Warner, John William III,
1927-2021, U.S. politician, b. Washington, D.C., Washington
and Lee Univ. (B.A., 1949), Univ. of Va. School of Law (J.D., 1953).
Warner’s father was a doctor. He joined the Navy at age 17, serving
at the end of World War II (1945-46), and then completed college. He
enrolled in law school but then enlisted in the Marines to serve in Korea
(1950-53), returning to complete his degree in 1953. After graduating, he
joined the U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit, as a law clerk and then
became an assistant U.S. attorney (1956-60). Following a period in private
practice, he was named under secretary of the Navy in 1969 by Richard
Nixon, becoming
secretary in 1972. He was elected Senator from Virginia in 1978, serving for
five terms At the time he was married to actress Elizabeth Taylor, which drew nationwide
attention to his political career (they divorced in 1982). Warner became a
prominent voice on military affairs as chair of the Armed Services Committee
(1999-2001; 2003-07), and was known for his independence. He retired from
the Senate in 2008. In 2009, it was announced that the next Virginia-class
submarine would be named for him, an unusual honor for a living person; the
ship was commissioned in 2015.
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