William McKinley
At a Glance
Term: 25th President of the United States (1897-1901)
Born: January 29, 1843, Niles, Ohio
Nickname: "Idol of Ohio"
Education: Allegheny College
Religion: Methodist
Marriage: January 25, 1871, to Ida Saxton (1847-1907)
Children: Katherine (1871-1875), Ida (1873)
Career: Lawyer
Political Party: Republican
Writings: The Tariff in the Days of Henry Clay and Since (1896)
Died: September 14, 1901, Buffalo, New York
Buried: Canton, Ohio (adjacent to Westlawn Cemetery)
A Life in Brief: For a long time, William McKinley was considered a mediocre President, a chief executive who was controlled by his political cronies and who was pressured into war with Spain by the press. Recent historians have been kinder to McKinley, seeing him instead as a decisive President who put America on the road to world power. More....
Essays on William McKinley and His Administration
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William McKinley
A Life in Brief • Life Before the Presidency • Campaigns and Elections • Domestic Affairs • Foreign Affairs • Death of the President • Family Life • The American Franchise • Impact and Legacy • Key Events |
| First Lady Ida McKinley |
| Vice President Garret A. Hobart (1897 - 1899) • Theodore Roosevelt (1901) |
| Secretary of State John Sherman (1897 - 1898) • John M. Hay (1898 - 1901) • William Day (1898 - 1898) |
| Secretary of War Russell Alger (1897 - 1899) • Elihu Root (1899 - 1901) |
| Postmaster General James A. Gary (1897 - 1898) • Charles Emory Smith (1898 - 1901) |
| Secretary of the Interior Cornelius N. Bliss (1897 - 1899) • Ethan A. Hitchcock (1899 - 1901) |
| Secretary of the Treasury Lyman J. Gage (1897 - 1901) |
| Attorney General Joseph McKenna (1897 - 1898) • John W. Griggs (1898 - 1901) • Philander C. Knox (1901 - 1901) |
| Secretary of the Navy John D. Long (1897 - 1901) |
| Secretary of Agriculture James Wilson (1897 - 1901) |
Consulting Editor: Lewis L. Gould
Professor Gould is the Eugene C. Barker Centennial Professor Emeritus in American History at the University of Texas. His writings include:
The Modern American Presidency (University Press of Kansas, 2003)
The Spanish-American War and President McKinley (University Press of Kansas, 1982)
The Presidency of William McKinley (University Press of Kansas, 1981)
Presidential Speeches
Below are selections from the Miller Center's William McKinley speech collection. To view the Miller Center's other speeches by William McKinley or by another President, please click the link below.
Miller Center Scholarship and Speakers
The Miller Center of Public Affairs is a national nonpartisan center to research, reflect, and report on American government, with special attention to the central role and history of the presidency. Below is a selection of Miller Center resources on William McKinley.
Listen to Kevin Phillips’s 2003 presentation at the Miller Center on President William McKinley.
President William McKinley led the country as Commander in Chief during the Spanish-American War. Click here to learn more about the Miller Center's National War Powers Commission.
Click here to learn more about the Center’s National Commission on Presidential Disability and the 25th Amendment and its relationship to McKinley.
Scripps Library Reference Resources
Below are links to reference resources prepared by the Miller Center's Scripps Library that are designed to help students and scholars quickly conduct their research.
Information on William McKinley's Private and Public Papers
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