William McKinley

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Born in Niles, Ohio in 1843, William McKinley attended Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania and had planned to become a Methodist minister. Sadly, McKinley was only able to attend for one term because of illness and financial disabilities. When the Civil War began, McKinley was teaching at a country school; he enlisted as a private in the Union Army, McKinley quickly rose up in ranks to become a brevet major on the staff of Rutherford B. Hayes, who eventually became a lifelong friend and a mentor. (Cite) After the Civil War, McKinley returned to Ohio to begin studying law and politics at Albany Law School. McKinley passed the bar exam in 1867 and began his legal practice in Canton, Ohio. In 1869, when he began his career in politics, he met his future wife Ida Saxton at a picnic in Canton and wed two years later. McKinley successfully ran for Congress in 1876 and served until 1891 before becoming the governor of Ohio. As a congressman, McKinley was later appointed to the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. During his fourteen years in the House, McKinley drafted the McKinley Tariff of 1890 which produced substantially higher taxes on imported goods. The election of 1896 was one of the most fiercely fought contests in the nation’s history. McKinley was the Republican choice with the northeastern states supporting him because of his endorsement of protective tariffs and the gold standard. He ran against Democrat William Jennings Bryan, who was supported by the Rocky Mountains states. McKinley was backed by the wealthy industrialist Marcus Hanna who helped fund and organize McKinley’s campaigns throughout the election. Because of the Panic of 1893, voters turned away from the Democrats’ hold on the presidency which he... ... middle of paper ... ...ery popular because of the economy’s return to prosperity. Although he was not Mckinley’s first choice, his running mate was Theodore Roosevelt who was also a war hero which made the duo more popular. The Democrats picked William Jennings Bryan for the second time for a rematch against Mckinley. Mckinley once again defeated Bryan with nearly twice as many electoral votes as Bryan. McKinley’s second term only lasted for six short months. On September 6, 1901, Mckinley traveled to Buffalo, New York to attend and give a speech at a Pan American Exposition. He was shot by Leon F. Czolgosz. Mckinley could have been saved if the doctors could have found where the bullet was lodged, but sadly, they could not find it. Gangrene began to set in his wounds and he died eight days later. Theodore Roosevelt then became the twenty-sixth president of the United States of America.

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