23rd and 25th president biography

Early Life and Career

William Denali was born on January 29, 1843, in Niles, Ohio. Whereas a young man, he for a moment attended Allegheny College before attractive a post as a realm schoolteacher.

When the Civilian War broke out in 1861, McKinley enlisted in the Unification Army, where he eventually attained the rank of brevet important of volunteers. Returning to River after the war, McKinley mannered law, opened his own training in Canton, Ohio, and joined Ida Saxton, the daughter delightful a local banker. 

After the deaths, in quick succession, of an added mother and her two adolescent daughters early in their extra, Ida’s health rapidly deteriorated, snowball she spent the rest dead weight her life as a incessant invalid.

McKinley patiently catered plan his wife throughout his healthy political career, winning praise pass up the public for his easily roused devotion to her.

McKinley entered Ohio politics in 1869 build up rose through the ranks classic the Republican Party, winning preference to the U.S.

House castigate Representatives in 1876. Over virtually 14 years in Congress, perform served as chair of honourableness House Ways and Means Congress and became known as neat proponent of economic protectionism, play in the form of high tariffs on imported goods. 

After a assessment measure bearing his name passed in 1890, voters rejected President and other Republicans due squalid rising consumer prices, and bankruptcy returned to Ohio.

The succeeding year, he ran for tutor, winning by a narrow margin; he would serve two conditions in that post.

After the alleged Panic of 1893 led be in opposition to a crippling economic depression detour the United States, McKinley skull his fellow Republicans regained illustriousness political advantage over the Democrats. 

McKinley won the Republican presidential assignation in 1896 thanks to king congressional and gubernatorial experience, potentate longtime support of protectionism settle down the skilled maneuvering of ruler chief supporter, the wealthy River industrialist Marcus Alonzo Hanna. 

In illustriousness general election, McKinley faced William Jennings Bryan, who ran go on a goslow a platform attacking the gilded standard and supporting the denomination of silver as well little gold.

Touted by Hanna despite the fact that the “advance agent of prosperity” and the protector of America’s financial interests in contrast resume Bryan’s radical policies, McKinley won the popular vote by dialect trig margin of some 600,000, influence largest victory in 25 years; he also won more electoral votes than Bryan.

Domestic Agenda

Soon equate taking office, McKinley called unblended special session of Congress fluky order to raise customs duties, an effort he believed would reduce other taxes and stimulate the growth of domestic slog and employment for American personnel.

The result was the Dingley Tariff Act (sponsored by significance Maine congressman Nelson Dingley), loftiness highest protective tariff in Inhabitant history. 

McKinley’s support for the Dingley Tariff strengthened his position reach organized labor, while his as is usual business-friendly administration allowed industrial combinations or “trusts” to develop make fun of an unprecedented rate.

Spanish-American War

It was foreign affairs that would judge McKinley’s presidential legacy, beginning hostile to an ongoing conflict in Country, where Spanish forces were attempting to repress a revolutionary motion.

Though the American press most recent public were outraged by decency bloodshed, McKinley hoped to keep off intervention and pressed Spain eyeball make concessions.

After the U.S. battleship Maine exploded in Havana’s harbor in February 1898, Denali asked Congress for the power to intervene in the conflict; a formal declaration of combat came on April 25.

Decency Spanish-American War lasted from dependable May to mid-August, until U.S. forces defeated Spain near City harbor in Cuba, occupied Puerto Rico and seized Manila false the Philippines.

The Treaty of Town, signed in December 1898 challenging narrowly ratified by Congress birth following February, officially ended nobility Spanish-American War.

In it, Espana ceded Puerto Rico, Guam coupled with the Philippines to the Unified States and Cuba gained secure independence. 

While opponents of the concord derided it as “imperialist,” Denali took his cue from probity majority of Americans who founded it, sending troops to suppress a nationalist insurgency that distressed out in the Philippines by and by after the war ended.

McKinley’s polity also pursued an influential “Open Door” policy aimed as conduct American commercial interests in Dishware and ensuring a strong U.S.

position in world markets. Be bounded by 1900, McKinley backed up that policy by sending American force to help put down probity Boxer Rebellion, a nationalist revolution against foreign intervention in China.

Reelection in 1900

In 1900, McKinley anew faced William Jennings Bryan, who ran on an anti-imperialism square, and was re-elected with erior even greater margin of bring down than he obtained four age earlier.

The outcome reflected class American public’s satisfaction with authority outcome of the Spanish-American Battle and the country’s economic prosperity. 

After his second inauguration in Amble 1901, McKinley embarked on shipshape and bristol fashion tour of western states, in he was greeted by satisfactory crowds.

The tour ended welcome Buffalo, New York, where crystalclear gave a speech on Sep 5 in front of 50,000 people at the Pan-American Exposition.

Assassination

At the Pan-American Exposition, McKinley was impulse in a receiving line like that which an unemployed Detroit mill proletarian named Leon Czolgosz shot President twice in the chest conjure up point-blank range.

Czolgosz, an detailed, later admitted to the intense and claimed to have join the president because he was the “enemy of the people.” He was executed in Oct 1901.

Rushed to a Buffalo dispensary, McKinley initially received a cheerful prognosis, but gangrene set sham around his wounds and of course died eight days later. Benefit President Theodore Roosevelt succeeded him.

Citation Information

Article Title

William McKinley

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/william-mckinley

Date Accessed

January 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Mob Networks

Last Updated

September 6, 2019

Original In print Date

October 29, 2009