William McKinley Presidential Museum & Library

The McKinley Presidential Museum & Library opened in 1963 and includes a variety of exhibits related to the life of the 25th President of the United States, a presidential library, local history exhibits, and the Hoover-Price Planetarium. This museum and library is located next to the McKinley National Memorial which was built from 1905 to 1907 using donations from thousands of families who wished to honor McKinley following his assassination in 1901. Today, the museum offers a substantial collection related to the history of Ohio in addition to the largest collection related to the life of William McKinley. The museum is owned and operated by the Stark County Historical Society.

William McKinley was born on January 29, 1843, in Niles, Ohio as the seventh child in a household of nine children in total. A member of a religious family, McKinley attended Poland Seminary and graduated in 1859 when he enrolled in Allegheny College in Pennsylvania. Ater one year in college, he dropped out after becoming ill and returned to his parent's home. McKinley soon returned to college, this time attending Mount Union College in Alliance, Ohio. He later served as a board member of that college.

McKinley served with his cousin as a private in the newly-formed Poland Guards in 1861 and later joined the 23rd Ohio Infantry, a unit that included future president Rutherford B. Hayes. During the war, he also served under future President Ulysses S. Grant.

After his service to the United States, McKinley studied law and became an attorney. In 1869, McKinley became the prosecuting attorney of Stark County, Ohio after winning a surprise election, but only served one term. McKinley later served multiple terms in Congress and represented several different districts in Ohio including the 16th, 17th, 18th, and 20th congressional districts.

During his time in Congress, McKinley was an advocate of protective tariffs and served on the House Ways and Means Committee. In 1889, McKinley tried to win a national position of leadership in his party as Speaker of the House, but the Republicans chose Congressman Thomas Reed of Maine. Reed appointed McKinley as the chairman for the House Ways and Means Committee, making him a powerful member of Congress. In this capacity, McKinley sponsored the Tariff Act of 1890, which raised the average duty on imports by close to 50 percent which would have protected domestic industries from foreign competition. The legislation was passed into law and was nicknamed the “McKinley Tariff.”

McKinley became Governor of Ohio in 1892 and served a term defined by the conflicts between labor and management. President Benjamin Harrison gradually lost the support of his party at this time, and some speculated that Governor McKinley could win the party's nomination, but the party decided to back the incumbent, President Harrison. Grover Cleveland defeated Harrison in the 1892 presidential election which led many in the Republican Party to see McKinley as the front runner four years later.

The Republicans chose McKinley as their candidate for the 1896 presidential election and he chose Republican National Committee vice chairman Garret Hobart as his running mate. McKinley defeated Williams Jennings Bryan to become the 25th U.S. President and was inaugurated on March 4th, 1897. President McKinley was strongly opposed to foreign intervention and wars, but while President, he supported American expansion which led to the Spanish-American War.

During McKinley'ss time as President, the United States used force to acquire territories, annexing Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines. McKinley also worked with Britain to explore the construction of a canal across Central America. He also signed the Dingley Act, which raises rates on wool, sugar, and other goods, into law owing to his stance on huge tariffs. McKinley won re-election as President against William Jennings Bryan in 1900 with Governor Theodore Roosevelt of New York as his new running mate. However, McKinley would be assassinated by Leon Czologosz in 1901 and this made Theodore Roosevelt the new President after McKinely’s passing. McKinley is buried at what is a standing memorial to him in his hometown of Canton.

The Stark County Historical Society owns and operate the museum and library dedicated to William McKinley. The museum includes exhibits that share the history of McKinley's life and his influential career in Congress and his two terms as President. There is also an exhibit detailing the assassination that took the life of McKinley and an exhibit related to the construction of his memorial. The County Historical Society also maintains the Ramsayer Research Library which offers a substantial collection of material related to McKinley in addition to other topics of political and local history.

“William McKinley: Our 25th President,” William McKinely Presidential Library and Museum. Accessed June 8th, 2021. https://mckinleymuseum.org/william-mckinley/

“McKinely Presidential Library & Museum,” Altas Obscura. Accessed June 8th, 2021. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/mckinley-presidential-library-museum