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William McKinley
Historical figureUnited States1843-1901

William McKinley

25th President of the United States (1897-1901) · Governor of Ohio

Republican president who backed high tariffs and the gold standard, led the country into war with Spain, won colonies abroad and died at an assassin's hand in 1901.

Compare yourself See the 12 scores
Profile on 12 axes5 of 12 documented
ECONOMYSTATESOCIETYWORLDOwnershipMarketsWelfareAuthoritySecurityStructureMoralityReligionTechnologyCultureTradeForeign
Where they stood

William McKinley, axis by axis

  1. 01Ownership+40
    PublicPrivate

    Public ownership was not a live issue in his day. The score reflects his pro-business Republican agenda of tariffs and sound money.

  2. 02Markets+25
    PlannedFree

    He approved the Gold Standard Act and sorted trusts into good and bad, without asking for any new antitrust law.

  3. 03WelfareNo clear record
    SharedSelf-reliant

    The sources used here show no position on federal relief, so this is left empty.

  4. 04Authority0
    DemocraticStrong leader

    He enlarged the president's part in running a war and shaping public opinion, even operating a White House war room, yet he worked closely with Congress. He scores in the middle.

  5. 05SecurityNo clear record
    LibertyOrder

    The sources used here do not cover civil liberties at home, so this is left empty.

  6. 06StructureNo clear record
    LocalCentral

    The sources used here show no position on federal versus state power, so this is left empty.

  7. 07MoralityNo clear record
    ProgressiveTraditional

    His views on family and social life go unrecorded apart from the usual ideas of his time, so this is left empty.

  8. 08ReligionNo clear record
    SecularReligious

    The sources used here do not cover religion and public life, so this is left empty.

  9. 09TechnologyNo clear record
    EmbraceCaution

    No known view, and the question hardly fits his century.

  10. 10CultureNo clear record
    MulticulturalNational identity

    Backers of empire argued that Filipinos could not rule themselves, but his own view is unclear in the sources used here, so this is left empty.

  11. 11Trade+65
    GlobalProtected

    He authored the 1890 McKinley Tariff and signed the 1897 Dingley Tariff, but one day before he was shot he spoke up for reciprocal trade treaties.

  12. 12Foreign policy+70
    CooperationStrength

    He went to war with Spain, annexed Hawaii and took Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines. His forces then fought Filipinos who wanted independence.

7 axes have no clear record, so matching leaves them out.

Who was William McKinley?

William McKinley joined the Union army as a private in the Civil War and left it as a major. He then practised law in Ohio and won seats in Congress and later the Ohio governorship. As head of the House Ways and Means Committee he drafted the 1890 tariff that bears his name. In 1896 he beat William Jennings Bryan in an election fought over gold and silver. In office he approved the Dingley Tariff and the Gold Standard Act. The war with Spain in 1898, fought over Cuba, left the US with Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines, where American troops then battled Filipino nationalists. Voters returned him in 1900. In September 1901 an anarchist shot him in Buffalo, and he died eight days later.

Political views

Legacy

Admirers say McKinley ended the bitter fights over money of the depression years, oversaw a time of prosperity and made the United States a world power. Some historians call him the first modern president for the way he managed the press and directed a war. Anti-imperialists of his day, among them Mark Twain, Andrew Carnegie and ex-president Benjamin Harrison, said taking colonies betrayed American ideals. The war against Filipino forces began in 1899 and lasted to 1902. It was far deadlier than the Spanish war. According to the Office of the Historian at the State Department, as many as 200,000 Filipino civilians died from violence, hunger and disease. Critics also say he did little against segregation and lynching in the South.

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William McKinley: questions

Was William McKinley a Republican?

Yes, he was a Republican. He twice defeated Democrat William Jennings Bryan, in 1896 and in 1900.

What was the Philippine-American War?

Spain handed the Philippines to the US in 1898. Filipino nationalists, who had declared independence, began fighting American forces in 1899. The organized fighting wound down by 1902 after heavy losses among civilians.

How was William McKinley killed?

On September 6, 1901, the anarchist Leon Czolgosz shot him at a fair in Buffalo, the Pan-American Exposition. McKinley died on September 14, and Theodore Roosevelt became president.

Sources