremony to commission McCain Field, the US navy training base in Meridian, Mississippi, named in honour of Admiral John McCain, in photo at top, respectively grandfather and father to the two John McCains. A predilection for what McCain III describes as "quick tempers, adventurous spirits, and love for the country's uniform" was encoded in the family DNA Photograph: AP

October 26,1967: A photo from the Vietnamese News Agency which is claimed to show the rescue of Lieutenant John McCain, centre, from Hanoi's Truc Bach lake. McCain's navy fighter was shot down over the capital Photograph: Bettmann/Corbis

February 1968: John McCain recovers in a hospital in Hanoi, north Vietnam, from injuries sustained when he was shot down Photograph: Bettmann/Corbis

1973: John McCain is greeted by President Richard Nixon in Washington in the spring after spending more than five years in solitary confinement in a Vietnamese prisoner of war camp Photograph: AP

May 28 1978: The former California governor Ronald Reagan, centre, actor Michael Landon, second from right, and Reagan's wife, Nancy, third from left, greet former POWs during a reunion party in Los Angeles. The party featured entertainers from film and television. At left are the naval captain Howard Ruttledge and his wife, Phyllis. At right is the US navy commander John McCain Photograph: AP

November 2 1982: John McCain, centre, and his second wife, Cindy, with the Arizona Republican representative, John Rhodes, in Phoenix. McCain was elected to the US House of Representatives from Arizona in 1982 Photograph: AP

1982: The vice-president, George Bush Sr, re-enacts the Senate swearing-in of Senator John McCain as his family looks on Photograph: Cynthia Johnson/Getty

March 6 1985: The Republican congressman for Arizona, John McCain, together with Walter Cronkite (not pictured) during a return to Hanoi, Vietnam, in the television programme Honor, Duty and a War Called Vietnam Photograph: Getty

July 11 1995: President Bill Clinton, left, receives applause from Senator John McCain, right, after announcing during ceremonies in the east room of the White House that the US would establish formal relations with communist Vietnam. Looking on in the rear are the secretary of state, Warren Christopher, the defence secretary, William Perry, and the national security adviser Anthony Lake Photograph: Joyce Naltchayan/AFP

September 1999: Senator John McCain, left, greets an unidentified man after signing a copy of his book, Faith of My Fathers, in Washington Photograph: Manny Ceneta/AFP

October 14, 1999: John and Cindy McCain with their children in their home in Phoenix, Arizona. The oldest daughter is Meghan, their adopted daughter is Bridgette and their two sons are Jack and Jimmy Photograph: Karin Cooper/Getty

September 1999: Senator John McCain declares his candidacy for president of the United States in front of supporters in Nahua, New Hampshire Photograph: Porter Gifford/Getty

December 1999: Republican presidential hopefuls - Texas governor, George Bush, left, and Arizona senator, John McCain, right - embrace each other after the debate forum at the Civic Centre of Greater Des Moines in Iowa. McCain announced the suspension of his campaign in March 2000 Photograph: Roberto Schmidt/AFP

February 2000: The Arizona senator and Republican presidential hopeful John McCain and his wife, Cindy, wave to supporters before boarding their charter flight bound for Michigan at Sky Harbour International airport in Phoenix Photograph: Mike Fiala/AFP

September 6 2002: Senator John McCain and Senator Joseph Lieberman join hundreds of other members of Congress in placing American flags at the edge of Ground Zero in New York city Photograph: Win McNamee /Reuters

May 13 2004: Senator John McCain, left, talks to the vice-chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, General Peter Pace, prior to a hearing on the contingency reserve fund before the Senate armed services committee on Capitol Hill in Washington Photograph: Alex Wong/Getty

February 19, 2005: Senator John McCain meets Iraq's interim prime minister, Iyad Allawi, during a short visit by a US congressional delegation in the Green Zone in Baghdad, Iraq. McCain was joined by other members of Congress on a tour of Iraq Photograph: POOL/Getty

February 1 2007: Senator Hillary Clinton, left, and Senator John McCain listen to President George Bush speak during the national prayer breakfast in Washington Photograph: Brendan Smialowski/AFP

April 25, 2007: Standing under a Boston Red Sox umbrella in steady rain Senator John McCain addresses a campaign rally in Manchester, New Hampshire. McCain officially announced his candidacy for president during an early rally in Portsmouth Photograph: Stephan Savoia/AP

August 31 2008: The Republican presidential candidate, John McCain, left, and his running mate, the Alaska governor, Sarah Palin, attend a campaign rally in O'Fallon, Missouri Photograph: Robyn Beck/AFP

October 7 2008: The Democratic presidential nominee, Senator Barack Obama, left, answers a question as the Republican presidential nominee, Senator John McCain, listens during their debate at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee Photograph: Charles Dharapak/Pool/Reuters

October 29 2008: John McCain points into the crowd at a campaign rally at Everglades Lumber in Miami, Florida Photograph: Brian Snyder/Reuters