The Spanish–American War (1898)
Followed the sinking of USS Maine in Havana harbour; Spain ceded Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines
US Presidents · 19th century
William McKinley
1843–1901 · American
Republican
In office: 1897–1901
William McKinley, an Ohio Republican best known in Congress for the protectionist McKinley Tariff, beat William Jennings Bryan in 1896 with a "front porch campaign" managed by Mark Hanna. As the 25th president he led the United States into the Spanish–American War of 1898, which brought Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines under US control, and he annexed Hawaii. He was assassinated by the anarchist Leon Czolgosz in Buffalo in 1901.
How to spot them
- ▸Shot by anarchist Leon Czolgosz at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, 1901
- ▸The 'front porch campaign' of 1896 against William Jennings Bryan, run by Mark Hanna
- ▸The Spanish–American War after the sinking of USS Maine
- ▸North America's highest peak was named after him
- ▸The last Civil War veteran to become president
In office
Annexation of Hawaii (1898)
Achieved by joint resolution of Congress (the Newlands Resolution)
The 'front porch campaign' (1896)
Received delegations at his home in Canton, Ohio, while Bryan toured the country
The Gold Standard Act (1900)
Put the US dollar formally on the gold standard
Assassination at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo (1901)
Shot on 6 September by Leon Czolgosz; died on 14 September
Quick-fire facts
- •The 25th President of the United States
- •Born in Niles, Ohio
- •Served in the Civil War, enlisting as a private
- •The Open Door policy towards China was set out by his Secretary of State John Hay
- •Succeeded by his Vice-President, Theodore Roosevelt
- •Alaska's Mount McKinley was renamed Denali in 2015; President Trump ordered the McKinley name restored in 2025
- •Ohio adopted the scarlet carnation as its state flower in his memory
Drill it — 6 cards
1 / 6new card
Sources
- Miller Center, University of Virginia — William McKinley