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Title: |
William McKinley Papers |
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Repository: |
Western Reserve Historical Society
Phone: 216-721-5722 http://www.wrhs.org |
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Creator: |
McKinley, William |
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Dates: |
1850-1912 |
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Quantity: |
6.50 linear feet (16 containers and 1 oversize package) |
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Abstract: |
William McKinley (1843-1901) was the 25th president of the United States. He was shot on 6 September, 1901 and died eight days later. During the American Civil War he was Commissary Sergeant with the 23rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment. His brother-in-law, Andrew J. Duncan also served during the Civil War. The collection consists of photographs, general correspondence, family papers, financial papers, Civil War records of McKinley and A. J. Duncan, and letters of condolence and other material relating to McKinley's death in 1901. |
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Identification: |
MS 3201 |
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Location: |
closed stacks |
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Language: |
The records are in English |
William McKinley was born on January 29, 1843, in Niles, Ohio, the son of an iron founder. From 1861-1865 he served in the 23rd Ohio Volunteer Regiment and was mustered out at the rank of major. He began to study law in 1865 under Charles E. Glidden of Mahoning County, Ohio, and graduated from law school at Albany, New York, in 1867. He was appointed prosecuting attorney for Stark County, Ohio, in 1869.
On January 25, 1871, McKinley married Ida Saxton of Canton, Ohio. He was elected to the United States Congress in 1876 as Republican representative from the 17th Ohio district. In 1880 he was made temporary chairman of the Ohio Republican Convention and became permanent chairman in 1884. Also in 1880, he became a member of the Committee on Ways and Means.
McKinley was elected governor of Ohio in 1891. The following year he became the permanent chairman of the Republican National Convention. In February 1893, he incurred debt totaling some $130,000 after the failure of Robert L. Walker, a friend to whom he had endorsed notes, but funds were raised by unknown friends to meet the deficit, and his political career was unharmed.
McKinley was elected President of the United States in November of 1896, and was re-elected in 1900. He was shot by Leon F. Czolgosz at Buffalo, New York, on September 6, 1901, and died on September 14, 1901.
The William McKinley Papers, 1850-1912 and undated, consist of photographs, general correspondence, family papers, financial papers, Civil War records of McKinley and A. J. Duncan, and letters of condolence and other material relating to McKinley's death in 1901.
This collection is of necessity incomplete, for McKinley left few personal papers, and many of his official records are in other repositories. However, photographs, a few letters, family papers, Civil War records, and letters and papers relating to McKinley's death found in this collection give a fairly balanced representative selection.
The larger part of the collection is made up of ten bound volumes of letters of condolence received by Mrs. McKinley after the shooting and death of the President in 1901. Other material relating to his death includes a book of music written in his honor and papers, programs, and tickets relating to the funeral and memorials, as well as a group of telegrams sent from Buffalo during the last illness of McKinley.
Family papers include miscellaneous papers and letters from the McKinley family and also from the family of A. J. Duncan, who married McKinley's sister, Sarah, and whose Civil War letters and diary form an interesting part of this collection. McKinley's service in the American Civil War is represented by several folders of quartermasters' records, covering the years 1863-1864, when McKinley was Commissary Sergeant with the Ohio 23rd Volunteer Regiment. Of special note in this series of material are two receipts, dated 1850, for the sale of negro slaves, that are attached to an A. J. Duncan letter dated August 9, 1864.
A group of financial papers includes evidence of indebtedness made in 1893, when the failure of a friend whom he had backed put McKinley in debt some $130,000. Also here are evidence of payments made by the trustees of the Walker-McKinley Fund, 1893, together with subscription lists for the fund and letters from donors and interested parties.
None.
Separated Material: Separated MaterialPhotographs previously retained with this collection have been removed to the WRHS Photograph and Print Collection.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 3201 William McKinley Papers, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio
In this collection, many of the papers relating to the private and political life of William McKinley, given to the Western Reserve Historical Society over a period of years, have been combined for ease of access. Seven groups of papers relating to this prominent politician and twenty-fifth President of the Untied States have been put together here.
Processed by Carole E. Fryer in 1962.