PRESIDENTS DAY
Born: January 29, 1843 in Niles, Ohio.
Education: Attended Alleghency College at Meadville, Pennsylvania.
Occupation: Lawyer, politician. Enlisted in Union Army, served 1861-65.
Religion: Methodist.
Family life: Married Ida Saxton in 1871; they had two daughters who died in infancy. Phlebitis and epileptic seizures shattered her health, she was a confirmed invalid. After his death, she lived in Canton, cared for by her younger sister, visiting her husband's grave almost daily. She died in 1907, and lies entombed beside the President and near their two little daughters in Canton's McKinley Memorial Mausoleum.
Political career: Became active in Ohio Republican politics after the Civil War; served in United States House of Representatives, 1877-83 and 1885-91. Defeated for Congress but elected governor of Ohio, 1892-96.
Highlights of his presidency: Presided during Spainish-American War. Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico ceded to the United States. Under William McKinley the Nation gained its first overseas possessions. Assaassinated early in second term in office.
Appearance: Medium height, with a high broad forehead.
Died:His second term, which had begun auspiciously, came to a tragic end in September 1901. He was standing in a receiving line at the Buffalo Pan-American Exposition when a deranged anarchist shot him twice. He died eight days later.
Buried: Canton's McKinley Memorial Mausoleum in Canton, Ohio.
