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William McKinley, the 25th president of the United States, was assassinated on September 14, 1901, eight days after being shot by anarchist Leon Czolgosz at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo. He served from 1897, leading the nation through the Spanish-American War of 1898, raising protective tariffs, and maintaining the gold standard. A Civil War veteran, he was the last such veteran to become president.
Names, aliases, and relatives of William McKinley — birth name, kin, and personal ties.
William McKinley by the numbers — life, work, and family.
William McKinley — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
On January 29, 1843, Nancy Campbell Allison gave birth to William McKinley in Niles, Ohio. He was one of nine children in a family that valued education and public service. After attending Poland Seminary High School, he studied at Allegheny College but left due to illness. He then taught briefly before enlisting in the Union Army during the Civil War, where he served under future president Rutherford B. Hayes and was promoted to brevet major.
McKinley entered politics as a U.S. Representative from Ohio, serving from 1877 to 1883 and again from 1885 to 1891. He was elected Governor of Ohio in 1892, serving until 1896. In 1896, he won the presidency and took office in 1897. His presidency saw the Spanish-American War of 1898, resulting in U.S. acquisition of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines. He signed the Dingley Act of 1897, raising protective tariffs, and maintained the gold standard against the free silver movement. Re-elected in 1900, he was assassinated in September 1901. His 1901 inauguration was the first ever filmed.
William McKinley married Ida Saxton on January 24, 1871. The couple had two daughters: Katherine, born in 1871, and Ida, born in 1873. Both died young—Katherine at age four in 1875 and Ida at four months in 1873. Ida McKinley suffered from epilepsy and phlebitis, and he devotedly cared for her. After his death, he left his estate of $200,000 primarily to his wife, with a $1,000 annuity to his mother Nancy which passed to his sister Helen since Nancy had predeceased him.
William McKinley was the last Civil War veteran to serve as president. His assassination in 1901 brought Theodore Roosevelt to the presidency. His portrait appeared on the $500 bill from 1928 until its discontinuation in 1969. The Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame inducted him in 1992 as part of its inaugural class. Streets in Buffalo, New York, and Hollywood, Florida, bear his name. His legacy as the 25th president who led the nation through the Spanish-American War and whose death shaped the Progressive Era endures.
Browse the complete filmography of William McKinley — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.
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A wall of memorable lines from William McKinley — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.
I Have Never Been in Doubt Since I Was Old Enough to Think Intelligently That I Would Someday Be Made President.
War Should Never Be Entered Upon Until Every Agency of Peace Has Failed.
The Free Man Cannot Be Long an Ignorant Man.
Our Differences Are Policies; Our Agreements, Principles.
The Mission of the United States Is One of Benevolent Assimilation.
I Am a Tariff Man, Standing on a Tariff Platform.
Expositions Are the Timekeepers of Progress.
In the Time of Darkest Defeat, Victory May Be Nearest.
That’s All a Man Can Hope for During His Lifetime to Set an Example and When He Is Dead, to Be an Inspiration for History.
Let Us Ever Remember That Our Interest Is in Concord, Not in Conflict; and That Our Real Eminence Rests in the Victories of Peace, Not Those of War.
We Need Hawaii Just as Much and a Good Deal More Than We Did California. It Is Manifest Destiny.
Cuba Ought to Be Free and Independent, and the Government Should Be Turned Over to the Cuban People.
Little-known facts about William McKinley — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
McKinley was the third US President to be assassinated. He was killed in September of 1901 by Leon Czolgosz at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. Czolgosz approached him with a bandaged hand containing a pistol and shot him twice in the stomach. McKinley died of his wounds eight days later. Czolgosz claimed the government was evil and sick and should be dismantled from the top down. He was tried, convicted, and executed in the electric chair.
25th President of the United States, 1897-1901.
The last Civil War veteran to be elected President.
Many of McKinley’s advisers and aides did everything they could to keep his bodyguards on their toes, not for fear of his safety but because they feared Theodore Roosevelt gaining the office.
Had two daughters Katherine Katie McKinley 1871-1875 and Ida McKinley April 1873-August 1873 who died as children.
Third president to be successfully assassinated and the fifth president to die in office.
His portrait graced the $500 bill in the Series of 1928 and 1934, the latter being the last series of denominations over $100 printed by the United States. Although they had not been printed for years, bills over $100 were officially discontinued by the U.S. Treasury in 1969, and the McKinley $500 bill stopped circulating.
When he died in 1901, he left the bulk of his estate, valued at $200,000, to his wife Ida. He provided a $1,000 lifetime annuity to his mother, but since she had already died, it passed to his sister Helen.
Has a street named after him in Buffalo, New York: McKinley Avenue.
McKinley Street in Hollywood, Florida, was named for him. It is located between Cleveland Street for President Grover Cleveland and Roosevelt Street for President Theodore Roosevelt, in the same order in which they served as President of the United States.
Inducted into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame in 1992 inaugural class.
He was the first U.S. president to have his inauguration filmed.
Pictured on the 25-cent U.S. postage stamp in the Presidential Series, issued December 2, 1938.
Pictured on a U.S. 7-cent regular-issue postage stamp issued May 1, 1923.
Pictured on a 5-cent U.S. postage stamp issued April 30, 1904, as part of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition series.
U.S. Representative, 1877-1883, 1885-1891.
Governor of Ohio, 1892-1896.
Obtained the rank of brevet major during the Civil War, being promoted by General and future President Rutherford B. Hayes. He was the last veteran of the Civil War to become president of the United States.
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about William McKinley.
Celebrities similar to William McKinley — same craft, ranked by reach.
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