Return to Homepage.
Michael Kadish
William McKinley was the seventh of nine children. He was born in January 29, 1843, in Niles, Ohio. When he was nine, his family moved to Poland, Ohio. William was educated in local schools and in the Poland Academy. In 1860 he enrolled at Allegheny College in Pennsylvania, but he was only there for one term because of family financial problems and illness. Upon his return, he taught at a rural school and clerked in the post office.
In 1861, during the Civil War, McKinley enlisted as a private in an Ohio infantry regiment. He was commanded by Rutherford B. Hayes, who later became the President of the United States. McKinley fought in several Civil War battles and advanced in rank to a brevet major.
After the war, McKinley attended law school in Albany, New York. After graduation, he returned to Ohio where he was admitted to the bar.
In his first political campaign, McKinley worked his old army commander Hayes's successful run for governor. McKinley, running as a Republican, won his first election and became the prosecuting attorney of Stark County. He served in this position from 1869 to 1871.
Also in 1871, McKinley married Ida Saxton, who was the daughter of a local banker. She had two daughters, but both died when they were quite young. Mrs. McKinley became epileptic in 1873 and was a semi-invalid for the rest of her life.
After leaving public office, McKinley returned to the practice of law and remained active in the Republican party. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1877 to 1884 and again from 1885 through 1891. During this time, he became known as a leader in both State and National Republican affairs.
In 1889, while serving in the House, McKinley failed in his attempt to become Speaker of the House. However, he became chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, where he was responsible for the McKinley Tariff of 1890.
He lost the elected in 1890 because the Democrats in Ohio were able to reshape the House districts. He then ran a successful campaign for Governor of Ohio, in which capacity he served from 1892 to 1896. In 1892, he also chaired the Republican National Convention. Many people wanted him to run as the Republican candidate for President, but the current President, Harrison, was renominated instead.
In the following Presidential race, however, McKinley received the nomination. His platform included defending the gold standard. McKinley won the Presidency in a major victory, and had the first popular vote majority since 1872. He was 54 years old when he was inaugurated.
Once elected President, McKinley turned his attention to foreign affairs. In 1895 Cuba once again revolted against Spain. Many leaders in the U.S. advocated sending American forces to help the battle. McKinley initially hoped for a diplomatic situation. However, the publishing of a private letter by the Spanish Minister which described McKinley as weak and vacillating forced McKinley to reconsider entering the war.
The final decision to fight Spain occurred after the U.S. battleship the Maine exploded, killing over 200 men while the ship was in Cuba. McKinley felt he was obligated to agree to the pressure put on him by Congress and the public and had war declared on Spain on April 14, 1898.
The war was over quickly and Spain recognized Cuba's independence in the Treaty of Paris. The treaty also gave Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines to the United States.
In 1898, the U.S. annexed Hawaii and occupied Wake Island. The following year, the U.S. partitioned the Samoan Islands with Germany. An uprising occurred in the Philippines, which hoped for independence. After the uprising was put down, McKinley appointed William Howard Taft to head a commission setting up civil rule for the Philippines.
American troops also participated in an international force in China during the Boxer Rebellion of 1900. The previous year, the U.S. Secretary of State had had China agree to a policy of equal trading rights with all countries.
On the domestic front, McKinley approved the passing of the Gold Standard Act of 1900. The Democrats were opposed to this, which brought about an even stronger election victory over the Democrats than the first time McKinley ran for the White House.
During his second term in office, it appeared that McKinley intended to continue pushing for strong overseas involvement. In all likelihood, he also supported changes in tariff and trust policies within the U.S.
However, on September 6, 1901, while attending the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, an anarchist shot him. McKinley died eight days later at the age of 58 and was buried in Canton, Ohio.