Biography of President William McKinley

Biography of President William McKinley the 25th president of the United States. (1897-1901)

Learn about his biography and life story of President William McKinley the 25th president of the United States.

Biography of President William McKinley 

• Served as President: 1897-1901
• Vice President: Garret Hobart, Theodore Roosevelt
• Party: Republican
• Age at inauguration: 54
• Born: January 29, 1843 in Niles, Ohio
• Died: September 14, 1901 after being shot in Buffalo, New York
• Married: Ida Saxton McKinley
• Children: two daughters who died young
• Nickname: Idol of Ohio, Major

Biography of President William McKinley :

What is William McKinley most known for?

William McKinley is generally known for being president during the Spanish-American Conflict. Because of the Spanish-American Conflict, the U.S. acquired critical domain and procured the standing as a politically influential nation. McKinley is otherwise called the president whose demise permitted Teddy Roosevelt to become president.

Growing Up

William was born and raised in Ohio. He loved outside activities such as fishing, riding horses, and swimming. He did well in school attending the local public schools and then Allegheny College. William had to drop out of college, however, when his family lost everything in the Panic of 1857. He then went to work as a teacher for a short time at the local school.

The Civil War

When the Civil War broke out McKinley decided to join the Union army. He was only 18 years old when he joined the Ohio regiment. At the start of the war he was under the command of another future president, Rutherford B. Hayes. He worked his way from private to major as the war progressed. His friends continued to call him “Major” for many years after the war. During the Civil War he fought at the Battle of South Mountain and the Battle of Antietam.

After the war, William decided to study law. In 1867 he passed the bar exam and became a lawyer. After practicing law for a few years he turned his career toward politics and public office.

Before He Became President

In 1877, McKinley became a member of the U.S. House of Representatives where he served for 14 years. One major piece of legislation he proposed was the McKinley Tariff. Unfortunately, it backfired causing prices to rise on consumer goods. After leaving the House, McKinley became governor of Ohio where he served for two terms before running for president.

William McKinley’s Presidency

When McKinley became president he focused his efforts on making the United States a world power. Perhaps the most significant event while he was president was the Spanish-American war. After the U.S. battleship Maine was destroyed off the coast of Cuba, the U.S. and Spain went to war. The Spanish-American war was a short war of only a few months as the U.S. quickly destroyed Spain’s navy. As a result of the war, the U.S. took control of Cuba, the Philippine Islands, and Puerto Rico.

Other events during the McKinley presidency include annexing the Hawaiian Islands as well as starting the effort to build the Panama Canal.

McKinley was very popular at this point. The economy had picked up and the United States was growing strong. When his vice president died, he replaced him with the popular Teddy Roosevelt. McKinley easily was elected to a second term.

How did he die?

Just six months into his second term, McKinley was shot and killed by an assassin. He was attending the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York when he went to shake a man’s hand. That man was an anarchist who was angry with the government. He was hiding a gun and shot McKinley twice instead of shaking his hand. President McKinley died eight days later and Theodore Roosevelt became president.

• He was the fifth president from Ohio in 28 years.
• He was the first president to ride in an automobile. He even rode to the hospital in an ambulance after being shot.
• First Lady Ida McKinley didn’t like the color yellow. She disliked it so much she had everything yellow removed from the White House.
• After he was shot, the crowd grabbed his assassin and began to beat him. McKinley yelled out “Boys, don’t let them hurt him.”
• Unlike many of the presidents of that era, McKinley did not have a beard.
• His face is on the $500 bill.
• He had a pet parrot named “Washington Post”.

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