William McKinley

:The name "Mckinley" redirects here. For other uses, see McKinley, including Mount McKinley.

Biography

Born in Niles, Ohio on Sunday January 29, 1843, William McKinley was the seventh of nine children. His parents, William and Nancy (Allison) McKinley were of Scots-Irish ancestry. He attended the public schools, Poland Academy, and Allegheny College, but McKinley fell ill and had to return home. While at Allegheny, McKinley joined the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity; at his later inauguration as president the only jewelry that McKinley wore was his fraternity pin. On June 23, 1861, at the start of the American Civil War, he enlisted in the Union Army, as a private in the Twenty-third Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry. McKinley saw combat in several battles; at Antietam he was promoted from commissary sergeant by his commander (and fellow future US President) Rutherford B. Hayes for delivering rations under enemy fire. He was promoted several times during the war, and was eventually mustered out as Captain and brevet Major of the same regiment in September 1865.

Related Topics:
Niles - Ohio - January 29 - 1843 - Scots-Irish - Allegheny College - Sigma Alpha Epsilon - Fraternity - June 23 - 1861 - American Civil War - Union Army - Antietam - Rutherford B. Hayes - Captain - Brevet - Major - 1865

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Following the war, McKinley attended Albany Law School in Albany, New York, being admitted to the bar in 1867. He commenced practice in Canton, Ohio. He was prosecuting attorney of Stark County, Ohio, from 1869 to 1871, and was elected as a Republican to the Forty-fifth, Forty-sixth, and Forty-seventh U.S. Congress (March 4, 1877-March 3, 1883). He was chairman of the Committee on Revision of the Laws (Forty-seventh Congress). He presented his credentials as a Member-elect to the Forty-eighth Congress and served from March 4, 1883 until May 27, 1884, when he was succeeded by Jonathan H. Wallace, who successfully contested his election. McKinley was again elected to the Forty-ninth, Fiftieth, and Fifty-first Congresses (March 4, 1885-March 3, 1891). He was chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means (Fifty-first Congress). In 1890, he authored the unpopular McKinley Tariff.

Related Topics:
Albany Law School - Albany, New York - Bar - 1867 - Canton, Ohio - Stark County, Ohio - 1869 - 1871 - Republican - U.S. Congress - March 4 - 1877 - March 3 - 1883 - Committee on Revision of the Laws - May 27 - 1884 - Jonathan H. Wallace - 1885 - 1891 - Committee on Ways and Means - 1890 - McKinley Tariff

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McKinley was an unsuccessful candidate for re-election in 1890 to the Fifty-second Congress. He was a delegate to the Republican National Conventions in 1884, 1888, and 1892. Standing for election with his running mate Andrew L. Harris, McKinley was elected Governor of Ohio in 1891, and re-elected in 1893, serving until January 13, 1896.

Related Topics:
1890 - Delegate - Republican National Convention - 1884 - 1888 - 1892 - Andrew L. Harris - 1891 - 1893 - January 13 - 1896

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