William McKinley

(1843 - 1901 )

Who was Bill McKinley ?

    McKinley was born in Ohio, and attended Allegheny College. For a short time, McKinley was a teacher, before entering the Union Army, in which he rose to the rank of brevet major of volunteers. After the Civil War, he became a lawyer. His political career began at age 34, when he was elected to Congress. In 1891, he was elected Governor of Ohio.

    William McKinley was elected with over 600,000 more popular votes than his opponent, William Jennings Bryan, and with an electoral vote count of 271 to 176. President McKinley made foreign policy the strength of his administration. It was under his Presidency that the United States declared war on Spain, at the pressure of the American public. A couple of years later, U.S. troops helped supress the Boxer Rebellion in China. McKinley annexed the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico.