John Glenn 1980

Red text on a white circular background in the center, with a black and white photograph of John Glenn in his astronaut gear around the rim

John Glenn was an astronaut and American politician who lived from 1921-2016. Glenn served in the marines before joining NASA as one of the Mercury Seven astronauts. At age forty he was the oldest member on the team. He was the first American to go into space on the Friendship 7 and orbit the planet, a risky endeavor in 1962. 

Glenn had difficulty breaking into politics, but eventually was elected to the US Senate for the state of Ohio in 1974. He was considered as a Vice Presidential candidate to Jimmy Carter in the 1976 presidential campaign, but was not selected. He also unsuccessfully ran for president in the 1984 election, though he remained popular amidst his constituents and held his senate seat for four terms.