Cindy McCain

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Todd and Sarah Palin (couple at left) and Cindy and John McCain at the conclusion of the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., Sept. 5, 2008.

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Cindy McCain

American businesswoman and humanitarian

Also known as: Cindy Lou Hensley

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Dec 20, 2024 • Article History

Quick Facts

Née:: Cindy Lou Hensley

Born:: May 20, 1954, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. (age 70)

Founder:: American Voluntary Medical Team

Notable Family Members:: spouse John McCain

On the Web:: CNN Politics - How Cindy McCain forged her own political identity (Dec. 14, 2024)

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News •

Cindy McCain says hunger is a "national security issue" amid global conflicts • Dec. 16, 2024, 5:59 AM ET (CBS)

Transcript: Cindy McCain on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," Dec. 15, 2024 • Dec. 16, 2024, 4:21 AM ET (CBS)

Open: This is "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," Dec. 15, 2024 • Dec. 15, 2024, 5:59 AM ET (CBS)

Cindy McCain (born May 20, 1954, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.) is an American businesswoman and humanitarian and the wife of U.S. senator and two-time Republican presidential candidate John McCain. After serving as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Agencies for Food and Agriculture (2021–23), she was appointed by UN Secretary-General António Guterres in 2023 to lead the UN World Food Programme as its executive director. Cindy Hensley was the only child of Marguerite Smith and James Hensley, who in 1955 founded Hensley & Co., a beer-distribution company. She studied education at the University of Southern California (B.A., 1976; M.A., ...(100 of 631 words)

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