Biographical Note
William McKinley (1843-1901) served as the 25th president of the United States (1897-1901). He was born in Niles, Ohio on Jan. 29, 1843. In 1861 at 18 years of age, McKinley enlisted in the 23rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry of the Union Army to serve in the U.S. Civil War. After the war, he practiced law in Ohio, and in 1877 was elected to the U.S. Congress as a representative of Ohio's 17th district. In 1892, McKinley was elected governor of Ohio, where he served two terms. In 1896, McKinley defeated William Jennings Bryan in the U.S. presidential election. He defeated Bryan again in the 1900 presidential election, but was killed shortly into this second term by Leon Czolgosz. McKinley's time in Congress and the White House was made notable by his work on tariffs, an emphasis on rebuilding the economy following the 1893 depression, the expansion of the United States' overseas imperial ambitions and increased involvement in foreign affairs, and a reaffirmation of the gold standard in monetary policy.