John Glenn

NAME John Herschel Glenn Jr.

WHAT FAMOUS FOR American astronaut, Marine Corps aviator, and politician; first American to orbit the Earth; long-serving U.S. senator; oldest person to fly in space.

BIRTH John Herschel Glenn Jr. was born on July 18, 1921, in Cambridge, Ohio.

FAMILY BACKGROUND Glenn was the son of John Herschel Glenn Sr., who worked as a plumber and ran a plumbing business, and Clara Sproat Glenn, who was a schoolteacher and graduate of Muskingum College. His parents married on May 25, 1918, just before John Sr. left for overseas duty in France during World War I. When Glenn was five years old, his parents adopted a baby girl named Jean. The family moved from Cambridge to New Concord, Ohio, when Glenn was two years old.

His father served in the Army during World War I and was a source of great patriotic inspiration.

CHILDHOOD Glenn described his childhood as idyllic, writing "A boy could not have had a more idyllic early childhood than I did". 

He grew up in New Concord, Ohio, in a home that doubled as a rooming house for Muskingum College students. 

Glenn developed an early interest in science and aviation, taking his first airplane ride with his father at age eight in an open-cockpit biplane. He built model airplanes and was enterprising as a child, washing cars, selling rhubarb, and delivering the Columbus Dispatch newspaper by bicycle to earn money. 

The Great Depression had a significant impact on his childhood, as his family's plumbing business struggled during the economic hardships of the early 1930s.

EDUCATION Glenn attended local schools in New Concord and graduated from New Concord High School in 1939. At New Concord High School in 1939,  he played varsity football, basketball, and tennis, was president of his junior class, participated in the town band, was active in the Hi-Y organization, and had a lead role in the senior class play. 

He attended Muskingum College (now Muskingum University) where he studied engineering and initially planned to major in chemistry. In 1941, he earned his private pilot license through the Civilian Pilot Training Program. He left college in his junior year to enlist in the military after Pearl Harbor and never completed his degree.

CAREER RECORD Glenn's career spanned multiple distinguished roles:

Military Service (1942-1965): Glenn enlisted in the Naval Aviation Cadet Program in March 1942 and transferred to the U.S. Marine Corps in 1943. He flew 149 combat missions during World War II and the Korean War, earning numerous decorations. He became a test pilot after Korea and in 1957 set a transcontinental speed record, flying from California to New York in 3 hours and 23 minutes.

NASA Astronaut (1959-1964): Selected as one of NASA's original seven Mercury astronauts in 1959. His historic orbital flight on February 20, 1962, made him a national hero and helped establish the U.S. as a contender in the space race.

Business Executive (1964-1974): After leaving NASA, Glenn became vice president and later president of Royal Crown Cola International.

U.S. Senator (1974-1999): Served four terms as Democratic Senator from Ohio, focusing on nuclear non-proliferation, government efficiency, and aging issues.

Return to Space (1998): At age 77, Glenn returned to space aboard the space shuttle Discovery, becoming the oldest person to fly in space.

APPEARANCE Glenn had a fair complexion with thin skin typical of a redhead, sea blue eyes, and distinctive crinkles around his eyes from smiling. He was noted to be freckle-faced and had a clean-cut, all-American appearance. Glenn was concerned about his height during astronaut selection, sitting with books on his head to ensure he measured below the 5-foot-11-inch limit.

John Glenn Source Library Georgetown

FASHION Glenn was known for his clean-cut, wholesome appearance and professional presentation. During his astronaut years, he wore the standard NASA flight suits and space suits. As a senator, he maintained a professional, conservative style of dress appropriate for his political role.

CHARACTER Glenn was known for his disciplined, earnest, and moral character. He was the epitome of the wholesome American hero, a public image that he lived up to in his private life as well. He was a natural leader who took his responsibilities very seriously and was known for being a man of integrity and high principles

He was known as "the clean Marine" for his refusal to drink and carouse with other pilots and astronauts. Glenn was characterized by his strong Presbyterian faith, patriotism, persistence, curiosity, and dedication to public service. He was considered principled, authentic, and solid, with deep respect for others. Glenn was noted for his preparation, work ethic, and commitment to excellence. (1)

SPEAKING VOICE Glenn's speaking voice was described as straightforward and down-to-earth, reflecting his Midwestern upbringing. It was a voice that commanded respect but was also friendly and approachable. He was known as an articulate speaker who could communicate effectively with both technical and general audiences.

Glenn's voice during his historic space flight communications with ground control showed some trembling during blast-off due to the tremendous shock, but he maintained clear communication throughout his missions. 

SENSE OF HUMOUR While Glenn was generally serious and professional, he did display humor on occasion. He was known to make self-deprecating jokes about his lack of political pizazz, saying "Let me say that I am not dull. Boring maybe, but not dull".  

He also had a famous humorous quote about space flight: "As I hurtled through space, one thought kept crossing my mind - every part of this rocket was supplied by the lowest bidder". 

Glenn joked about his baldness, saying "the good Lord only gave men so many hormones, and if others want to waste theirs on growing hair, that's up to them". (2)

RELATIONSHIPS Glenn first met his wife Annie (Anna Margaret Castor), as a toddler when they were 2 and 3 years old respectively. Their families were friends, and they grew up together in New Concord, Ohio. They became high school sweethearts and were married in a Presbyterian ceremony at College Drive Church in New Concord, Ohio, on April 6, 1943. Glenn wrote, "We practically grew up in the same playpen — we never knew a time when we didn't know each other".

They were married for 73 years until John's death, and Annie was described as his biggest supporter and most insightful critic. They had two children: John David (born December 13, 1945) and Carolyn Ann (born March 19, 1947).

Glenn famously stood up for Anniewhen she was being pressured by Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson and the media during the early days of the space program.

Annie and John Glenn in 1965

MONEY AND FAME Glenn's net worth at the time of his death was estimated at approximately $5 million. His wealth came primarily from his Senate career, astronaut achievements, business ventures including his role at Royal Crown Cola, real estate investments, and public speaking engagements. 

After his historic orbital flight, Glenn became a national hero, and his fame grew exponentially. He leveraged this fame to launch a successful political career. While he was a public figure, he remained grounded and focused on public service rather than personal gain

FOOD AND DRINK Glenn was the first American to eat food in space during his 1962 Friendship 7 mission, consuming applesauce from a tube and sugar tablets dissolved in water. He was also issued pureed beef and vegetables in a tube. He found that eating in space was relatively easy once the food reached his mouth. (3)

Glenn was known to be abstemious, refusing to drink alcohol, which earned him the nickname "the clean Marine". He was also associated with Tang orange drink, which NASA used during space missions, though he later ignored questions about whether he actually enjoyed it.

MUSIC AND ARTS Glenn played the trumpet and learned from his father, who served as a bugler during his Army years. As a young boy, John would join his father in playing echo taps on Memorial Day. 

His wife Annie was highly accomplished musically, playing trombone, piano, and pipe organ, and graduated from Muskingum College with a degree in music. She received a pipe organ scholarship offer from The Juilliard School of Music but declined to stay with John. During their courtship, Glenn attended Annie's senior recital on the day of Pearl Harbor.

LITERATURE Glenn wrote his autobiography John Glenn: A Memoir published in 2000, which provides comprehensive coverage of his childhood, military service, astronaut career, business ventures, and political service. He was also co-author of We Seven: By the Astronauts Themselves with the other Mercury astronauts. 

Glenn was known to be well-read and thoroughly prepared for his various roles, often being described as the best-prepared committee member during his Senate service.

NATURE Glenn had a deep appreciation for nature and the Earth's beauty, which was enhanced by his unique perspective from space. He famously said about seeing Earth from orbit: "To see [Earth] laid out like that only strengthens my beliefs. I know awesome is an overused word, but if anything is really awesome, it's looking out and seeing that". 

He was also associated with the John Glenn Astronomy Park in Ohio's Hocking Hills, which was named in his honor and serves as a place for stargazing and astronomy education.

Glenn supported environmental preservation later in his Senate career.

HOBBIES AND SPORTS Glenn was an avid runner and fitness enthusiast throughout his life. He was the only runner among the original Mercury 7 astronauts and maintained a rigorous fitness routine, power-walking two miles daily even into his senior years. He played multiple sports in high school including football, basketball, and tennis. 

Glenn enjoyed boating and skiing in his spare time. He was also passionate about photography, particularly sunset photography, and took thousands of photographs during his space missions.

SCIENCE AND MATHS Glenn was deeply knowledgeable in aeronautics, orbital mechanics, and engineering.

Glenn chaired the National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century, which produced the report "Before It's Too Late" highlighting deficiencies in American K-12 math and science education. He advocated for improved teacher training and better resources for science education, warning that other nations were outperforming the U.S. in these critical subjects. Glenn believed that science and math were fundamental to America's continued leadership and prosperity.

NASA CAREER John Glenn’s NASA career began, rather enviably, with him being picked as one of the original seven Mercury astronauts in 1959—a sort of celestial all-star team known as the Mercury Seven. This was the squad NASA tasked with the almost ludicrous challenge of figuring out how to stick a human in a tin can, light a very large fire underneath it, and get them back in one piece. Glenn, whose idea of a holiday already involved hurtling through the air at speeds that made most of us queasy just thinking about it, was perfectly at home.

In April 1959, Glenn joined this elite club of test pilots with steel nerves and, presumably, very short life insurance applications. They were charged with pioneering America’s human spaceflight program—meaning they would be the ones to find out firsthand what space did to people, before anyone really knew what space was going to do to people.

On February 20, 1962, Glenn climbed into Friendship 7, otherwise known as Mercury-Atlas 6, and took the United States’ first proper spin around the Earth. He completed three orbits in just under five hours, which doesn’t sound like much until you realise that five hours is plenty of time for multiple minor crises, including a suspected heat shield failure and an autopilot that decided to take a break. Glenn, ever the composed aviator, switched to manual control, followed instructions from the ground, and brought the capsule home safely—cementing America’s credibility in the Space Race and becoming an instant national treasure.

When not actually orbiting the planet, Glenn was deeply involved in spacecraft design, especially the cockpit layouts and controls—important work, since the early designs had all the ergonomic comfort of a phone booth full of switchboards. He also trained as backup pilot for Alan Shepard and Gus Grissom’s suborbital flights, a role requiring all the readiness of the main gig without the glory or the view.

Glenn left NASA in January 1964, a decision influenced partly by a protective policy—endorsed by President Kennedy—that, in effect, benched him from further flights. The nation didn’t want to risk losing its newly minted hero. So he stepped down, his status as an American icon intact, before the Gemini and Apollo programs had even got going.

Then, in one of the more delightful twists in space history, Glenn came back. At the age of 77, when most people are limiting themselves to crossword puzzles and gentle walks, he strapped in for the Space Shuttle Discovery’s STS-95 mission. From October 29 to November 7, 1998, he served as a payload specialist, running experiments on aging—essentially, being science’s most adventurous senior citizen. This made him the oldest person in space and the only human to have flown in both the Mercury and Shuttle programs.

John Glenn STS portrait

In total, Glenn clocked more than 218 hours in space. He remains remembered for three things in particular: being the first American to orbit Earth, proving that senior citizens can handle zero-G just fine, and leaving an indelible mark on how spacecraft are designed for the people inside them.

The medal haul was impressive: the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, induction into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, and the eternal gratitude of a nation that likes its heroes brave, competent, and unfailingly modest.

PHILOSOPHY & THEOLOGY Glenn was a lifelong Presbyterian and served as a ruling elder in his church. His faith was an integral part of his character, and he saw no conflict between faith and scientific discovery. Glenn believed that "Science just records that we change with evolution and time. 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". 

Glenn's philosophy emphasized service to others, stating "If there is one thing I've learned in my years on this planet, it's that the happiest and most fulfilled people I've known are those who devoted themselves to something bigger and more profound than merely their own self-interest".

POLITICS Glenn was a lifelong Democrat who served four terms as U.S. Senator from Ohio (1974-1999). During his Senate career, Glenn focused on nuclear non-proliferation, government efficiency, aging issues, veterans' affairs, and space exploration. He worked to create the Department of Veterans Affairs and championed legislation to stop the spread of nuclear weapons. 

He ran for president in 1984 but was unsuccessful in securing the Democratic nomination.

Glenn's political philosophy emphasized the power of government to improve the lives of ordinary people and the importance of public service.

SCANDAL Glenn was involved in the Keating Five scandal in 1989, along with four other senators who were accused of improperly intervening with federal regulators on behalf of Charles Keating Jr., chairman of Lincoln Savings and Loan. Glenn received approximately $200,000 in campaign contributions from Keating. After a 14-month investigation, the Senate Ethics Committee cleared Glenn of serious wrongdoing but criticized him for exercising "poor judgment". The scandal did not prevent his reelection, and he continued to serve in the Senate until 1999.

MILITARY RECORD Glenn spent 23 years in the U.S. Marine Corps (1943–1965), rising to the rank of colonel before retiring. His service record read like a medal catalogue: six Distinguished Flying Crosses with two Gold Stars and two Oak Leaf Clusters, ten Air Medals, two Navy Unit Commendation ribbons, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, the China Service Medal, the Korean Service Medal with three bronze stars, the United Nations Service Medal, and the National Defense Service Medal.

In World War II, he flew 59 combat missions in F4U Corsairs across the Pacific Theater. When the Korean War came, Glenn added another 90 missions—63 with the Marines and 27 as an exchange pilot with the U.S. Air Force—where he shot down three MiG-15s.

Glenn's USAF F-86F was dubbed "MiG Mad Marine", during the Korean War in 1953. The names of his wife and children were also written on the aircraft.

Glenn's USAF F-86F, dubbed "MiG Mad Marine", during the Korean War in 1953.

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL FITNESS Glenn maintained exceptional physical fitness throughout his life. In his 70s, he walked two miles daily, did light weight training, and maintained a balanced diet. At age 77, he passed NASA's rigorous physical examination to return to space, a test that many younger candidates fail.  His 1998 space mission demonstrated that healthy older people could withstand the rigors of space travel as well as younger astronauts. 

Glenn advocated for exercise as essential for healthy aging, saying "Everybody has to exercise every day".

HOMES Glenn's childhood home in New Concord, Ohio, was built by his family and served as a rooming house for Muskingum College students. The house was moved several times due to highway construction and now serves as the John and Annie Glenn Historic Site and Exploration Center. 

During his astronaut years, Glenn lived in Arlington, Virginia, in a mid-century rambler near Williamsburg Middle School, where reporters camped during his historic 1962 flight. 

After becoming a senator, Glenn and Annie designed and built a 4,000-square-foot home on Old Poste Road in Columbus, Ohio, in 1974, which featured a large skylight in his office where he could observe the heavens. The couple also maintained a residence in Bethesda, Maryland, during his Senate years.

TRAVEL Glenn's most famous travels were his space flights - the 1962 Friendship 7 mission that orbited Earth three times, and the 1998 Discovery mission that lasted nine days. 

He traveled extensively during his military career, serving in the Pacific Theater during World War II and Korea. 

As a senator, he made numerous trips representing Ohio and the United States. Glenn also traveled to Japan on a goodwill trip in 1963 after his space flight. 

DEATH John Glenn died on December 8, 2016, at the age of 95 at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio. He had been hospitalized for more than a week before his death.  Glenn was the last surviving member of the Mercury Seven astronauts.

Glenn was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery on April 6, 2017 - which would have been his and Annie's 74th wedding anniversary - following a private funeral service led by General Robert Neller, Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps. His wife Annie received the flag that had been draped over his casket. A public memorial service was held at Ohio State University where he had lain in repose at the state capitol.

APPEARANCES IN MEDIA Glenn appeared on several television shows, including Name That Tune in 1957 where he won $25,000 with his 10-year-old partner Eddie Hodges. 

 In 1967, he participated in a television documentary retracing Sir Henry Stanley's route through Africa in search of Dr. David Livingstone.

His funeral and memorial services received extensive media coverage.

Glenn's life and achievements have been depicted in various films and documentaries about the space program.

The 1983 film The Right Stuff, based on the book by Tom Wolfe, famously depicted him as a moral and disciplined astronaut, with actor Ed Harris portraying him

ACHIEVEMENTS First American to orbit Earth (Friendship 7, 1962)

Oldest person to fly in space (STS-95, 1998)

Only astronaut to fly in both Project Mercury and the Space Shuttle program

Served 24 years in the U.S. Senate

Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012

Sources: (1) Second Rodeo (2) Time (3) Astronomy.com