William McKinley (born William McKinley Jr., January 29, 1843 – September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States from 1897, until his assassination in 1901. Two years later, Katherine died of typhoid fever. Ida never recovered from her daughters' deaths, and the McKinleys had no more children. With his eloquence and youthful energy his major assets in the race, Bryan decided on a whistle-stop political tour by train on an unprecedented scale. Hanna urged McKinley to match Bryan's tour with one of his own; the candidate declined on the grounds that the Democrat was a better stump speaker: 'I might just as well set up a trapeze on my front lawn and compete with some professional athlete as go out speaking against Bryan. Even before peace negotiations began with Spain, McKinley asked Congress to set up a commission to examine trade opportunities in Asia and espoused an 'Open Door Policy', in which all nations would freely trade with China and none would seek to violate that nation's territorial integrity.
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