Trading Card

WILLIAM McKINLEY
25th U.S. President (Republican)

Born: Jan. 29, 1843 Died: Sept. 14, 1901
Marriage: Ida Saxton; two children
Hobbies: The opera, theater
Second Term: March 4, 1897-Sept. 14, 1901

Life and Career
Third president to be assassinated ... born in Ohio, attended Allegheny College and, later, Albany Law School ...enlisted as a private in the Union army during the Civil War and rose to captain ... U.S. representative, 1877-1883 and 1885-1891 ...Ohio governor, 1892-1896 . . . favored high tariffs and backing U.S. money with gold ...first term dominated by Spanish-American War, declared after the sinking of the U.S. battleship Maine in Cuba's Havana harbor in 1898 ...while visiting the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, N.Y., in 1901, he was fatally shot by anarchist Leon Czolgosz ... rated "average" in 1994 poll of historians.

Quote
"Unlike any other nation, here the people rule, and their will is the supreme law."

IDA SAXTON McKINLEY
First Lady: 1897-1901
Wife of: William McKinley (Republican)
Born: June 8, 1847 Died: May 26, 1907
Marriage: William McKinley, Jan. 25, 1871, two daughters

Life and Career
Eldest daughter of an Ohio banker ... worked in father's bank, an unusual thing to do then ... met McKinley when he went to Ohio to establish a law practice ... her mother and infant daughters died within three years of each other, causing her to break down ... Ida came to the White House suffering from epilepsy, and doctors prescribed narcotics, contributing to her pallor and listlessness ... McKinley catered to her needs, even breaking protocol by sitting her on his right at state dinners so that during an attack he could cover her face with a handkerchief ...He defended her from critics, valued and listened to her political opinions ... she raised money for charities by crocheting and selling bedroom slippers.

Quote when McKinley was elected "Oh, Major, they will kill you . . ."