William McKinley's Life

William McKinley was born on January 29, 1843 in Niles, Ohio. He went to school in Poland, Ohio and then went to Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania.When William was 17, he left college before he graduated and started to teach in a rural school. The Civil War broke out in 1861. McKinley was the last Chief Executive (president) to fight in the Civil War. The Civil War ended on April 9, 1865 after Robert Edward Lee was defeated by Ulysses Grant. After the Civil War, McKinley returned to Ohio and studied law. William McKinley married Ida Saxton in 1871. They had two daughters that died before they were two years old. His wife suffered from epilepsy and needed special attention. In 1876 McKinley was elected to the United States House of Representatives where he served for seventeen years. In 1892, William was elected 39th Governor of Ohio. He served one term as Governor and then the Republican party nominated McKinley as President. He won and he was a popular president. He was popular for being the fifth President to die in office and the third to be assassinated. He guided the nation during the Spanish-American War that lasted one hundred days. He was elected to serve a second in November 1900. He did not know that his second term would only last six and a half months. William was shot by Leon Czolgosz in Buffalo, New York and there, the President died on September 14, 1901. He was buried in Canton, Ohio. Note: McKinley was President from 1897 to 1901 and the Vice Presidents were Garret A. Hobart and Teddy Roosevelt.