Country Vacations & Resorts

Time in Office: 1897-1901
Terms: Less than two – Assassinated
Birthday: January 19, 1843
Birth Place: Niles, Ohio
Date of Death: September 14, 1901
Place of Death: Buffalo, New York
Buried: McKinley Memorial, Canton, Ohio.

Notes:
~ 7th of 9 children
~ First inauguration to be filmed
~ Last veteran of the Civil War to be elected President
~ Last President of the 19th century
~ First President of the 20th century

After another tour as President (24th) by Grover Cleveland, we reach America’s 25th President, William McKinley.

Born in Niles, Ohio, McKinley’s family moved to Poland, Ohio when he was 10. He attended Mount Union College (Ohio), and Alleghany College in Pennsylvania although he left without receiving a degree. William was 18 when he enlisted in the Union Army, (23rd Ohio Infantry) in 1861. He saw battle in western Virginia and at Antietam. His superior officer, Rutherford B. Hayes, commended and promoted his bravery and William stayed with this regiment until he mustered out in 1865.

He returned to his education and attended law school in Albany. He was admitted to the bar in 1867. By 1869 he was practicing law and serving as the prosecuting attorney for Stark County. He also met his wife, Ida Saxton in 1869, but they would not marry until 1871. Campaigning for his former commander Rutherford Hayes for Governor of Ohio, McKinley first began his career in politics. Serving three non-consecutive terms in the House of Representatives, he headed powerful committees and was the author of the Mckinley Tariff.

Election of 1896 Political Poster

Elected Governor of Ohio in 1891, McKinley was concerned by the level of poverty in Ohio and at one time raised enough funds to feed, clothe, and supply more than 10,000 people. He left office in 1896 to campaign for the Republican Presidential nomination. His lack of enemies, support of gold versus gold and silver as a basis for currency, and his friendly and open nature helped elect him President. His time in office was spent on the annexation of Hawaii, business consolidation (trusts), and a strong advance into foreign markets for US producers.

In 1898, although McKinley was against it, along came the Spanish-American war. The sinking of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor exacerbated the growing desire for war with Spain. Journalists had been feeding the fire by publishing stories of Spanish attrocities against Cubans and this war, once it started, lasted only 118 days. The US gained control of Guam and Puerto Rico from Spain and also purchased the Phillipines. With the Panic of 1893 over by 1897, and the war quickly won, McKinley easily won re-election in 1900.

He traveled to California in May 1901 visiting San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland. Travel to additional northwest points was cancelled due to Mrs. McKinley’s illness. While attending the Pan American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, Mckinley took a tour of Niagra Falls and then returned to the Exposition. While out greeting the public, McKinley was shot twice in the abdomen by anarchist Leon Czolgosz. Although at first appearing to recover, and having had one bullet successfully removed, William Mckinley died of gangrene September 14, 1901, aged 58.

After a funeral held in Buffalo, the body lay in-state at Buffalo City Hall, was taken to the US Capitol, and returned to his home in Canton.

Here’s an interesting interview with Walter Breuning, who was the oldest man in the world until his death April 14th, 2011. He remembers he was having a haircut the day McKinley was shot…

Next up America’s 26th President, Theodore Roosevelt.