John Glenn
Chair of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee
In office
January 3, 1987 – January 3, 1995
Preceded byWilliam Roth
Succeeded byWilliam Roth
United States Senator
from Ohio
In office
December 24, 1974 – January 3, 1999
Preceded byHoward Metzenbaum
Succeeded byGeorge Voinovich
Personal details
Born
John Herschel Glenn Jr.

(1921-07-18)July 18, 1921
Cambridge, Ohio, U.S.
DiedDecember 8, 2016(2016-12-08) (aged 95)
Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
Resting placeArlington National Cemetery
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
​
(m. 1943)​
Children2
EducationMuskingum University (BS)
Civilian awards
Signature
Military service
Branch/service
Years of service1941–1965
RankColonel
Battles/wars
Military awards
Space career
NASA astronaut
Time in space
4h 55m 23s[1]
SelectionNASA Group 1 (1959)
MissionsMercury-Atlas 6
Mission insignia
RetirementJanuary 16, 1964
Space career
NASA payload specialist
Time in space
9d 19h 54m[2]
MissionsSTS-95
Mission insignia

John Herschel Glenn Jr. (July 18, 1921 – December 8, 2016) was an American Marine Corps aviator, engineer, astronaut, businessman, and politician. He was the third American in space, and the first American to orbit the Earth, circling it three times in 1962.[3] Following his retirement from NASA, he served from 1974 to 1999 as a U.S. Senator from Ohio; in 1998, he flew into space again at the age of 77.

Before joining NASA, Glenn was a distinguished fighter pilot in World War II, the Chinese Civil War and the Korean War. He shot down three MiG-15s, and was awarded six Distinguished Flying Crosses and eighteen Air Medals. In 1957, he made the first supersonic transcontinental flight across the United States. His on-board camera took the first continuous, panoramic photograph of the United States.

Various NASA video clips of John Glenn through the years.

He was one of the Mercury Seven, military test pilots selected in 1959 by NASA as the nation's first astronauts. On February 20, 1962, Glenn flew the Friendship 7 mission, becoming the first American to orbit the Earth, the third American and fifth person in history to be in space. He received the NASA Distinguished Service Medal in 1962, the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in 1978, was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in 1990, and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012.

Glenn resigned from NASA in January 1964. A member of the Democratic Party, Glenn was first elected to the Senate in 1974 and served for 24 years, until January 1999. In 1998, at age 77, Glenn flew on Space Shuttle Discovery's STS-95 mission, making him the oldest person to enter Earth orbit, the only person to fly in both the Mercury and the Space Shuttle programs, and the first Member of Congress to visit space since Congressman Bill Nelson (D-FL) in 1986. Glenn, both the oldest and the last surviving member of the Mercury Seven, died at the age of 95 on December 8, 2016.

Early life and education

John Herschel Glenn Jr. was born on July 18, 1921, in Cambridge, Ohio, the son of John Herschel Glenn Sr. (1895–1966), who worked for a plumbing firm, and Clara Teresa Glenn (née Sproat; 1897–1971), a teacher.[4][5][6] His parents had married shortly before John Sr., a member of the American Expeditionary Force, left for the Western Front during World War I. The family moved to New Concord, Ohio soon after his birth, and his father started his own business, the Glenn Plumbing Company.[7][8] Glenn Jr. was only a toddler when he met Anna Margaret (Annie) Castor, whom he would later marry. The two would not be able to recall a time when they did not know each other.[7] He first flew in an airplane with his father when he was eight years old. He became fascinated by flight, and built model airplanes from balsa wood kits.[9] Along with his adopted sister Jean,[7] he attended New Concord Elementary School.[10] He washed cars and sold rhubarb to earn money to buy a bicycle, after which he took a job delivering The Columbus Dispatch newspaper.[11] He was a member of the Ohio Rangers, an organization similar to the Cub Scouts.[12] His boyhood home in New Concord has been restored as a historic house museum and education center.[13]

Glenn attended New Concord High School, where he played on the varsity football team as a center and linebacker. He also made the varsity basketball and tennis teams, and was involved with Hi-Y, a junior branch of the YMCA.[14] After graduating in 1939, Glenn entered Muskingum College (now Muskingum University), where he studied chemistry,[15][16] joined the Stag Club fraternity,[17] and played on the football team.[18] Annie majored in music with minors in secretarial studies and physical education and competed on the swimming and volleyball teams, graduating in 1942.[18] Glenn earned a private pilot license and a physics course credit for free through the Civilian Pilot Training Program in 1941.[19] He did not complete his senior year in residence or take a proficiency exam, both required by the school for its Bachelor of Science degree.[20][a]

Military career

World War II

When the United States entered World War II, Glenn quit college to enlist in the U.S. Army Air Corps.[21] He was not called to duty by the Army, and enlisted as a U.S. Navy aviation cadet in March 1942. Glenn attended the University of Iowa in Iowa City for pre-flight training and made his first solo flight in a military aircraft at Naval Air Station Olathe in Kansas, where he went for primary training. During advanced training at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi in Texas, he accepted an offer to transfer to the U.S. Marine Corps.[22] Having completed his flight training in March 1943, Glenn was commissioned as a second lieutenant. Glenn married Annie in a Presbyterian ceremony at College Drive Church in New Concord, Ohio, on April 6, 1943.[23] After advanced training at Camp Kearny, California, he was assigned to Marine Squadron VMJ-353, which flew R4D transport planes from there.[24]

The fighter squadron VMO-155 was also at Camp Kearny flying the Grumman F4F Wildcat. Glenn approached the squadron's commander, Major J. P. Haines, who suggested that he could put in for a transfer. This was approved, and Glenn was posted to VMO-155 on July 2, 1943, two days before the squadron moved to Marine Corps Air Station El Centro in California.[25] The Wildcat was obsolete by this time, and VMO-155 re-equipped with the F4U Corsair in September 1943.[26] He was promoted to first lieutenant in October 1943, and shipped out to Hawaii in January 1944.[24] VMO-155 became part of the garrison on Midway Atoll on February 21,[27] then moved to the Marshall Islands in June 1944 and flew 57 combat missions in the area.[24][28] He received two Distinguished Flying Crosses and ten Air Medals.[29][30]

At the end of his one-year tour of duty in February 1945, Glenn was assigned to Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in North Carolina, then to Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland. He was promoted to captain in July 1945 and ordered back to Cherry Point. There, he joined VMF-913, another Corsair squadron, and learned that he had qualified for a regular commission.[24][31] In March 1946, he was assigned to Marine Corps Air Station El Toro in southern California. He volunteered for service with the occupation in North China, believing it would be a short tour. He joined VMF-218 (another Corsair squadron), which was based at Nanyuan Field near Beijing, in December 1946,[32] and flew patrol missions until VMF-218 was transferred to Guam in March 1947.[24][33]

In December 1948, Glenn was re-posted to NAS Corpus Christi as a student at the Naval School of All-Weather Flight before becoming a flight instructor.[24] In July 1951, he traveled to the Amphibious Warfare School at Marine Corps Base Quantico in northern Virginia for a six-month course.[34] He then joined the staff of the commandant of the Marine Corps Schools. He maintained his proficiency (and flight pay) by flying on weekends and was only allowed four hours of flying time per month.[35] He was promoted to major in July 1952.[24] Glenn received the World War II Victory Medal, American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (with one star), Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp), and the China Service Medal for his efforts.[36][37]

Korean War

Glenn's silver fighter plane on the tarmac, with a yellow stripe behind the cockpit and a checkered pattern on the tail
Glenn's USAF F-86F, dubbed "MiG Mad Marine", during the Korean War in 1953. The names of his wife and children are also written on the aircraft.

Glenn moved his family back to New Concord during a short period of leave, and after two and a half months of jet training at Cherry Point, was ordered to South Korea in October 1952, late in the Korean War.[38] Before he set out for Korea in February 1953, he applied to fly the F-86 Sabre jet fighter-interceptor through an inter-service exchange position with the U.S. Air Force (USAF). In preparation, he arranged with Colonel Leon W. Gray to check out the F-86 at Otis Air Force Base in Massachusetts.[39] Glenn reported to K-3, an airbase in South Korea, on February 3, 1953, and was assigned to be the operations officer for VMF-311, one of two Marine fighter squadrons there while he waited for the exchange assignment to go through.[40] VMF-311 was equipped with the F9F Panther jet fighter-bomber. Glenn's first mission was a reconnaissance flight on February 26.[41] He flew 63 combat missions in Korea with VMF-311,[42] and was nicknamed "Magnet Ass" because of the number of flak hits he took on low-level close air support missions;[43] twice, he returned to base with over 250 holes in his plane.[43][44] He flew for a time with Marine reservist Ted Williams (then in the midst of a Hall of Fame baseball career with the Boston Red Sox) as his wingman.[45] Williams later said about Glenn "Absolutely fearless. The best I ever saw. It was an honor to fly with him."[46] Glenn also flew with future major general Ralph H. Spanjer.[47]

In June 1953, Glenn reported for duty with the USAF's 25th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, and flew 27 combat missions in the F-86, a much faster aircraft than the F9F Panther, patrolling MiG Alley.[48][36] Combat with a MiG-15, which was faster and better armed still,[49] was regarded as a rite of passage for a fighter pilot. On the Air Force buses that ferried the pilots out to the airfields before dawn, pilots who had engaged a MiG could sit while those who had not had to stand.[50] Glenn later wrote, "Since the days of the Lafayette Escadrille during World War I, pilots have viewed air-to-air combat as the ultimate test not only of their machines but of their own personal determination and flying skills. I was no exception."[51] He hoped to become the second Marine jet flying ace after John F. Bolt. Glenn's USAF squadron mates painted "MiG Mad Marine" on his aircraft when he complained about there not being any MIGs to shoot at.[52] He shot down his first MiG in a dogfight on July 12, 1953, downed a second one on July 19, and a third on July 22 when four Sabres shot down three MiGs. These were the final air victories of the war, which ended with an armistice five days later.[53] For his service in Korea, Glenn received two more Distinguished Flying Crosses and eight more Air Medals.[54][55] Glenn also received the Korean Service Medal (with two campaign stars), United Nations Korea Medal, Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal, National Defense Service Medal (with one star), and the Korean War Service Medal.[36][37]

Test pilot

Photo of John Glenn leaning out of a cockpit looking into the distance
Glenn standing in the cockpit of a F-106B in 1961

With combat experience as a fighter pilot, Glenn applied for training as a test pilot while still in Korea. He reported to the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School at NAS Patuxent River in Maryland in January 1954, and graduated in July.[56][57][58] At Patuxent River, future Medal of Honor recipient James Stockdale tutored him in physics and math.[59] Glenn's first flight test assignment, testing the FJ-3 Fury, nearly killed him when its cockpit depressurized and its oxygen system failed.[60] He also tested the armament of aircraft such as the Vought F7U Cutlass and F8U Crusader.[61] From November 1956 to April 1959, he was assigned to the Fighter Design Branch of the Navy Bureau of Aeronautics in Washington, D.C., and attended the University of Maryland.[62]

On July 16, 1957, he made the first supersonic transcontinental flight.[63] Disliking his Bureau of Aeronautics desk job, he devised the flight as both a way to keep flying and publicly demonstrate the F8U Crusader.[64] At that time, the transcontinental speed record, held by an Air Force Republic F-84 Thunderjet, was 3 hours 45 minutes and Glenn calculated that the F8U Crusader could do it faster. Because its 586-mile-per-hour (943 km/h) air speed was faster than that of a .45 caliber bullet, Glenn called the flight Project Bullet.[65] He flew an F8U Crusader 2,445 miles (3,935 km) from Los Alamitos, California to Floyd Bennett Field in New York City in 3 hours, 23 minutes and 8.3 seconds,[62] averaging supersonic speed despite three in-flight refuelings when speeds dropped below 300 miles per hour (480 km/h). His on-board camera took the first continuous, transcontinental panoramic photograph of the United States.[66][67] He received his fifth Distinguished Flying Cross for this mission,[68] and was promoted to lieutenant colonel on April 1, 1959.[69] The cross-country flight made Glenn a minor celebrity. A profile appeared in The New York Times and he appeared on the television show Name That Tune.[66] Glenn now had nearly 9,000 hours of flying time, including about 3,000 hours in jets,[62] but knew that at the age of 36, he was now likely too old to continue to fly.[64]

NASA career

Selection

Main article: Mercury Seven
Glenn in a silver spacesuit, with his helmet on and clear visor down
Glenn in his Mercury spacesuit in 1962

On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite. This damaged American confidence in its technological superiority, creating a wave of anxiety known as the Sputnik crisis. In response, President Dwight D. Eisenhower launched the Space Race. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was established on October 1, 1958, as a civilian agency to develop space technology. One of its first initiatives was announced on December 17, 1958. This was Project Mercury,[70] which aimed to launch a man into Earth orbit, return him safely to the Earth, and evaluate his capabilities in space.[71]

His Bureau of Aeronautics job gave Glenn access to new spaceflight news, such as the X-15 rocket plane.[64] While on duty at Patuxent and in Washington, Glenn read everything he could find about space. His office was asked to send a test pilot to Langley Air Force Base in Virginia to make runs on a spaceflight simulator, as part of research by the newly formed NASA into re-entry vehicle shapes. The pilot would also be sent to the Naval Air Development Center in Johnsville, Pennsylvania, and would be subjected to high G-forces in a centrifuge for comparison with data collected in the simulator. His request for the position was granted, and he spent several days at Langley and a week in Johnsville for the testing.[72] As one of the very few pilots to have done such testing, Glenn had become an expert on the subject.[64] NASA asked military-service members to participate in planning the mockup of a spacecraft. Having participated in the research at Langley and Johnsville, he was sent to the McDonnell plant in St. Louis as a service adviser to NASA's spacecraft mockup board.[72] Envisioning himself in the vehicle, Glenn stated that the passenger would have to be able to control the spacecraft. McDonnell engineers told him of the importance of lightening the vehicle as much as possible, so Glenn began exercising to lose the 30 pounds he estimated that he was overweight.[64]

Eisenhower directed NASA to recruit its first astronauts from military test pilots. Of 508 graduates of test pilot schools, 110 matched the minimum standards.[73] Marine Corps pilots were mistakenly omitted at first; two were quickly found, including Glenn.[64] The candidates had to be younger than 40, possess a bachelor's degree or equivalent, and be 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) or less. Only the height requirement was strictly enforced, owing to the size of the Project Mercury spacecraft.[74] This was fortunate for Glenn, who barely met the requirements, as he was near the age cutoff and lacked a science-based degree,[62] but had taken more classes since leaving college than needed for graduation. Glenn was otherwise so outstanding a candidate that Colonel Jake Dill, his commanding officer at test pilot school, visited NASA headquarters to insist that Glenn would be the perfect astronaut.[64]

The astronauts pose in alphabetical order in front of a delta-winged white jet aircraft. They are holding their flight helmets under their arms. The three Navy aviators wear orange flight suits; the Air Force and Marine ones wear green.
The Mercury Seven astronauts posing with a USAF F-106

For an interview with Charles Donlan, associate director of Project Mercury, Glenn brought the results from the centrifuge to show that he had done well on a test that perhaps no other candidate had taken. Donlan also noticed that Glenn stayed late at night to study schematics of the Mercury spacecraft.[64] He was among the 32 of the first 69 candidates that passed the first step of the evaluation and were interested in continuing, sufficient for the astronaut corps NASA wanted.[75] On February 27 a grueling series of physical and psychological tests began at the Lovelace Clinic and the Wright Aerospace Medical Laboratory.[76]

John Glenn Training Couch at Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center Virginia USA

Because of his Bureau of Aeronautics job, Glenn was already participating in Project Mercury; while other candidates were at Wright, on March 17 he and most of those who would choose the astronauts visited the McDonnell plant building the spacecraft to inspect its progress and make changes. While Glenn had not scored the highest on all the tests, a member of the selection committee recalled how he had impressed everyone with "strength of personality and his dedication". On April 6 Donlan called Glenn to offer him a position at Project Mercury,[64][72] one of seven candidates chosen as astronauts.[77] Glenn was pleased while Annie was supportive, but wary of the danger; during his three years at Patuxent, 12 test pilots had died.[64]

The identities of the seven were announced at a press conference at Dolley Madison House in Washington, D.C., on April 9, 1959:[78] Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, Glenn, Gus Grissom, Wally Schirra, Alan Shepard, and Deke Slayton.[79] In The Right Stuff, Tom Wolfe wrote that Glenn "came out of it as tops among seven very fair-haired boys. He had the hottest record as a pilot, he was the most quotable, the most photogenic, and the lone Marine."[80] The magnitude of the challenge ahead of them was made clear a few weeks later, on the night of May 18, 1959, when the seven astronauts gathered at Cape Canaveral to watch their first rocket launch, of an SM-65D Atlas, which was similar to the one that was to carry them into orbit. A few minutes after liftoff, it exploded spectacularly, lighting up the night sky. The astronauts were stunned. Shepard turned to Glenn and said: "Well, I'm glad they got that out of the way."[81]

Glenn remained an officer in the Marine Corps after his selection,[82] and was assigned to the NASA Space Task Group at Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.[62] The task force moved to Houston, Texas, in 1962, and became part of the NASA Manned Spacecraft Center.[62] A portion of the astronauts' training was in the classroom, where they learned space science. The group also received hands-on training, which included scuba diving and work in simulators.[72] Astronauts secured an additional role in the spaceflight program: to provide pilot input in design. The astronauts divided the various tasks between them. Glenn's specialization was cockpit layout design and control functioning for the Mercury and early Apollo programs.[62] He pressed the other astronauts to set a moral example, living up to the squeaky-clean image of them that had been portrayed by Life magazine, a position that was not popular with the other astronauts.[83]

Friendship 7 flight

Main article: Mercury-Atlas 6
Glenn entering his spacecraft, Friendship 7, prior to the launch of Mercury-Atlas 6 on February 20, 1962

Glenn was the backup pilot for Shepard and Grissom on the first two crewed Project Mercury flights, the sub-orbital missions Mercury-Redstone 3 and Mercury-Redstone 4.[62] Glenn was selected for Mercury-Atlas 6, NASA's first crewed orbital flight, with Carpenter as his backup. Putting a man in orbit would achieve one of Project Mercury's most important goals.[84] Shepard and Grissom had named their spacecraft Freedom 7 and Liberty Bell 7. The numeral 7 had originally been the production number of Shepard's spacecraft, but had come to represent the Mercury 7. Glenn named his spacecraft, number 13, Friendship 7, and had the name hand-painted on the side like the one on his F-86 had been.[85] Glenn and Carpenter completed their training for the mission in January 1962, but postponement of the launch allowed them to continue rehearsing. Glenn spent 25 hours and 25 minutes in the spacecraft performing hangar and altitude tests, and 59 hours and 45 minutes in the simulator. He flew 70 simulated missions and reacted to 189 simulated system failures.[86]

After a long series of delays,[87] Friendship 7 lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on February 20, 1962. During the countdown, there were eleven delays due to equipment malfunctions and improvements and the weather. During Glenn's first orbit, a failure of the automatic-control system was detected. This forced Glenn to operate in manual mode for the second and third orbits, and for re-entry. Later in the flight, telemetry indicated that the heat shield had loosened. If this reading had been accurate, Glenn and his spacecraft would have burned up on re-entry. After a lengthy discussion on how to deal with this problem, ground controllers decided that leaving the retrorocket pack in place might help keep the loose heat shield in place. They relayed these instructions to Glenn, but did not tell him the heat shield was possibly loose; although confused at this order, he complied. The retrorocket pack broke up into large chunks of flaming debris that flew past the window of his capsule during re-entry; Glenn thought this might have been the heat shield. He told an interviewer, "Fortunately it was the rocket pack—or I wouldn't be answering these questions."[88] After the flight, it was determined that the heat shield was not loose; the sensor was faulty.[89]

Dignitaries on an outdoor stage in front of a building with NASA Manned Spacecraft Center on the side
Glenn being honored by U.S. President Kennedy at temporary Manned Spacecraft Center facilities at Cape Canaveral, Florida, three days after his flight

Friendship 7 safely splashed down 800 miles (1,290 km) southeast of Cape Canaveral after Glenn's 4-hour, 55-minute flight.[72][b] He carried a note on the flight which read, "I am a stranger. I come in peace. Take me to your leader and there will be a massive reward for you in eternity" in several languages, in case he landed near southern Pacific Ocean islands.[90] The original procedure called for Glenn to exit through the top hatch, but he was uncomfortably warm and decided that egress through the side hatch would be faster.[72][90] During the flight, he endured up to 7.8 g of acceleration and traveled 75,679 miles (121,794 km) at about 17,500 miles per hour (28,200 km/h).[72] The flight took Glenn to a maximum altitude (apogee) of about 162 miles (261 km) and a minimum altitude of 100 miles (160 km) (perigee).[90] Unlike the crewed missions of Soviet Union's Vostok programme, Glenn remained within the spacecraft during landing.[91][92] The flight made Glenn the first American to orbit the Earth,[93] the third American in space, and the fifth human in space.[94][c] The mission, which Glenn called the "best day of his life", renewed U.S. confidence.[100] His flight occurred while the U.S. and the Soviet Union were embroiled in the Cold War and competing in the Space Race.[101]

Friendship 7 is currently displayed at the National Air and Space Museum.

As the first American in orbit, Glenn became a national hero, met President John F. Kennedy, and received a ticker-tape parade in New York reminiscent of those honoring Charles Lindbergh and other heroes. He became "so valuable to the nation as an iconic figure", according to NASA administrator Charles Bolden, that Kennedy would not "risk putting him back in space again."[102] Glenn's fame and political potential were noted by the Kennedys, and he became a friend of the Kennedy family. On February 23, 1962, President Kennedy gave him the NASA Distinguished Service Medal for his Friendship 7 flight.[89][103] Upon receiving the award, Glenn said, "I would like to consider I was a figurehead for this whole big, tremendous effort, and I am very proud of the medal I have on my lapel."[104] Glenn also received his sixth Distinguished Flying Cross for his efforts.[105] He was among the first group of astronauts to be awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. The award was presented to him by President Jimmy Carter in 1978. After his 1962 spaceflight, NASA proposed giving Glenn the Medal of Honor, but Glenn did not think that would be appropriate. His military and space awards were stolen from his home in 1978, and he remarked that he would keep this medal in a safe.[106]

Comments about women in space

In 1962, NASA contemplated recruiting women to the astronaut corps via the Mercury 13, but Glenn gave a speech before the House Space Committee detailing his opposition to sending women into space, in which he said:

I think this gets back to the way our social order is organized, really. It is just a fact. The men go off and fight the wars and fly the airplanes and come back and help design and build and test them. The fact that women are not in this field is a fact of our social order.[107]

In May 1965, after he left NASA, Glenn was quoted in the Miami Herald as saying NASA "offer a serious chance for space women" as scientist astronauts.[108]

NASA had no official policy prohibiting women, but the requirement that astronauts had to be test pilots effectively excluded them.[109] NASA dropped this requirement in 1965,[110] but did not select any women as astronauts until 1978, when six women were selected, none as pilots.[111] In June 1963, the Soviet Union launched a female cosmonaut, Valentina Tereshkova, into orbit. After Tereshkova, no women of any nationality flew in space again until August 1982, when the Soviet Union launched pilot-cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya.[112] During the late 1970s, Glenn reportedly supported Space Shuttle Mission Specialist Judith Resnik in her career.[113]

Political campaigning

1964 Senate campaign

Main article: 1964 United States Senate election in Ohio

At 42, Glenn was the oldest member of the astronaut corps and would likely be close to 50 by the time the lunar landings took place. During Glenn's training, NASA psychologists determined that he was the astronaut best suited for public life.[114] Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy suggested to Glenn and his wife in December 1962 that he run for the 1964 United States Senate election in Ohio, challenging aging incumbent Stephen M. Young (1889–1984) in the Democratic primary election. As it seemed unlikely that he would be selected for Project Apollo missions,[72] he resigned from NASA on January 16, 1964, and announced his Democratic Party candidacy for the U.S. Senate from his home state of Ohio the following day,[115] becoming the first astronaut-politician.[116] Glenn was still a Marine, and had plenty of unused leave time. He elected to use it while he waited for his retirement papers to go through.[117]

To avoid partisanship, NASA quickly closed Glenn's agency office.[116] The New York Times reported that while many Ohioans were skeptical of Glenn's qualifications for the Senate, he could defeat Young in the Democratic primary; whether he could defeat Representative Robert Taft Jr., the likely Republican candidate, in the general election was much less clear.[118] In late February he was hospitalized for a concussion sustained in a fall against a bathtub while attempting to fix a mirror in a hotel room;[119] an inner-ear injury from the accident left him unable to campaign.[120][121] Both his wife and Scott Carpenter campaigned on his behalf during February and March, but doctors gave Glenn a recovery time of one year. Glenn did not want to win solely because of his astronaut fame, so he dropped out of the race on March 30.[122][123]

Glenn was still on leave from the Marine Corps, and he withdrew his papers to retire so he could keep a salary and health benefits.[117] Glenn was on the list of potential candidates to be promoted to full colonel, but he notified the Commandant of the Marine Corps of his intention to retire so another Marine could receive the promotion. President Johnson later decided to promote Glenn to full colonel status without taking someone else's slot. He retired as a colonel on January 1, 1965. Glenn was approached by RC Cola to join their public relations department, but Glenn declined it because he wanted to be involved with a business, and not just the face of it. The company revised their offer, and offered Glenn a vice president of corporate development position, as well as a place on the board of directors.[124] The company later expanded Glenn's role, promoting him to president of Royal Crown International.[125] A Senate seat was open in 1968, and Glenn was asked about his current political aspirations. He said he had no current plan, and "Let's talk about it one of these days." Glenn also said that a 1970 Senate run was a possibility.[126]

In 1973, he and a friend bought a Holiday Inn near Disney World.[127] The success of Disney World expanded to their business, and the pair built three more hotels.[128] One of Glenn's business partners was Henri Landwirth, a Holocaust survivor who became his best friend.[129] He remembered learning about Landwirth's background: "Henri doesn't talk about it much. It was years before he spoke about it with me and then only because of an accident. We were down in Florida during the space program. Everyone was wearing short-sleeved Ban-Lon shirts—everyone but Henri. Then one day I saw Henri at the pool and noticed the number on his arm. I told Henri that if it were me I'd wear that number like a medal with a spotlight on it."[129]

1970 Senate campaign

Main article: 1970 United States Senate election in Ohio
Glenn presents President Kennedy with an American flag he carried inside his space suit on Friendship 7.

Glenn remained close to the Kennedy family, and campaigned for Robert F. Kennedy during his 1968 presidential campaign.[130][131][132] In 1968, Glenn was in Kennedy's hotel suite when Kennedy heard he had won California. Glenn was supposed to go with him to celebrate, but decided not to as there would be many people there. Kennedy went downstairs to make his victory speech and was assassinated. Glenn and Annie went with Kennedy to the hospital, and the next morning took Kennedy's children home to Virginia.[133] Glenn was later a pallbearer at the funeral in New York.[134]

In 1970, Young did not seek reelection and the seat was open. Businessman Howard Metzenbaum, Young's former campaign manager, was backed by the Ohio Democratic party and major labor unions, which provided him a significant funding advantage over Glenn. Glenn's camp persuaded him to be thrifty during the primary so he could save money for the general election. By the end of the primary campaign, Metzenbaum was spending four times as much as Glenn.[135] Glenn was defeated in the Democratic primary by Metzenbaum (who received 51 percent of the vote to Glenn's 49 percent). Some prominent Democrats said Glenn was a "hapless political rube", and one newspaper called him "the ultimate square".[119]

Metzenbaum lost the general election to Robert Taft Jr.[119] Glenn remained active in the political scene following his defeat. Governor John J. Gilligan appointed Glenn to be the chairman of the Citizens Task Force on Environmental Protection in 1970. The task force was created to survey environmental problems in the state and released a report in 1971 detailing the issues. The meetings and the final report of the task force were major contributors to the formation of Ohio's Environmental Protection Agency.[136]

1974 Senate campaign

Main article: 1974 United States Senate election in Ohio

In 1973, President Nixon ordered Attorney General Elliot Richardson to fire Watergate special prosecutor Archibald Cox. Richardson refused and resigned in protest, triggering the Saturday Night massacre. Ohio Senator William Saxbe, elected in 1968, was appointed attorney general. Both Glenn and Metzenbaum sought the vacated seat, which was to be filled by Governor John Gilligan. Gilligan was planning on a presidential or vice-presidential run in the near future, and offered Glenn the lieutenant governor position, with the thought that Glenn would ascend to governor when Gilligan was elected to a higher position. The Ohio Democratic party backed this solution to avoid what was expected to be a divisive primary battle between Metzenbaum and Glenn. He declined, denouncing their attempts as "bossism" and "blackmail".[119] Glenn's counteroffer suggested that Gilligan fill the position with someone other than Metzenbaum or Glenn so neither would have an advantage going into the 1974 election. Metzenbaum's campaign agreed to back Gilligan in his governor re-election campaign, and Metzenbaum was subsequently appointed in January 1974 to the vacated seat.[119] At the end of Saxbe's term, Glenn challenged Metzenbaum in the primary for the Ohio Senate seat.[137]

Glenn's campaign changed their strategy after the 1970 election. In 1970, Glenn won most of the counties in Ohio, but lost in those with larger populations. The campaign changed its focus, and worked primarily in the large counties.[137] In the primary, Metzenbaum contrasted his strong business background with Glenn's military and astronaut credentials and said that his opponent had "never held a payroll". Glenn's reply became known as the "Gold Star Mothers" speech. He told Metzenbaum to go to a veterans' hospital and "look those men with mangled bodies in the eyes and tell them they didn't hold a job. You go with me to any Gold Star mother and you look her in the eye and tell her that her son did not hold a job".[138] He defeated Metzenbaum 54 to 46 percent before defeating Ralph Perk (the Republican mayor of Cleveland) in the general election, beginning a Senate career which would continue until 1999.[139]

1976 vice presidential consideration

Buttons of Carter's options for vice president

After Jimmy Carter became the presumptive Democratic nominee for president in the 1976 election, Glenn was reported to be in consideration to be Carter's running mate because he was a senator in a pivotal state and for his fame and straightforwardness.[140] Some thought he was too much like Carter, partially because they both had military backgrounds, and that he did not have enough experience to become president.[141] Barbara Jordan was the first keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention. Her speech electrified the crowd, and was filled with applause and standing ovations. Glenn's keynote address immediately followed Jordan's, and he failed to impress the delegates. Walter Cronkite described it as "dull", and other delegates complained that he was hard to hear.[142] Carter called Glenn to inform him the nomination was going to another candidate, and later nominated the veteran politician Walter Mondale. It was also reported that Carter's wife thought Annie Glenn, who had a stutter, would hurt the campaign.[143][144]

1980 Senate campaign

Main article: 1980 United States Senate election in Ohio

In his first reelection campaign, Glenn ran opposed in the primary for the 1980 Senate election. His opponents, engineer Francis Hunstiger and ex-teacher Frances Waterman, were not well-known and poorly funded.[145] His opponents spent only a few thousand dollars on the campaign, while Glenn spent $700,000.[146] Reporters noted that for a race he was likely to win, Glenn was spending a lot of time and money on the campaign. His chief strategist responded to the remarks saying, "It's the way he does things. He takes nothing for granted."[147] Glenn won the primary by a landslide, with 934,230 of the 1.09 million votes.[148]

Jim Betts, who ran unopposed in the Republican primary, challenged Glenn for his seat. Betts publicly stated that Glenn's policies were part of the reason for inflation increases and a lower standard of living.[149] Betts' campaign also attacked Glenn's voting record, saying that he often voted for spending increases. Glenn's campaign's response was that he has been a part of over 3,000 roll calls and "any one of them could be taken out of context".[150] Glenn was projected to win the race easily,[151] and won by the largest margin ever for an Ohio Senator, defeating Betts by over 40 percent.[139][152][153]

1984 presidential campaign

Glenn was unhappy with how divided the country was, and thought labels like conservative and liberal increased the divide. He considered himself a centrist. Glenn thought a more centrist president would help unite the country. Glenn believed his experience as a senator from Ohio was ideal because of the state's diversity.[154] Glenn thought that Ted Kennedy could win the election, but after Kennedy's announcement in late 1982 that he would not seek the presidency, Glenn thought he had a much better chance of winning. He hired a media consultant to help him with his speaking style.[155]

Glenn announced his candidacy for president on April 21, 1983, in the John Glenn High School gymnasium.[156] He started out the campaign out-raising the front-runner, Mondale. He also polled the highest of any Democrat against Reagan.[157] During the fall of 1983, The Right Stuff, a film about the Mercury Seven astronauts, was released. Reviewers saw Ed Harris' portrayal of Glenn as heroic and his staff began to publicize the film to the press.[158] One reviewer said that "Harris' depiction helped transform Glenn from a history-book figure into a likable, thoroughly adoration-worthy Hollywood hero," turning him into a big-screen icon.[158] Others considered the movie to be damaging to Glenn's campaign, serving as only a reminder that Glenn's most significant achievement had occurred decades earlier.[159] Glenn's autobiography said the film "had a chilling effect on the campaign."[160]

William White managed Glenn's campaign until his replacement by Jerry Vento on January 26, 1984.[161] Glenn's campaign decided to forgo the traditional campaigning in early caucuses and primaries, and focus on building campaign offices across the country. He opened offices in 43 states by January 1984. Glenn's campaign spent a significant amount of money on television advertising in Iowa, and Glenn chose not to attend an Iowan debate on farm issues. He finished fifth in the Iowa caucus, and went on to lose New Hampshire. Glenn's campaign continued into Super Tuesday, and he lost there as well. He announced his withdrawal from the race on March 16, 1984.[162] After Mondale defeated him for the nomination, Glenn carried $3 million in campaign debt for over 20 years before receiving a reprieve from the Federal Election Commission.[163][164]

1986 Senate campaign

Main article: 1986 United States Senate election in Ohio

Glenn's Senate seat was challenged by Thomas Kindness. Kindness was unopposed in his primary, while Glenn faced Lyndon LaRouche supporter Don Scott. LaRouche supporters had been recently elected in Illinois, but the Ohio Democratic Party chairman did not think it was likely they would see the same success in Ohio.[165] LaRouche was known for his fringe theories, such as the queen of England being a drug dealer.[166] Kindness spoke to his supporters and warned them against LaRouche candidates. He issued a statement telling voters to reject LaRouche candidates in both Republican and Democratic primaries.[167] Glenn won the primary contest with 88% of the vote.[168]

With the primary complete, Glenn began his campaign against Kindness. Glenn believed he and other Democrats were the targets of a negative campaign thought up by the GOP strategists in Washington. Kindness focused on Glenn's campaign debts for his failed presidential run, and the fact he stopped payments on it while campaigning for the Senate seat.[169] After winning the race with 62% of the vote, Glenn remarked, "We proved that in 1986, they couldn't kill Glenn with Kindness."[170][171]

1992 Senate campaign

Main article: 1992 United States Senate election in Ohio

In 1992, Republican Mike DeWine won the Republican primary and challenged Glenn in the Senate election. Glenn ran unopposed in the primary.[172] DeWine's campaign focused on the need for change and for term limits for senators. This would be Glenn's fourth term as senator.[173] DeWine also criticized Glenn's campaign debts, using a bunny dressed as an astronaut beating a drum, with an announcer saying, "He just keeps owing and owing and owing", a play on the Energizer Bunny.[174] During a debate, Glenn asked DeWine to stop his negative campaign ads, saying "This has been the most negative campaign". DeWine responded that he would if Glenn would disclose how he spent the money he received from Charles Keating, fallout from Glenn being named one of the Keating Five.[175] Glenn won the Senate seat, with 2.4 million votes to DeWine's 2 million votes.[171][176] It was DeWine's first-ever campaign loss. DeWine later worked on the intelligence committee with Glenn and watched his second launch into space.[177]

Senate career

Glenn shaking hands with President Ronald Reagan in 1986

Committee on Governmental Affairs

Glenn requested to be assigned to two committees during his first year as senator: the Government Operations Committee (later known as the Committee on Governmental Affairs), and the Foreign Relations Committee. He was immediately assigned to the Government Operations Committee, and waited for a seat on the Foreign Relations Committee.[178] In 1977, Glenn wanted to chair the Energy, Nuclear Proliferation, and Federal Services Subcommittee of the Governmental Affairs Committee. Abraham Ribicoff, chair of the Governmental Affairs Committee, said he could chair the subcommittee if he also chaired the less popular Federal Services Subcommittee, which was in charge of the U.S. Postal Service. Previous chairs of the Federal Services Subcommittee had lost elections in part because negative campaigns associated the poorly regarded mail service to the chairmen, but Glenn accepted the offer and became the chair of both subcommittees.[179] One of his goals as a new senator was developing environmental policies.[180] Glenn introduced bills on energy policy to try to counter the energy crisis in the 70s. Glenn also introduced legislation promoting nuclear non-proliferation, and was the chief author of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Act of 1978,[181] the first of six major pieces of legislation that he produced on the subject.[136][182]

Glenn chaired the Committee on Governmental Affairs from 1987 to 1995.[183] It was in this role that he discovered safety and environmental problems with the nation's nuclear weapons facilities. Glenn was made aware of the problem at the Fernald Feed Materials Production Center near Cincinnati, and soon found that it affected sites across the nation. Glenn requested investigations from the General Accounting Office of Congress and held several hearings on the issue. He also released a report on the potential costs of hazardous waste cleanup at former nuclear weapons manufacturing facilities, known as the Glenn Report.[184] He spent the remainder of his Senate career acquiring funding to clean up the nuclear waste left at the facilities.[185]

Glenn also focused on reducing government waste. He created legislation to mandate CFOs for large governmental agencies.[186] Glenn wrote a bill to add the office of the inspector general to federal agencies, to help find waste and fraud. He also created legislation intended to prevent the federal government from imposing regulations on local governments without funding. Glenn founded the Great Lakes Task Force, which helped protect the environment of the Great Lakes.[187]

In 1995 Glenn became the ranking minority member of the Committee on Governmental Affairs. Glenn disputed the focus on illegal Chinese donations to the Democrats, and asserted that Republicans also had egregious fundraising issues. The committee chair, Fred Thompson of Tennessee, disagreed and continued the investigation.[188][189] Thompson and Glenn continued to work together poorly for the duration of the investigation. Thompson would give Glenn only information he was legally required to. Glenn would not authorize a larger budget and tried to expand the scope of the investigation to include members of the GOP.[190][191] The investigation concluded with a Republican-written report, which Thompson described as, "... a lot of things strung together that paint a real ugly picture." The Democrats, led by Glenn, said the report "... does not support the conclusion that the China plan was aimed at, or affected, the 1996 presidential election."[192]

Glenn was the vice chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, a subcommittee of the Committee on Governmental Affairs.[193] When the Republican Party regained control of the Senate in 1996, Glenn became the ranking minority member on the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations until he was succeeded by Carl Levin. During this time, the committee investigated issue such as fraud on the Internet, mortgage fraud, and day trading of securities.[194]

Other committees and activities

Glenn in the U.S. Senate

Glenn's father spent his retirement money battling cancer, and would have lost his house if Glenn had not intervened. His father-in-law also had expensive treatments for Parkinson's disease. These health and financial issues motivated him to request a seat on the Special Committee on Aging.[195][196]

Glenn was considered an expert in matters of science and technology. He was a supporter of continuing the B-1 bomber program, which he considered successful. This conflicted with President Carter's desire to fund the B-2 bomber program. Glenn did not fully support development of the B-2 because he had doubts about the feasibility of the stealth technology. He drafted a proposal to slow down the development of the B-2, which could have potentially saved money, but the measure was rejected.[197]

Glenn joined the Foreign Relations Committee in 1978. He became the chairman of the East Asian and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee, for which he traveled to Japan, Korea, the Republic of China, and the People's Republic of China. Glenn helped to pass the Taiwan Enabling Act of 1979. The same year, Glenn's stance on the SALT II treaty caused another dispute with President Carter. Given the loss of radar listening posts in Iran, Glenn did not believe that the U.S. had the capability to monitor the Soviet Union accurately enough to verify compliance with the treaty.[198] During the launching ceremony for the USS Ohio, he spoke about his doubts about verifying treaty compliance. First Lady Rosalynn Carter also spoke at the event, during which she criticized Glenn for speaking publicly about the issue. The Senate never ratified the treaty, in part because of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.[136] Glenn served on the committee until 1985, when he traded it for the Armed Services Committee.[199]

An older John Glenn speaking at a podium, with his glasses perched high above his ears so he can read with them
Glenn delivers remarks during a Congressional Gold Medal ceremony honoring the Apollo 11 astronauts in the Rotunda at the U.S. Capitol in 2011.

Glenn became chairman of the Manpower Subcommittee of the Armed Services Committee in 1987.[200] He introduced legislation such as increasing pay and benefits for American troops in the Persian Gulf during the Gulf War.[201] He served as chairman until 1993, becoming chairman of the Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Readiness and Defense Infrastructure.[202]

Keating Five

Main article: Keating Five

Glenn was one of the Keating Five—the U.S. Senators involved with the savings and loan crisis—after he accepted a $200,000 campaign contribution from Lincoln Savings and Loan Association head Charles Keating. During the crisis, the senators were accused of delaying the seizure of Keating's S&L, which cost taxpayers an additional $2 billion. The combination of perceived political pressure and Keating's monetary contributions to the senators led to an investigation.[203]

The Ethics Committee's outside counsel, Robert Bennett, wanted to eliminate Republican senator John McCain and Glenn from the investigation. The Democrats did not want to exclude McCain, as he was the only Republican being investigated, which means they could not excuse Glenn from the investigation either.[204] McCain and Glenn were reprimanded the least of the five, as the Senate commission found that they had exercised "poor judgment".[205] The GOP focused on Glenn's "poor judgment" rather than what Glenn saw as complete exoneration. GOP chairman Robert Bennett said, "John Glenn misjudged Charles Keating. He also misjudged the tolerance of Ohio's taxpayers, who are left to foot the bill of nearly $2 billion."[206] After the Senate's report, Glenn said, "They so firmly put this thing to bed ... there isn't much there to fuss with. I didn't do anything wrong."[207] In his autobiography, Glenn wrote, "outside of people close to me dying, these hearings were the low point of my life." The case cost him $520,000 in legal fees.[204] The association of his name with the scandal made Republicans hopeful that he could be defeated in the 1992 campaign, but Glenn defeated Lieutenant Governor Mike DeWine to retain his seat.[208]

Retirement

On February 20, 1997, which was the 35th anniversary of his Friendship 7 flight, Glenn announced that his retirement from the Senate would occur at the end of his term in January 1999.[209] Glenn retired because of his age, saying "... There is still no cure for the common birthday".[210]

Return to space

Main article: STS-95
A bespectacled, smiling Glenn in close quarters on the space shuttle Discovery
Glenn on the Space Shuttle Discovery in 1998
STS-95 portrait
Glenn, wearing his glasses and black coveralls over a white T-shirt, has the inside of his elbow taped by a crew member wearing an orange and blue polo
Glenn getting his blood drawn in space for an experiment

After the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986, Glenn criticized putting a "lay person in space for the purpose of gaining public support . . . while the shuttle is still in its embryonic stage". He supported flying research scientists.[211] In 1995, Glenn read Space Physiology and Medicine, a book written by NASA doctors. He realized that many changes that occur to physical attributes during space flight, such as loss of bone and muscle mass and blood plasma,[212] are the same as changes that result from aging. Glenn thought NASA should send an older person on a shuttle mission, and that it should be him. Starting in 1995, he began lobbying NASA director Dan Goldin for the mission.[213] Goldin said he would consider it if there was a scientific reason, and if Glenn could pass the same physical examination the younger astronauts took. Glenn performed research on the subject, and passed the physical examination. On January 16, 1998, NASA Administrator Dan Goldin announced that Glenn would be part of the STS-95 crew;[214] this made him, at age 77, the oldest person to fly in space at that time.[215]

NASA and the National Institute of Aging (NIA) planned to use Glenn as a test subject for research, with biometrics taken before, during and after his flight. Some experiments (in circadian rhythms, for example) compared him with the younger crew members. In addition to these tests, he was in charge of the flight's photography and videography. Glenn returned to space on the Space Shuttle on October 29, 1998, as a payload specialist on Space Shuttle Discovery.[216] Shortly before the flight, researchers disqualified Glenn from one of the flight's two major human experiments (on the effect of melatonin) for undisclosed medical reasons; he participated in experiments on sleep monitoring and protein use.[212][217] On November 6, President Bill Clinton sent a congratulatory email to Glenn aboard the Discovery. This is often cited as the first email sent by a sitting U.S. president, but records exist of emails being sent by President Clinton several years earlier.[218]

His participation in the nine-day mission was criticized by some members of the space community as a favor granted by Clinton; John Pike, director of the Federation of American Scientists' space-policy project, said: "If he was a normal person, he would acknowledge he's a great American hero and that he should get to fly on the shuttle for free ... He's too modest for that, and so he's got to have this medical research reason. It's got nothing to do with medicine".[89][219]

In a 2012 interview, Glenn said he regretted that NASA did not continue its research on aging by sending additional elderly people into space.[212] After STS-95 returned safely, its crew received a ticker-tape parade. On October 15, 1998, NASA Road 1 (the main route to the Johnson Space Center) was temporarily renamed John Glenn Parkway for several months.[220] Glenn was awarded the NASA Space Flight Medal in 1998 for flying on STS-95.[105] In 2001, Glenn opposed sending Dennis Tito, the world's first space tourist, to the International Space Station because Tito's trip had no scientific purpose.[221]

Personal life

Black-and-white photo of the Glenns
Annie and John Glenn in 1965

Glenn and Annie had two children—John David and Carolyn Ann—and two grandchildren,[222] and remained married for 73 years until his death.[223]

A Freemason, Glenn was a member of Concord Lodge No. 688 in New Concord, Ohio.[224][225] He received all his degrees in full in a Mason at Sight ceremony from the Grand Master of Ohio in 1978, 14 years after petitioning his lodge. In 1999, Glenn became a 33rd-degree Scottish Rite Mason in the Valley of Cincinnati (NMJ).[226] As an adult, he was honored as part of the DeMolay Legion of Honor by DeMolay International, a Masonic youth organization for boys.[227][228]

Glenn was an ordained elder of the Presbyterian Church.[229] His religious faith began before he became an astronaut, and was reinforced after he traveled in space. "To look out at this kind of creation and not believe in God is to me impossible," said Glenn after his second (and final) space voyage.[230] He saw no contradiction between belief in God and the knowledge that evolution is "a fact" and believed evolution should be taught in schools:[231] "I don't see that I'm any less religious that I can appreciate the fact that science just records that we change with evolution and time, and that's a fact. It doesn't mean it's less wondrous and it doesn't mean that there can't be some power greater than any of us that has been behind and is behind whatever is going on."[232]

Public appearances

A bespectacled Glenn speaking at an outdoor podium
Glenn at the ceremony transferring the Space Shuttle Discovery to the Smithsonian Institution

Glenn was an honorary member of the International Academy of Astronautics and a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, Marine Corps Aviation Association, Order of Daedalians, National Space Club board of trustees, National Space Society board of governors, International Association of Holiday Inns, Ohio Democratic Party, State Democratic Executive Committee, Franklin County (Ohio) Democratic Party and the 10th District (Ohio) Democratic Action Club. In 2001 he guest-starred as himself on the American television sitcom Frasier.[233]

On September 5, 2009, John and Annie Glenn dotted the "i" in Ohio State University's Script Ohio marching band performance during the Ohio State–Navy football-game halftime show, which is normally reserved for veteran band members.[234] To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Friendship 7 flight on February 20, 2012, he had an unexpected opportunity to speak with the orbiting crew of the International Space Station when he was onstage with NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden at Ohio State University.[235] On April 19, 2012, Glenn participated in the ceremonial transfer of the retired Space Shuttle Discovery from NASA to the Smithsonian Institution for permanent display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. He used the occasion to criticize the "unfortunate" decision to end the Space Shuttle program, saying that grounding the shuttles delayed research.[236]

Illness and death

Glenn was in good health for most of his life. He retained a private pilot's license until 2011 when he was 90.[237] In June 2014, Glenn underwent successful heart valve replacement surgery at the Cleveland Clinic.[238] In early December 2016, he was hospitalized at the James Cancer Hospital of Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus.[239][240][241] According to a family source, Glenn had been in declining health, and his condition was grave; his wife and their children and grandchildren were at the hospital.[242]

Six marines carrying Glenn's casket, which has an American flag draped around it
Glenn's casket carried by Marine Corps pallbearers
Glenn's headstone at Arlington National Cemetery

Glenn died on December 8, 2016, at the OSU Wexner Medical Center; he was 95 years old.[223][243] No cause of death was disclosed. After his death, his body lay in state at the Ohio Statehouse. There was a memorial service at Mershon Auditorium at Ohio State University.[223] Another memorial service was performed at Kennedy Space Center near the Heroes and Legends building.[244][245] His body was interred at Arlington National Cemetery on April 6, 2017.[246][247] At the time of his death, Glenn was the last surviving member of the Mercury Seven.[248]

The Military Times reported that William Zwicharowski, a senior mortuary official at Dover Air Force Base, had offered to let visiting inspectors view Glenn's remains, sparking an official investigation.[249][250] Zwicharowski has denied the remains were disrespected.[251] At the conclusion of the investigation, officials said the remains were not disrespected as inspectors did not accept Zwicharowski's offer, and that Zwicharowski's actions were improper. No administrative action was taken as he had retired.[252]

President Barack Obama said that Glenn, "the first American to orbit the Earth, reminded us that with courage and a spirit of discovery there's no limit to the heights we can reach together".[253] Tributes were also paid by Vice President Joe Biden, President-elect Donald Trump[254] and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.[255]

The phrase "Godspeed, John Glenn", which fellow Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter had used to hail Glenn's launch into space, became a social-media hashtag: #GodspeedJohnGlenn. Former and current astronauts added tributes; so did NASA Administrator and former shuttle astronaut Charles Bolden, who wrote: "John Glenn's legacy is one of risk and accomplishment, of history created and duty to country carried out under great pressure with the whole world watching."[256] President Obama ordered flags to be flown at half-staff until Glenn's burial.[257] On April 5, 2017, President Donald Trump issued presidential proclamation 9588, titled "Honoring the Memory of John Glenn".[258][259]

Awards and honors

Glenn was awarded the John J. Montgomery Award in 1963.[260] Glenn received the National Geographic Society's Hubbard Medal in 1962.[261] Glenn, along with 37 other space race astronauts, received the Ambassador of Space Exploration Award in 2006.[88] He was also awarded the General Thomas D. White National Defense Award,[262] and the Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation.[263] In 1964, Glenn received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement.[264] In 2004, he received the Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service from the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars of the Smithsonian Institution,[265][266] and was awarded the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Theodore Roosevelt Award for 2008.[267]

Barack Obama putting on Glenn's Medal of Freedom from behind
Receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama in 2012

Glenn earned the Navy's astronaut wings and the Marine Corps' Astronaut Medal.[36] He was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2011 and was among the first group of astronauts to be granted the distinction.[268] In 2012, President Barack Obama presented Glenn with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Glenn was the seventh astronaut to receive this distinction. The Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom are considered the two most prestigious awards that can be bestowed on a civilian.[269] The Society of Experimental Test Pilots awarded Glenn the Iven C. Kincheloe award in 1963,[270] and he was inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame in 1968,[271] National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1976,[272] the International Space Hall of Fame in 1977,[273] and the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in 1990.[274][275] In 2000, he received the U.S. Senator John Heinz Award for public service by an elected or appointed official, one of the annual Jefferson Awards.[276]

A photo of the John Glenn College of Public Affairs, with an American flag hanging inside and a cyclist riding past the stone steps
The John Glenn College of Public Affairs

In 1961, Glenn received an honorary LL.D from Muskingum University, the college he attended before joining the military in World War II.[20] He also received honorary doctorates from Nihon University in Tokyo;[277] Wagner College in Staten Island, New York; Ohio Northern University;[278] Williams College;[279][280] and Brown University.[281] In 1998 he helped found the John Glenn Institute for Public Service and Public Policy at Ohio State University to encourage public service. The institute merged with OSU's School of Public Policy and Management to become the John Glenn School of Public Affairs. He held an adjunct professorship at the school.[282] In February 2015, it was announced that it would become the John Glenn College of Public Affairs in April.[283]

The Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field in Cleveland is named after him, and the Senator John Glenn Highway runs along a stretch of I-480 in Ohio across from the Glenn Research Center.[284][285] Colonel Glenn Highway (which passes Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and Wright State University near Dayton, Ohio), John Glenn High School in his hometown of New Concord, Elwood-John H. Glenn High School in the hamlet of Elwood, Town of Huntington, Long Island, New York, and the former Col. John Glenn Elementary in Seven Hills, Ohio, were also named for him.[286][287] Colonel Glenn Road in Little Rock, Arkansas, was named for him in 1962.[288] High schools in Westland[289] and Bay City, Michigan;[290] Walkerton, Indiana;[291] and Norwalk, California bear Glenn's name.[292][293] The fireboat John H. Glenn Jr., operated by the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department and protecting sections of the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers which run through Washington, D.C., was named for him, as was USNS John Glenn (T-MLP-2), a mobile landing platform delivered to the U.S. Navy on March 12, 2014.[294] In June 2016, the Port Columbus International Airport in Columbus, Ohio, was renamed John Glenn Columbus International Airport. Glenn and his family attended the ceremony, during which he spoke about how visiting the airport as a child had kindled his interest in flying.[295] On September 12, 2016, Blue Origin announced the New Glenn, a rocket.[296] Orbital ATK named the Cygnus space capsule used in the NASA CRS OA-7 mission to the international space station "S.S. John Glenn" in his honor. The mission successfully lifted off on April 16, 2017.[297]

Although never a Scout himself, Glenn heavily endorsed Boy Scouts. His son, John David, attained the coveted rank of Eagle Scout that many of Glenn's aviator peers also achieved.[298]

Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Naval Aviator Astronaut Insignia[36]
Distinguished Flying Cross
with three gold stars and one bronze cluster[36]
Air Medal
with one silver and 2 gold stars and two silver clusters[36] 		Navy Presidential Unit Citation[37] Navy Unit Commendation[36]
Presidential Medal of Freedom[299] Congressional Space Medal of Honor[36] NASA Distinguished Service Medal[36]
NASA Space Flight Medal
with one oak leaf cluster[36] 		Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal[37] China Service Medal[36]
American Campaign Medal[36] Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
with one star[37] 		World War II Victory Medal[36]
Navy Occupation Service Medal[37]
with "ASIA" clasp 		National Defense Service Medal
with one star[36] 		Korean Service Medal
with two campaign stars[37]
Presidential Unit Citation (Korea)[36] United Nations Korea Medal[36] Korean War Service Medal[36]

Legacy

Glenn's public life and legacy began when he received his first ticker-tape parade for breaking the transcontinental airspeed record.[300] As a senator, he used his military background to write legislation to reduce nuclear proliferation. He also focused on reducing government waste.[36][301][300] Buzz Aldrin wrote that Glenn's Friendship 7 flight, "... helped to galvanize the country's will and resolution to surmount significant technical challenges of human spaceflight."[302]

President Barack Obama said, "With John's passing, our nation has lost an icon and Michelle and I have lost a friend. John spent his life breaking barriers, from defending our freedom as a decorated Marine Corps fighter pilot in World War II and Korea, to setting a transcontinental speed record, to becoming, at age 77, the oldest human to touch the stars."[303] Obama issued a presidential proclamation on December 9, 2016, ordering the US flag to be flown at half-staff in Glenn's memory.[304] NASA administrator Charles Bolden said: "Senator Glenn's legacy is one of risk and accomplishment, of history created and duty to country carried out under great pressure with the whole world watching".[305][306]

References

Notes

  1. ^ Muskingum awarded his bachelor's degree in 1962, after Glenn's Mercury space flight.[20]
  2. ^ The spacecraft landed 41 miles (66 km) west and 19 miles (31 km) north of the target landing site. Friendship 7 was recovered by the USS Noa, which had the spacecraft on the deck 21 minutes after landing; Glenn was in the capsule during the recovery operation.[72]
  3. ^ Perth, Western Australia, became known worldwide as the "City of Light"[95] when residents turned on their house, car and streetlights as Glenn passed overhead.[96][97] The city repeated the act when Glenn rode the Space Shuttle in 1998.[98][99]

Citations

  1. ^ "Mercury-Atlas 6". NASA. November 20, 2006. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  2. ^ "STS-95". NASA. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  3. ^ "John Glenn becomes first American to orbit Earth". A&E Television Networks. February 9, 2010. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  4. ^ "John Glenn's parents". Geneanet.org.
  5. ^ "John Glenn's parents". John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. Archived from the original on December 21, 2016. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
  6. ^ "John Glenn Archives, Audiovisuals Subgroup, Series 3: Certificates". Ohio State University. Archived from the original on December 21, 2014. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
  7. ^ a b c Burgess 2015, pp. 43–46.
  8. ^ Kupperberg 2003, pp. 15, 35.
  9. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, pp. 13–16.
  10. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, p. 25.
  11. ^ Burgess 2015, pp. 46–47.
  12. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, pp. 24–29.
  13. ^ "John Glenn Boyhood Home and Museum". The Times Recorder. Zanesville, Ohio. June 11, 2008. p. 28 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, p. 47.
  15. ^ "Off-Campus Credits for Glenn". The News-Messenger. Fremont, Ohio. Associated Press. October 4, 1983. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Hannah, James (March 29, 1983). "Glenn Plans Launch Of Big Venture Where It All Began". Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. Lancaster, Ohio. Associated Press. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Muskingum Grad to Conduct Solar Experiments Aboard Oct. 29 Shuttle Flight with Muskie John Glenn on Board". Muskingum College. PR Newswire. October 16, 1998. Archived from the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  18. ^ a b Glenn & Taylor 1999, pp. 58–59.
  19. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, p. 60.
  20. ^ a b c "College says Glenn degree was deserved". The Day. New London, Ohio. October 4, 1983. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  21. ^ "John Glenn Dead at 95 | Remembering the First American To Orbit Earth". ABC News. December 8, 2016. Archived from the original on October 30, 2021 – via YouTube.
  22. ^ "John Glenn: Biographical Sketch". Ohio State University. 2009. Archived from the original on October 17, 2009.
  23. ^ Burgess 2015, p. 50.
  24. ^ a b c d e f g Burgess 2015, pp. 51–55.
  25. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, pp. 93–96.
  26. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, pp. 103–107.
  27. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, pp. 111–117.
  28. ^ Carpenter et al. 2010, p. 31.
  29. ^ "The Man". Ohio State University. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  30. ^ "Valor awards for John Herschel Glenn". Military Times. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  31. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, pp. 135–141.
  32. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, p. 147.
  33. ^ "#VeteranOfTheDay Marine Corps Veteran John Glenn". U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. December 8, 2016. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  34. ^ Tilton 2000, p. 34.
  35. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, p. 166.
  36. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s "Profile of John Glenn". NASA. December 5, 2016. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  37. ^ a b c d e f g "Death of John H. Glenn Jr., Retired Marine and U.S. Senator". Marine Corps. December 9, 2016. Archived from the original on April 11, 2017. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
  38. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, pp. 167–169.
  39. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, pp. 186–187.
  40. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, p. 171.
  41. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, p. 175.
  42. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, p. 186.
  43. ^ a b Glenn & Taylor 1999, p. 180.
  44. ^ Mersky 1983, p. 183.
  45. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, pp. 180–184.
  46. ^ "How Ted Williams described being John Glenn's wingman". www.boston.com. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  47. ^ Breslin, Meg McSherry (February 12, 1999). "Ralph H. Spanjer, 78". Chicago Tribune. Chicago. Archived from the original on April 10, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  48. ^ "John Glenn standing beside his F-86 Sabre". John Glenn Archives, the Ohio State University. Original Photo, 4 X 5 Inches. John Glenn Archives. Ohio State University. 1953. hdl:1811/50348. Original Photo, 4 × 5 Inches.
  49. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, pp. 187.
  50. ^ Wolfe 1979, pp. 41–42.
  51. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, p. 185.
  52. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, p. 189.
  53. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, pp. 192–196.
  54. ^ Faherty, John (December 8, 2016). "John Glenn, astronaut and Senator, dead at age 95". The Cincinnati Enquirer. MacLean, Virginia. Archived from the original on March 27, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  55. ^ Burgess 2015, pp. 55–56.
  56. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, pp. 204–206.
  57. ^ Vogel, Steve (June 7, 1998). "Pax River Yields a Constellation of Astronaut Candidates". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  58. ^ "The History of Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland". United States Navy. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  59. ^ "Jim Stockdale, Glenn's tutor at Pax River". The National Aviation Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on February 16, 2017. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
  60. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, pp. 208–210.
  61. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, pp. 212–220.
  62. ^ a b c d e f g h "Biographical Data : JOHN HERSCHEL GLENN, JR. (COLONEL, USMC, RET.) NASA ASTRONAUT (DECEASED)" (PDF). NASA. December 2016. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  63. ^ Rhian, Jason (December 8, 2016). "Silent Seven: John Glenn, last Mercury astronaut, dies at 95". SpaceFlight Insider. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  64. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Shesol, Jeff (2021). Mercury Rising: John Glenn, John Kennedy, and the New Battleground of the Cold War. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. pp. 31–32, 55–64. ISBN 9781324003250.
  65. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, pp. 220–221.
  66. ^ a b Glenn & Taylor 1999, pp. 222–227.
  67. ^ Deffree, Suzanne (July 16, 2012). "'Project Bullet' sets transcontinental speed record, July 16, 1957". EDN. Archived from the original on December 21, 2016. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  68. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, p. 228.
  69. ^ Burgess 2015, p. 68.
  70. ^ Burgess 2011, pp. 25–29.
  71. ^ Swenson, Grimwood & Alexander 1966, p. 134.
  72. ^ a b c d e f g h i Gray, Tara. "John H. Glenn Jr". NASA History Program Office. Archived from the original on January 28, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  73. ^ Atkinson & Shafritz 1985, pp. 36–39.
  74. ^ Burgess 2011, p. 35.
  75. ^ Atkinson & Shafritz 1985, p. 40-42.
  76. ^ Atkinson & Shafritz 1985, pp. 43–47.
  77. ^ Burgess 2011, pp. 234–237.
  78. ^ Burgess 2011, pp. 274–275.
  79. ^ Atkinson & Shafritz 1985, pp. 42–47.
  80. ^ Wolfe 1979, p. 121.
  81. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, pp. 274–275.
  82. ^ Tilton 2000, p. 43.
  83. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, pp. 292–295.
  84. ^ Swenson, Grimwood & Alexander 1966, p. 407.
  85. ^ Burgess 2015, pp. 76–79.
  86. ^ Swenson, Grimwood & Alexander 1966, p. 418.
  87. ^ Burgess 2015, pp. 80–86.
  88. ^ a b "NASA Honors a Legendary Astronaut". NASA. February 21, 2006. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  89. ^ a b c "John Glenn Stirs Controversy". CBS. October 8, 1998. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2016. There are people at NASA who have said this is a multi-million dollar joy ride for someone who supports President Clinton, and he's getting a payback.
  90. ^ a b c "John H. Glenn Jr". New Mexico Museum of Space History. Archived from the original on December 11, 2016. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  91. ^ "Ad Astra: The past, present, and future of spacecraft". Interesting Engineering. April 28, 2022. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  92. ^ "'That was a real fireball': What happened when John Glenn orbited the Earth in 1962". Washington Post. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  93. ^ "Glenn Orbits the Earth". NASA. February 16, 2012. Archived from the original on April 20, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2008.
  94. ^ "International Space Hall of Fame :: Inductee Profile". New Mexico Museum of Space History. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  95. ^ "City of light – 50 years in Space". Western Australian Museum. Archived from the original on December 1, 2016.
  96. ^ Perth – a city of light (Video recording). Perth, W.A.: Brian Williams Productions for the Government of WA. 1970. The social and recreational life of Perth. Begins with a 'mock-up' of the lights of Perth as seen by astronaut John Glenn in February 1962.
  97. ^ Gregory, Jenny (2005). "Sir Henry Rudolph (Harry) Howard". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
  98. ^ "Moment in Time – Episode 1". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. February 15, 2008. Archived from the original on August 21, 2008. Retrieved July 14, 2008.
  99. ^ King, Rhianna (February 12, 2012). "The moment Perth became the 'City of Lights'". WA Today. Perth, WA. Archived from the original on October 25, 2016. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
  100. ^ "John Glenn Celebrates Orbiting the Earth". ABC News. February 20, 2012. Archived from the original on October 30, 2021 – via YouTube.
  101. ^ Koren, Marina (December 8, 2016). "Remembering John Glenn". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on March 5, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  102. ^ "NASA Remembers American Legend John Glenn". NASA. December 8, 2016. Archived from the original on October 30, 2021 – via YouTube.
  103. ^ "President John F. Kennedy Pins NASA Distinguished Service Medal on John Glenn". NASA. May 13, 2015. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  104. ^ Halvorson, Todd (January 16, 1998). "Shuttle flight would make senator oldest space traveler". Florida Today. Cocoa, Florida. p. 10. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  105. ^ a b "Finding Aids" (PDF). Ohio State University. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  106. ^ Thomas, Richard G. (October 1, 1978). "Glenn will put this medal in a safe". News-Journal. Mansfield, Ohio. p. 20 – via Newspapers.com.
  107. ^ Nolan, Stephanie (October 12, 2002). "One giant leap – backward: Part 2". The Globe and Mail. Toronto, Canada. Archived from the original on September 13, 2004. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  108. ^ John Glenn's fan mail shows many girls dreamed of the stars – but sexism in the early space program thwarted their ambitions
  109. ^ Atkinson & Shafritz 1985, p. 96.
  110. ^ Atkinson & Shafritz 1985, pp. 77–81.
  111. ^ Atkinson & Shafritz 1985, pp. 133–134.
  112. ^ "Svetlana Savitskaya (1948–), Pioneer Cosmonaut". Monash University. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
  113. ^ Kevles 2003, p. 98.
  114. ^ Catchpole 2001, p. 96.
  115. ^ "Who Was John Glenn?". NASA. December 8, 2016. Archived from the original on January 18, 2017. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
  116. ^ a b Via The New York Times. "From Orbiting The Earth To The Arena of Politics", St. Petersburg Times, January 18, 1964. Accessed July 28, 2009.
  117. ^ a b Glenn & Taylor 1999, p. 403.
  118. ^ Jones, David R. "Ohio Voters Split on Race by Glenn; Many Oppose Astronaut's Entry Into Senate Test", The New York Times, January 22, 1964. Accessed July 28, 2009.
  119. ^ a b c d e McDiarmid, Hugh (January 17, 1998). "Rocket man fizzled early as politician". Detroit Free Press. Detroit, Michigan. p. 3. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  120. ^ Raines, Howell (November 13, 1983). "John Glenn: The Hero as Candidate". The New York Times. New York. p. 40. Archived from the original on March 9, 2014. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  121. ^ Mattson, Richard H (March 31, 1964). "Doctors Urge He Quit Race". The New York Times. New York. p. 19.
  122. ^ "John Glenn's plans all derailed today". Kentucky New Era. Hopkinsville, Kentucky. February 29, 1964. p. 2. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  123. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, pp. 401–402.
  124. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, pp. 409–411.
  125. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, p. 318.
  126. ^ "Glenn for Senate? Possible, he says". Dayton Daily News. Dayton, Ohio. Associated Press. August 29, 1968. p. 4. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  127. ^ "The History of our Kissimmee Family Hotel". Seralago Hotel. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  128. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, p. 319.
  129. ^ a b Kramer, Michael (January 31, 1983). "John Glenn: The Right Stuff". New York. p. 24.
  130. ^ Battelle, Phyllis (June 25, 1968). "John Glenn, Kennedy Family Recalled as Close Friends". Panama City News-Herald. Panama City, Florida. p. 4. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  131. ^ "John Glenn Backs Kennedy at Ohio State Appearance". Palladium-Item. Richmond, Indiana. United Press International. April 25, 1968. p. 16. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  132. ^ "John Glenn Backs Kennedy on Visit to Sioux Falls". Argus-Leader. Sioux Falls, South Dakota. June 4, 1968. p. 8. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  133. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, pp. 322–323.
  134. ^ Kupperberg 2003, p. 80.
  135. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, p. 324.
  136. ^ a b c "Political Career". Ohio State University. May 10, 2016. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
  137. ^ a b Glenn & Taylor 1999, p. 328.
  138. ^ Kennedy, Eugene (October 11, 1981). "John Glenn's Presidential Countdown". The New York Times. New York. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  139. ^ a b Knight 2003, p. 114.
  140. ^ "Is John Glenn ready for vice presidency?". The Akron Beacon Journal. Akron, Ohio. July 4, 1976. p. 1. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  141. ^ "Is John Glenn ready for vice presidency?". The Akron Beacon Journal. Akron, Ohio. July 4, 1976. p. 7. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  142. ^ "Ohio delegates cite Glenn's inexperience as critical factor". Fremont News-Messenger. Fremont, Ohio. p. 5. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  143. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, pp. 334–335.
  144. ^ Kennedy, Eugene (October 11, 1981). "John Glenn's Presidential Countdown". The New York Times. New York. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  145. ^ "Glenn Facing Two Unknowns". The Times Recorder. Zanesville, Ohio. Associated Press. June 1, 1980. p. 15. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  146. ^ "Glenn is Senate Winner". The Tribune. Coshocton, Ohio. June 4, 1980. p. 3. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  147. ^ "Glenn Seen as Victor". The Times Recorder. Zanesville, Ohio. Associated Press. June 4, 1980. p. 1. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  148. ^ "Democratic Primary: June 3, 1980". Ohio Secretary of State. Archived from the original on September 1, 2018. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  149. ^ Nemeth, Neil (April 1, 1980). "Betts assails Glenn". News-Journal. Mansfield, Ohio. p. 10. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  150. ^ "Foe claims senator vulnerable". News-Journal. Mansfield, Ohio. Associated Press. September 15, 1980. p. 27. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  151. ^ Wheat, Warren (October 10, 1980). "Glenn Takes His Campaign on the Road". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Cincinnati, Ohio. p. 15. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  152. ^ Wheat, Warren (November 11, 1980). "Sen. Metzenbaum may be a 'marked man'". News Herald. Port Clinton, Ohio. p. 4. Retrieved February 3, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  153. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, p. 343.
  154. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, p. 344.
  155. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, p. 346.
  156. ^ "John Glenn announces candidacy for president". The Montgomery Advertiser. Montgomery, Alabama. Associated Press. April 22, 1983. p. 2. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  157. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, p. 348.
  158. ^ a b Raftery, Brian (December 8, 2016). "How John Glenn Became a Big-screen Hero in The Right Stuff". Wired. Archived from the original on March 5, 2017. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
  159. ^ Greenfield, Jeff (December 8, 2016). "John Glenn, Hero and Political Cautionary Tale". Politico. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  160. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, p. 349.
  161. ^ "Glenn shakeup". Quad-City Times. January 27, 1984. p. 12. Archived from the original on February 13, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  162. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, pp. 348–350.
  163. ^ Luce, Edward (May 9, 2008). "Well of donors dries up for Clinton". Financial Times. Archived from the original on July 5, 2008. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
  164. ^ Luo, Michael (June 10, 2008). "For Clinton, Millions in Debt and Few Options". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 25, 2015. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  165. ^ "Politicians Unconcerned About LaRouche Candidates". Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. Lancaster, Ohio. Associated Press. March 24, 1986. p. 16. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  166. ^ Benson, Miles (May 15, 1986). "LaRouche Backers Fizzle at the Poll". The Tampa Tribune. Tampa, Florida. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
  167. ^ "Gillmor: Ohio 'For Sale' under Celeste". The Newark Advocate. Newark, Ohio. Associated Press. April 11, 1986. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  168. ^ "Democratic Primary, May 6 1986". Ohio Secretary of State. Archived from the original on September 6, 2018. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  169. ^ White, Keith; Jadrnak, Jackie (September 1, 1986). "Here's a rundown on state races in Ohio". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Cincinnati, Ohio. p. 26. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  170. ^ "Glenn Wins in Landslide". Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. Lancaster, Ohio. Associated Press. November 5, 1986. p. 2. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  171. ^ a b "Voters Say Glenn Has Right Stuff". Lancaster-Eagle Gazette. Lancaster, Ohio. Associated Press. November 4, 1992. p. 3. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  172. ^ "Today's primary races in spotlight". The Indianapolis News. Indianapolis, Indiana. Associated Press. June 2, 1992. p. 3. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  173. ^ "DeWine gets easy win to face Glenn". The Tribune. Coshocton, Ohio. Associated Press. June 3, 1992. p. 3. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  174. ^ "DeWine won't get chance to make Washington change". Marysville Journal-Tribune. Marysville, Ohio. Associated Press. November 4, 1992. p. 7. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  175. ^ "Debate Fails to Spark Truce in Glenn-DeWine Campaign". Marysville Journal-Tribune. Marysville, Ohio. Associated Press. October 19, 1992. p. 4. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  176. ^ "General Election: November 3, 1992". Ohio Secretary of State. Archived from the original on May 22, 2020. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  177. ^ "Mike DeWine reacts to the passing of John Glenn". NBC4 WCMH-TV Columbus. December 8, 2016. Archived from the original on October 30, 2021. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
  178. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, p. 333.
  179. ^ Thomas, Richard (June 25, 1978). "Glenn in Postal Dilemma". News-Journal. Mansfield, Ohio. p. 46. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  180. ^ "Glenn eyes sound energy policies". The Tampa Tribune. Tampa, Florida. United Press International. January 13, 1975. p. 6. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  181. ^ Nayan 2013, p. 80.
  182. ^ Moore, Robert (December 8, 1982). "Glenn launches trial balloons from Texarkana". The Times. Shreveport, Louisiana. p. 22. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  183. ^ Barton, Paul (March 26, 1995). "Senator Glenn rails at new ways". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Cincinnati, Ohio. p. 21. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  184. ^ "Lab face costly, complex problems in cleanup of hazardous waste sites". The Santa Fe New Mexican. Santa Fe, New Mexico. August 15, 1988. p. 3. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  185. ^ Hershey, William (January 10, 1989). "Glenn irate over N-plant cleanup". The Akron Beacon Journal. Akron, Ohio. p. 3. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  186. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, p. 353.
  187. ^ Portman, Rob (December 12, 2016). "The John Glenn I Knew". Senate.gov. Archived from the original on March 7, 2017. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  188. ^ Cooper, Matthew (October 15, 2007). "Fred Thompson's Big Flop". Portfolio.com. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
  189. ^ Rosenbaum, David E (September 24, 1997). "Campaign Finance: The Hearings; Anger Flares as Focus Shifts to Campaign Remedies". The New York Times. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
  190. ^ Means, Marianne (June 15, 1997). "Thompson's Changing Political Fortunes". The Greenwood Commonwealth. Greenwood, Mississippi. p. 4. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  191. ^ Rowley, James (February 28, 1997). "Third Former Clinton Official Spurns Funding Subpoena". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Santa Cruz, California. Associated Press. p. 14. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  192. ^ "Thompson Committee Wraps Up Its Work". CNN. March 5, 1998. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  193. ^ Jackson, Patrick (October 24, 1992). "Glenn's for free trade, not NAFTA". The Times Recorder. Zanesville, Ohio. p. 19. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  194. ^ "Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Historical Background". Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  195. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, p. 337.
  196. ^ Hale, Chris (December 8, 2016). "Former Senator and Astronaut John Glenn Dies at 95". Roll Call. Archived from the original on December 9, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  197. ^ "Senate panel votes against slowing Stealth". The Indianapolis News. Indianapolis, Indiana. July 14, 1989. p. 29. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  198. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, p. 342.
  199. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, p. 354.
  200. ^ "John Glenn Through the Years". Dayton Daily News. Dayton, Ohio. February 15, 1987. p. 16. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  201. ^ Hershey, William (January 16, 1991). "Glenn seeks to ease burden". The Akron Beacon Journal. Akron, Ohio. p. 29. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  202. ^ "Glenn heads key military panel". The Tribune. Coshocton, Ohio. Associated Press. March 20, 1993. p. 3. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  203. ^ "Crackdown's delay laid to five". St. Louis Post Dispatch. St. Louis, Missouri. Associated Press. December 6, 1990. p. 8. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  204. ^ a b Glenn & Taylor 1999, p. 356.
  205. ^ "Cranston only Keating Five member in trouble". The Newark Advocate. Newark, Ohio. Associated Press. February 28, 1991. p. 5. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  206. ^ Wynn, Randy (February 28, 1991). "Glenn feels he's vindicated". The Newark Advocate. Newark, Ohio. p. 5. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  207. ^ "Glenn looks ahead to bid, back to debt". The Marion Star. Marion, Ohio. Associated Press. March 1, 1991. p. 13. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  208. ^ Krauss, Clifford (October 15, 1992). "In Big Re-election Fight, Glenn Tests Hero Image". The New York Times. Retrieved July 21, 2008.
  209. ^ Neufeld, Michael (December 8, 2016). "Remembering Senator John Herschel Glenn Jr". Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  210. ^ "No Cure for Common Birthday". Marysville Journal-Tribune. Marysville, Ohio. Associated Press. February 21, 1997. p. 14. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  211. ^ Pincus, Walter (March 5, 1986). "NASA's Push to Put Citizen in Space Overtook Fully 'Operational' Shuttle". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  212. ^ a b c Riley, Brian (2012). "Interview with John Glenn". Brian Riley. Archived from the original on June 28, 2017. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  213. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, pp. 358–360.
  214. ^ Holliman, John (January 16, 1998). "It's official: Glenn will return to space". CNN. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
  215. ^ Glenn & Taylor 1999, pp. 364–366.
  216. ^ "Oct. 29, 1998 – John Glenn Returns to Space". NASA. March 20, 2008. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
  217. ^ Altman, Lawrence K. (October 21, 1998). "Glenn Unable to Perform Experiment Planned for Space Flight". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 4, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  218. ^ Lawrence, Adrienne (March 12, 2015). "The Truth About Bill Clinton's Emails". The Atlantic. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
  219. ^ McCutcheon, Chuck (April 25, 1998). "Critics: Glenn Flight A Boost For NASA, Not Science". CNN. Archived from the original on March 5, 2017. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
  220. ^ Weinberg, Eliot (October 30, 1998). "Pilgrims come from near, far for Discovery's launch". The Palm Beach Post. West Palm Beach, Florida. p. 10. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  221. ^ Stenger, Richard (May 3, 2001). "John Glenn: Space tourist cheapening Alpha". CNN. Archived from the original on October 6, 2008. Retrieved May 6, 2010.
  222. ^ Kupperberg 2003, p. 31.
  223. ^ a b c "John Glenn, American hero, aviation icon and former U.S. Senator, dies at 95". The Columbus Dispatch. Columbus, Ohio. Archived from the original on December 8, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  224. ^ "Space Masons". Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon. Archived from the original on June 27, 2018. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  225. ^ "Famous Freemasons in the course of history". St. John Lodge No 11 F.A.A.M. Archived from the original on November 16, 2015. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
  226. ^ "Celebrating more than 100 years of the Freemasonry: famous Freemasons in the history". Mathawan Lodge No 192 F.A. & A.M., New Jersey. Archived from the original on May 10, 2008.
  227. ^ Christopher Hodapp (December 10, 2016). "Illus. Brother John H. Glenn Jr". FreemasonsForDummies.com. Archived from the original on December 21, 2016. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
  228. ^ Creason, Todd E. (December 8, 2016). "On This Day in History : Astronaut John Glenn Rockets into History". The Midnight Freemasons. Archived from the original on March 4, 2017.
  229. ^ Kupperberg 2003, p. 96.
  230. ^ Zauzmer, Julie (December 8, 2016). "In space, John Glenn saw the face of God: "It just strengthens my faith"". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 5, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  231. ^ "John Glenn Says Evolution Should Be Taught in Schools". HuffPost. Associated Press. May 20, 2015. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  232. ^ Miller, Emily McFarlan (December 8, 2016). "Astronaut, Senator and Presbyterian John Glenn saw no conflict between beliefs in God and science". Religion News Service. Archived from the original on March 5, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  233. ^ "John Glenn appears on Emmy-award winning 'Frasier'". Ohio State University. March 5, 2001. Archived from the original on May 14, 2013. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  234. ^ "Traditions". Ohio State University. July 23, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
  235. ^ Franko, Kantele (February 20, 2012). "Armstrong honors Glenn 50 years after his orbit – NASA also surprised Glenn with space station chat". NBC News. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
  236. ^ Zongker, Brett (April 20, 2012). "Shuttle Discovery lands at Smithsonian". Philadelphia Daily News. Archived from the original on September 7, 2012. Retrieved April 21, 2012.
  237. ^ Ewing, Kent (December 12, 2016). "I Was John Glenn's Flight Instructor". Air Facts Journal. Retrieved April 22, 2019. Mr. Glenn's final BPPP was in 2011, when, as usual, I was his CFII. At age 90, he flew extremely well, did not want to take a break and we completed the requirements for his flight review and instrument proficiency in a little over three hours. He then told me he was selling the Baron and hanging up his cleats.
  238. ^ Newsome, John; Berlinger, Joshua. "John Glenn—astronaut, ex-senator—gets successful heart surgery". CNN. Archived from the original on March 5, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  239. ^ Strickland, Ashley (December 7, 2016). "Former Senator, astronaut John Glenn hospitalized". CNN. Archived from the original on March 5, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  240. ^ Koff, Stephen (December 7, 2016). "John Glenn, in declining health, is hospitalized". Cleveland Plain Dealer. Archived from the original on December 7, 2016. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  241. ^ Thompson, Chrissie (December 7, 2016). "Former Senator, astronaut John Glenn in OSU hospital". Cincinnati Enquirer. Cincinnati, Ohio. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  242. ^ "Former astronaut John Glenn hospitalized in Columbus". Columbus Dispatch. Columbus, Ohio. December 8, 2016. Archived from the original on March 5, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  243. ^ Potter, Ned (December 8, 2016). "John Glenn, First American to Orbit the Earth, Dies". ABC News. Archived from the original on December 8, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  244. ^ Neale, Rick (December 9, 2016). "John Glenn honored during Kennedy Space Center ceremony". Florida Today. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  245. ^ Mizoguchi, Karen (December 9, 2016). "John Glenn Honored at Kennedy Space Center, Remembered as 'Prince of Our Universe'". People. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  246. ^ Dresbach, Jim (December 22, 2016). "John Glenn to be buried at ANC in April". The Pentagram. Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  247. ^ Ruane, Michael E. (April 6, 2017). "Astronaut, Senator, Marine: John Glenn is buried in Arlington Cemetery". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 7, 2017.
  248. ^ "Who were the Mercury 7?". Florida Today. December 8, 2016. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  249. ^ Jowers, Karen (May 25, 2017). "John Glenn's remains were disrespected at the military's mortuary, Pentagon documents allege". Military Times. Archived from the original on May 27, 2017.
  250. ^ Stevens, Matt (May 26, 2017). "Air Force Investigating Possible Mishandling of John Glenn's Remains". The New York Times. Retrieved May 27, 2017. Mr. Zwicharowski said the mortuary had been holding Mr. Glenn's body for several months ahead of a planned burial on April 6, Mr. Glenn's wedding anniversary. So Mr. Zwicharowski said he merely offered to show subject-matter experts the techniques that had been used in the embalming process to preserve Mr. Glenn's remains.
  251. ^ Whitlock, Craig (May 26, 2017). "John Glenn's body rekindles military mortuary scandal". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 27, 2017. Retrieved May 27, 2017. Zwicharowski said he did nothing improper by offering to let the inspectors view Glenn's remains. He said his staff had further embalmed the body because Glenn's funeral was still weeks away and wanted to show the inspectors their techniques.
  252. ^ Gowers, Karen (July 20, 2018). "Investigators: Dover mortuary employee made 'inappropriate' offer to show John Glenn's remains". Military Times. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  253. ^ Office of the Press Secretary (December 8, 2016). "Statement by the President on the Passing of John Glenn". whitehouse.gov (Press release). Archived from the original on January 29, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2017 – via National Archives.
  254. ^ "President-elect Donald Trump honors the late John Glenn". Fox25. December 8, 2016. Archived from the original on December 10, 2016.
  255. ^ "Hillary Clinton Marks Passing of John Glenn". Associated Press. December 8, 2016. Archived from the original on October 30, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via YouTube.
  256. ^ "John Glenn Memorialized with 'Godspeed' Radio Hail Turned Hashtag". Space.com. December 9, 2016. Archived from the original on March 5, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  257. ^ Boyle, Alan (December 9, 2016). "Obama orders U.S. flags to fly at half staff to mark space hero John Glenn's passing". Geekwire.com. Archived from the original on February 20, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  258. ^ Office of the Press Secretary (April 5, 2017). "A Proclamation by President Donald J. Trump Honoring the Memory of John Glenn". whitehouse.gov (Press release). Washington, D.C. Retrieved April 6, 2017 – via National Archives.
  259. ^ "Honoring the Memory of John Glenn". Federal Register. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. April 8, 2017. Archived from the original on April 9, 2017. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  260. ^ "Astronautics and Aeronautics 1963" (PDF). NASA. p. 465. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 4, 2013. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  261. ^ "Hubbard Medal for John Glenn". Standard-Speaker. Hazleton, Pennsylvania. Associated Press. April 10, 1962. p. 16. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  262. ^ "The Thomas D. White National Defense Award". United States Air Force Academy. Archived from the original on May 12, 2013.
  263. ^ "John Glenn, Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation, has died". The Princess of Asturias Foundation. December 9, 2016. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017.
  264. ^ "Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement". www.achievement.org. American Academy of Achievement.
  265. ^ "Recipients of the Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service". Wilson Center. Archived from the original on September 12, 2012. Retrieved November 18, 2011.
  266. ^ "John Glenn, First US Astronaut to Orbit the Earth, Dies at 95". Voice of America. December 8, 2016. Archived from the original on May 1, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  267. ^ "John H. Glenn Jr. Receives 2008 Theodore Roosevelt Award, the NCAA's Highest Honor". fs.ncaa.org. National Collegiate Athletic Association. December 3, 2007. Archived from the original on August 15, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
  268. ^ "Congressional Gold Medal to Astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins" (PDF). Vol. 146. Congressional Record. June 20, 2000. p. H4714. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  269. ^ Pearlman, Robert Z. (May 29, 2012). "President Obama awards John Glenn with Medal of Freedom, nation's highest honor". collectSPACE. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  270. ^ Wolfe, Tom (October 25, 1979). "Cooper the Cool jockeys Faith 7—between naps". Chicago Tribune. p. 22.
  271. ^ "John Glenn". San Diego Air & Space Museum. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
  272. ^ "National Aviation Hall of fame: Our Enshrinees". National Aviation Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on March 12, 2011. Retrieved February 10, 2011.
  273. ^ "Space Hall Honors Pioneers". Las Cruces Sun-News. Las Cruces, New Mexico. October 30, 1977. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  274. ^ "John Glenn". Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. Archived from the original on June 22, 2015. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  275. ^ "Mercury Astronauts Dedicate Hall of Fame at Florida Site". Victoria Advocate. Victoria, Texas. Associated Press. May 12, 1990. p. 38 – via Newspapers.com.
  276. ^ "National Winners: U.S. Senator John Heinz Award". JeffersonAwards.org. Archived from the original on November 24, 2010. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
  277. ^ "John Glenn receives an honorary doctorate in engineering from Nihon University". John Glenn Archives, the Ohio State University. Copy Print, 10 X 8 Inches. John Glenn Archives. Ohio State University. 1963. hdl:1811/50593. Copy Print, 10 × 8 Inches.
  278. ^ Bandy, Virginia (May 27, 2010). "ONU honors John Glenn for public service at graduation". Ada Herald. Archived from the original on October 21, 2018. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
  279. ^ "Honorary Degrees | Office of the President". Williams Office of the President. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  280. ^ Daniels, Tammy (June 7, 2009). "Williams College Awards 547 Degrees at 2009 Commencement". iBerkshires. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
  281. ^ "98–136 (1999 Honorary Degrees)". Brown University. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
  282. ^ "John H. Glenn Jr". Ohio State University. December 7, 2014. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  283. ^ "Welcome to John Glenn College of Public Affairs". The Columbus Dispatch. Columbus, Ohio. February 4, 2015. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  284. ^ "Glenn Research Center". NASA. February 13, 2015. Archived from the original on January 21, 2017. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  285. ^ "Ohio airport renamed for original Mercury astronaut John Glenn". collectSPACE. Archived from the original on February 5, 2017. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  286. ^ "John Glenn Tribute". East Muskingum Local Schools. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  287. ^ Zurick, Maura. "John Glenn elementary School demolished, making way for 22 houses (vintage photos)". Cleveland Plain Dealer. Cleveland, Ohio. Archived from the original on October 29, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  288. ^ "Colonel Glenn Road honors astronaut John Glenn". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Little Rock, Arkansas. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
  289. ^ "John Glenn High School". Wayne Westland Community Schools. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  290. ^ Howell, Brandon (January 28, 2011). "Remembering the Challenger: Christa McAuliffe's memory celebrated at Bangor Township school". MLive. Retrieved October 14, 2018.
  291. ^ "John Glenn High School". John Glenn High School. Archived from the original on December 19, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  292. ^ "John Glenn High School". John Glenn High School. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  293. ^ "John Glenn Middle School". Glenn Middle School. Archived from the original on February 13, 2017. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  294. ^ "USNS John Glenn christened: Navy names ship in honor of the former astronaut and Ohio senator". The Plain Dealer. Cleveland, Ohio. Associated Press. February 2, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  295. ^ "John Glenn honored as Columbus airport is renamed for him". The Columbus Dispatch. Columbus, Ohio. Archived from the original on April 22, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  296. ^ Victor, Daniel (September 12, 2016). "Meet New Glenn, the Blue Origin Rocket That May Someday Take You to Space". The New York Times. New York. Archived from the original on September 15, 2016. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  297. ^ Dean, James (April 18, 2017). "Atlas V launches SS John Glenn; en route to ISS". Florida Today. Melbourne, Florida. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  298. ^ Wendell, Bryan (December 8, 2016). "John Glenn, first American to orbit earth and father of an Eagle Scout, dies". Aaron On Scouting. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  299. ^ Pearlman, Robert (May 29, 2012). "President Obama Awards John Glenn with Medal of Freedom". space.com. Archived from the original on April 11, 2017. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
  300. ^ a b "Former astronaut, US Sen. John Glenn has died". ABC. December 8, 2016. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  301. ^ Drake, Nadia (December 8, 2016). "John Glenn, Pioneering Astronaut, Dies at Age 95". National Geographic. Archived from the original on December 10, 2016. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  302. ^ Aldrin, Buzz (December 15, 2016). "Buzz Aldrin: John Glenn was a hero. We owe it to him to keep exploring space". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
  303. ^ "Tributes to John Glenn". NASA. December 8, 2016. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  304. ^ "Death of John Glenn" (PDF). govinfo.gov. US Federal Government. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  305. ^ Wall, Mike (December 9, 2016). "RIP, John Glenn: Spaceflight Pioneer 'Was One of Us'". Space.com. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  306. ^ Pearlman, Robert Z. (February 19, 2012). "50 Years Later, John Glenn's Space Legacy Still Circling Earth". collectSPACE. Retrieved September 23, 2018 – via Scientific American.

Sources

Further reading

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to John Glenn.
Wikiquote has quotations related to John Glenn.
Party political offices Preceded byJohn J. Gilligan Democratic nominee for U.S. Senator from Ohio(Class 3) 1974, 1980, 1986, 1992 Succeeded byMary O. Boyle Preceded byReubin Askew Keynote Speaker of the Democratic National Convention 1976 Served alongside: Barbara Jordan Succeeded byMo Udall U.S. Senate Preceded byHoward Metzenbaum United States Senator (Class 3) from Ohio 1974–1999 Served alongside: Robert Taft, Howard Metzenbaum, Mike DeWine Succeeded byGeorge Voinovich Preceded byWilliam Roth Chair of Senate Governmental Affairs Committee 1987–1995 Succeeded byWilliam Roth Honorary titles Preceded byEdward Brooke Oldest living United States senator(Sitting or former) January 3, 2015 – December 8, 2016 Succeeded byFritz Hollings
Recipients of the Congressional Space Medal of Honor
United States senators from Ohio
Chairs of the United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
NASA Astronaut Group 1, "The Mercury Seven", "The Original Seven" 1959
Project Mercury
United States Astronaut Hall of Fame
National Football Foundation Gold Medal winners
(← 1980) 1984 United States presidential election (1988 →)
Theodore Roosevelt Award winners
Laureates of the Prince or Princess of Asturias Award for International Cooperation
Ohio's delegation(s) to the 93rd–105th United States Congresses (ordered by seniority)
More
Authority control databases
Categories