William McKinley, 1896 (Wikipedia)
Born: January 29, 1843
Died: September 14, 1901
Married: Ida Saxton McKinley
Children: Katherine, Ida
William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States. He visited Saranac Lake by train in August 1897, and stayed at the Loon Lake House.
McKinley was a national Republican leader in the 1880s; his primary issue was restoring prosperity after the Panic of 1893 via high tariffs on imports. As the Republican candidate in the 1896 presidential election, against Democrat William Jennings Bryan, he upheld the gold standard, and promoted pluralism among ethnic groups. His campaign, designed by Mark Hanna, introduced new advertising-style campaign techniques that revolutionized campaign practices and beat back the crusading of his arch-rival, William Jennings Bryan. The 1896 election is often considered the beginning of the Progressive Era.
McKinley demanded that Spain end its atrocities in Cuba, which were outraging public opinion. When Spain resisted the interference, the Spanish-American War became inevitable. The war was quick and easy: weak Spanish fleets were sunk and both Cuba and the Philippines were captured within 90 days, and the 1898 Treaty of Paris resulted in the annexation of the former Spanish colonies of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines, and the U.S. occupation of Cuba. In 1898, McKinley also annexed Hawaii. He was reelected in the 1900, only to be assassinated in 1901. He was succeeded by Vice President Theodore Roosevelt.
Source: Wikipedia: William McKinley
See also: U. S. Presidents
