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William McKinley 25th President of the United States (March 4, 1897 to September 14, 1901) Nickname: "Idol of Ohio" Born: January 29, 1843, in Niles, Ohio Died: September 14, 1901, in Buffalo, New York

Father: William McKinley
Mother: Nancy Campbell Allison McKinley
Married: Ida Saxton (1847-1907), on January 25, 1871
Children: Katherine McKinley (1871-75); Ida McKinley (1873)

Religion: Methodist
Education: Attended Allegheny College
Occupation: Lawyer
Political Party: Republican
Other Government Positions:

• Member of U.S. House of Representatives, 1877-91
• Governor of Ohio, 1892-96

Presidential Salary: $50,000/year

Vice President: Garret A. Hobart (1897-99); Theodore Roosevelt (1901)

Cabinet:

Secretary of State

John Sherman (1897-98)

William R. Day (1898)

John M. Hay (1898-1901)

Secretary of the Treasury

Lyman J. Gage (1897-1901)

Secretary of War

Russel A. Alger (1897-99)

Elihu Root (1899-1901)

Attorney General

Joseph McKenna (1897-98)

John W. Griggs (1898-1901)

Philander C. Knox (1901)

Postmaster General

James A. Gary (1897-98)

Charles Emory Smith (1898-1901)

Secretary of the Navy

John D. Long (1897-1901)

Secretary of the Interior

Cornelius N. Bliss (1897-99)

Ethan A. Hitchcock (1899-1901)

Secretary of Agriculture

James Wilson (1897-1901)

Notable Events:

Internet Biographies:

William McKinley -- from The Presidents of the United States of America

Compiled by the White House.

William McKinley -- from The American Presidency

Grolier Online has created this resource from its collection of print articles in Encyclopedia Americana. Contains a full biography, written by H. Wayne Morgan of the University of Oklahoma and author of William McKinley and His America, along with suggestions for further reading.

William McKinley -- from The American President

From the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia, in addition to information on the Presidents themselves, they have first lady and cabinet member biographies, listings of presidential staff and advisers, and timelines detailing significant events in the lives of each administration.

Historical Documents:

First Inaugural Address (1897)

Second Inaugural Address (1901)

Media Resources:

Audio

Giving a 1896 campaign speech from his front porch. (1:11)

RealAudio | MP3 (562K)

From the Vincent Voice Library at Michigan State University under the leadership of Dr. Maurice Crane.

Video

William McKinley Early Motion Pictures -- from the American Memory Historical Collections

The search results from this Library of Congress special collection will lead to a number of early movies made by Thomas Edison's motion picture company. These will take a while to download.

Other Internet Resources:

Era of William McKinley

By K. Austin Kerr at Ohio State University, this resource contains information on McKinley's political career and examples of some of the political cartoons of McKinley's era.

National McKinley Birthplace Memorial

A memorial, museum and library commemorating the birth of McKinley located in Niles, Ohio. Tourist information available.

Points of Interest:

Previous President: Grover Cleveland | Next President: Theodore Roosevelt

©1996-2007. Robert S. Summers. All rights reserved.