John Glenn, Jr. was a retired U.S. Marine Corps pilot, astronaut, and U.S. Senator. Born in Cambridge, Ohio, on July 18, 1921, he moved to New Concord when he was two. On February 20, 1962, he flew on the Friendship 7 space mission, becoming the first American to orbit the Earth and the fifth person in space. In 1965, he 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 and served in the U.S. Senate from 1974 to 1999.