1. Resume
    1. 1861 - 1865: Military service - Union Army - American Civil War
    2. 1877: Congressman of Ohio's 17th congressional district
    3. 1880: Filled the vacancy on the House Ways and Means Committee
    4. 1880: Ohio's representative on the Republican National Committee
    5. 1884: Delegate to the Republican convention, serving as chair of the Committee on Resolutions
    6. 1892 - 1896: 39th Governor of Ohio
    7. 1897 - 1901: 25th President of the United States
  2. Chronology
    1. 1843: Born in Niles, Ohio
    2. 1859: Became active in the local Methodist church
    3. 1852: Family moved from Niles, Ohio to Poland, Ohio so that the children could attend a better school
    4. 1859: Graduated and enrolled at Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania
    5. 1860: Returned home after becoming ill and depressed
    6. 1865: Decided on a career in law after the war ended
    7. 1867: At age 24 he was admitted to the bar
    8. 1871: Married to Ida Saxton, the daughter of a prominent Canton family and had a child the same year
    9. 1873: A second daughter was born and died the same year, putting his wife into depression
    10. 1875: First daughter died of typhoid fever, and the wife never recovered from her daughters' deaths
  3. Notables
    1. Assassinated near the end of his term
    2. Led the nation to victory in the Spanish-American War
    3. Raised protective tariffs to promote American industry
    4. Maintained the nation on the gold standard in a rejection of inflationary proposals
    5. Last president to have served in the American Civil War
    6. 1890: McKinley Tariff was highly controversial
    7. Rapid economic growth marked his presidency
    8. 1897: Promoted the Dingley Tariff to protect manufacturers and factory workers from foreign competition
    9. 1900: Secured the passage of the Gold Standard Act
    10. 1898: Annexed the independent Republic of Hawaii
    11. Had an association and friendship with Rutherford B. Hayes from the Civil War until his death in 1893
    12. 1878: Voted for the Bland-Allison Act, which mandated large government purchases of silver for striking into money
    13. 1893: Received the largest percentage of vote of any Ohio governor since the Civil War in his re-election
    14. 1895: Cuban War of Independence led to American intervention
    15. 1897: Began negotiations with Spain to try a peaceful approach to liberate Cuba instead of war
    16. Spain blew up USS Maine with an underwater mine, the Americans wanted war as well as Congress
    17. 1898: Spain refused McKinley's proposals and Congress declared war, with the addition of the Teller Amendment which disavowed any intention of annexing Cuba
    18. Utilized the expansion of the telegraph and the development of the telephone
    19. 1898: Treaty of Paris was signed and the United States acquired Puerto Rico and the Philippines as well as the island of Guam, and Spain relinquished its claims to Cuba; in exchange, the United States agreed to pay Spain $20 million
    20. Philippines was granted independence in 1946, but the U.S. retains the other territories taken under McKinley
    21. Pursued the annexation of the Republic of Hawaii during the war
    22. 1898: Hawaii was annexed by the guiding spirit of McKinley and his firmness in pursuing it
    23. Espoused an Open Door Policy, in which all nations would freely trade with China and none would seek to violate that nation's territorial integrity
    24. 1901: Hay-Pauncefote Treaty was drafted and approved after McKliney's assassination for the US to control a canal across Central America
    25. Supported the Dingley Act which increased tariffs on wool, sugar, and luxury goods, but the proposed new rates alarmed the French, who exported many luxury items to the United States
    26. Spoken out against lynching, but his priority was in ending sectionalism, and blacks were disappointed by his policies and appointments
    27. African Americans in northern states felt their contributions to McKinley's victory were overlooked; few were appointed to office
    28. Although McKinley was against expansion, his motivation was to change the lives of Filipinos and Cubans for the better
  4. Summary
    1. View of a stronger central government building American industry through protective tariffs and a dollar based on gold
    2. Strong advocate of protective tariffs
    3. Decided on the side of the Gold Standard
    4. 1900: Signed the Gold Standard Act using a gold pen
    5. Front Porch Campaign was a brilliant idea and became a legend in American political history
    6. Wanted no wars of conquest and to avoid the temptation of territorial aggression
    7. Made two ill-advised Cabinet appointments: Secretary of State and Secretary of War
    8. Many of the men he included in his administration dominated the Republican Party after his death
    9. Tried to avoid war with Spain over the Cuban War of Independence
    10. 1898: successfully pushed for the annexation of Hawaii
    11. Open Door Policy became the basis of American policy toward China
    12. 1901: Hay-Pauncefote treaty allowed a U.S. canal through Central America
    13. African Americans supported McKinley but did not feel that he reciprocated
    14. Shot shortly after his second term started
    15. His biographer remarked that McKinley died the most beloved president in history
    16. In surveys ranking American presidents, he has generally been placed near the middle, due to the perception that he followed public opinion more than led it
    17. 1898: Territorial expansion is often seen as the beginning of American empire