William McKinley (1843-1901)

William McKinley (1843-1901), helped shape the modern presidency and set the United States on a path toward world leadership. During his two administrations, the nation emerged from a depression. American soldiers and sailors won the Spanish-American War (1898). The United States took possession of Guam, Hawaii, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and part of American Samoa. Victory at war and control of new lands made the United States a world power, and thus also increased the power of the presidency.

McKinley led the Republican Party during the 1890's. He supported his party's belief in protective tariffs, taxes on imports to protect American industries from foreign competition. He and his party also promoted the growth of big business in the United States. McKinley succeeded President Grover Cleveland and twice defeated the well-known statesman William Jennings Bryan for the presidency. An assassin shot and killed McKinley about six months after the start of his second term, and Vice President Theodore Roosevelt became president. McKinley was the third president to be assassinated. The first two were Abraham Lincoln and James A. Garfield.

Following the hard times of the mid-1890's, McKinley's two administrations were filled with national optimism and confidence. The motion picture, the automobile, and the telephone were becoming part of everyday life. Businesses were growing, but social problems remained. Blacks faced segregation, violence, and lynchings in the South. Industrial workers labored an average of 59 hours a week. And women had full voting rights in only four states—Colorado, Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming. There were already stirrings of a spirit of reform that would sweep through the United States after 1901.

History has not been kind to McKinley. Historians and political scientists have often underestimated his achievements as president. They have seen McKinley as a colorless, cautious president compared with more exciting leaders, such as Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. In fact, McKinley's presidency was a time of great change for the nation, and he did much to shape that change. He strengthened the powers of his office and expanded the nation's role in world affairs.