William McKinley
William McKinley (b. on January 29, 1843, in Niles, Ohio) was the 25th president of the United States. He served from 1897 until his death on September 14, 1901, nine days after he was shot by American anarchist Leon Czolgosz. He died at age 58.
McKinley was a member of the Republican Party. His vice presidents were Garret Hobart (1897–1899) and Theodore Roosevelt (1901), who succeeded him upon his death.
McKinley was president during the Spanish-American War, which culminated in the U.S. acquisition of Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Guam. McKinley's engagement in foreign policy steered the nation away from decades of isolationism and toward a more active role in global affairs. McKinley was also an advocate for protective tariffs aimed at supporting U.S. manufacturers.[1][2]
Prior to serving as president, McKinley worked as a lawyer and served 14 years in the United States House of Representatives as a member of the Republican Party. Following his tenure in Congress, McKinley served two terms as governor of Ohio.[3]
Biography
Timeline of life events
Below is an abbreviated outline of McKinley's professional and political career:[3]
- 1843: Born in Niles, Ohio
- 1861: Enlisted in the Union Army
- 1869: Entered Ohio politics as a member of the Republican Party
- 1876-1809: Served in the United States House of Representatives
- 1891: Elected governor of Ohio
- 1896: Elected president of the United States
- April 1898: Declaration of war with Spain
- December 1898: Treaty of Paris ended the Spanish-American War
- 1900: Re-elected president of the United States
- September 5, 1901: Shot by anarchist Leon Czolgosz in Buffalo, New York
- September 14, 1901: Died
Before the presidency
McKinley was born in Niles, Ohio, on January 29, 1843, to William McKinley and Nancy Allison McKinley. His father worked as an iron founder and as the manager of a charcoal furnace. McKinley briefly studied at Allegheny College and worked as a school teacher until the start of the Civil War. He enlisted in the Union Army at the age of 18 and was later discharged as a brevet major in 1865.[2]
McKinley became involved in the Republican Party upon his return to Ohio following the Civil War. In 1869, he was elected prosecutor for Stark County and went on to win election to the United States House of Representatives in 1877. He served 14 years in the U.S. House, losing his re-election campaigns in 1882 and 1890. Following his tenure in Congress, McKinley ran for governor of Ohio and served two terms from 1892 to 1896.[2]
McKinley was selected as the 1896 Republican nominee for president at the Republican National Convention, which was held in St. Louis, Missouri, from June 16 to June 18. He faced William Jennings Bryan in the November general election, who was the nominee for the Democratic Party, the Populist Party, and the Silver Republicans. McKinley was the first presidential candidate since 1872 to win a majority of the popular vote and a majority of electoral votes (271 to 176). His support was concentrated in the Northeast, the Upper Midwest, and the Pacific Coast.[2][4]
Presidency
McKinley's presidential campaign centered on promoting American industry and he championed protective tariffs during his presidency. He supported the Dingley Tariff Act of 1897, which implemented the highest protective tariffs in U.S. history. McKinley also raised customs duties shortly after taking office in an effort to lower other taxes and spur the growth of domestic industry.[2][5]
The United States entered into the Spanish-American War in April 1898 after the sinking of the U.S. battleship Maine in Havana, Cuba. The Spanish were attempting to suppress the Cuban independence movement at the time and the incident was erroneously attributed to a Spanish mine. The two nations signed the Treaty of Paris in December 1898, which ended the war and ceded possession of Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Guam to the United States. The acquisition of foreign territories defined McKinley's presidency as a shift from American isolationism toward engagement in global affairs.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many[1]
McKinley died in office on September 14, 1901—nine days after he was shot by American anarchist Leon Czolgosz.[1]
Personal
McKinley was married to Ida Saxton McKinley from 1871 until his death in 1901. They had two daughters, neither of whom survived childhood.[6]
Elections
1896 presidential election
In 1896, McKinley defeated William Jennings Bryan (D/Populist) in the general election for the United States presidency.
| U.S. presidential election, 1896 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Electoral votes | |
| Republican |  William McKinley/Garret Hobart |
51% | 7,112,138 | 271 | |
| Democrat/Populist | William Jennings Bryan/Arthur Sewall (D)/Thomas Watson (Populist) | 46.7% | 6,510,807 | 176 | |
| National Democrat | John Palmer/Simon Buckner | 1% | 133,537 | 0 | |
| Prohibition | Joshua Levering/Hale Johnson | 0.9% | 124,896 | 0 | |
| Socialist Labor | Charles Matchett/Matthew Maguire | 0.3% | 36,359 | 0 | |
| Other | -- | 0.2% | 20,937 | 0 | |
| Total Votes | 13,938,674 | 447 | |||
| Election results via: 1896 official election results | |||||
1900 presidential election
In 1900, McKinley defeated William Jennings Bryan (D) in the general election for the United States presidency.
| U.S. presidential election, 1900 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Electoral votes | |
| Republican | William McKinley/Theodore Roosevelt Incumbent |
51.7% | 7,218,283 | 292 | |
| Democrat | William Jennings Bryan/Adlai Stevenson | 45.5% | 6,358,149 | 155 | |
| Prohibition | John Woolley/Henry Metcalf | 1.5% | 209,132 | 0 | |
| Socialist | Eugene Debs/Job Harriman | 0.6% | 86,973 | 0 | |
| Populist | Wharton Barker/Ignatius Donnelly | 0.4% | 50,847 | 0 | |
| Socialist Labor | Joseph Maloney/Valentine Remmel | 0.3% | 40,968 | 0 | |
| Other | -- | 0.1% | 7,494 | 0 | |
| Total Votes | 13,971,846 | 447 | |||
| Election results via: 1900 official election results | |||||
State of the Union addresses
Every year in office, the president of the United States addresses Congress on the present state of affairs as well as the administration's goals for the coming year.[7] Following are transcripts from McKinley's State of the Union addresses.
See also
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Presidential Library and Museum website
- Official White House biography
- C-Span video on the McKinley presidency
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 History.com, "WILLIAM MCKINLEY," accessed June 6, 2018
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Encyclopedia Britannica, "William McKinley," accessed June 6, 2018
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Biography.com, "William McKinley," accessed June 6, 2018
- ↑ 270towin.com, "1896 Presidential Election," accessed June 6, 2018
- ↑ The White House, "William McKinley," accessed June 6, 2018
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedbiography - ↑ Congressional Research Service, "The President’s State of the Union Address: Tradition, Function, and Policy Implications," January 24, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Grover Cleveland (D) |
President of the United States 1897-1901 |
Succeeded by Theodore Roosevelt (R) |
| |||||||
