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John Herschel Glenn, Jr., ( born July 18, 1921 ) is a former United States Marine Corps pilot, astronaut, and United States senator.

He was the first American to orbit the Earth and the third American in space.

Glenn was a combat aviator in the Marine Corps and one of the Mercury Seven, who were the elite U. S. military test pilots selected by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA ) to operate the experimental Mercury spacecraft and become the first American astronauts.

He flew the Friendship 7 mission on February 20, 1962.

In 1965, Glenn retired from the military and resigned from NASA so he could be eligible to stand for election to public office.

As a member of the Democratic Party he was elected to represent Ohio in the U. S. Senate from 1974 to 1999.