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. McKinley was the last president to have served in the American Civil War and the only one to have started the war as an enlisted soldier, beginning as a private in the Union Army and ending as a brevet major. After the war, he settled in Canton, Ohio, where he practiced law and married Ida Saxton. He defeated his Democratic rival William Jennings Bryan after a front porch campaign in which he advocated 'sound money' (the gold standard unless altered by international agreement) and promised that high tariffs would restore prosperity. Rapid economic growth marked McKinley's presidency. Although his health recovered, family finances declined and McKinley was unable to return to Allegheny, first working as a postal clerk and later taking a job teaching at a school near Poland, Ohio.
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