The Topeka state journal., 1901-09-06


174s, and settled later IN Chanceford
township. York county. Pa. where
David Mckinley, great grandfather of
the president, was born in May, 1755.
The records Of the pension bureau show
that David Mckinley was a soldier in
the revolution and participated in the
capture of Paulus Hook and the en-
gagements of AInboy and Chester Hill
He died in 1910, in Ohio, at the age of
So. A son, James Mckinley, moved to
Columbiana county, Ohio, in 1909 At
that time William. his son, born in Pine
township. Mercer county, Pa, was but
two years old. Jam9s Mckinley
was an iron manufactures or furnace
man and his son William Followed the
same vocation. When William was %
years old he married Nancy Allison of
Canton, o., the couple having nine chill
dren, of whom William In.. the presi-
dent, was the seventh. William Nc
Kinley. Sr.. died in Nove1u1sr, 1892. .hav-
ing lived TO witness the rfse of his son
from a school teacher throagh posts of
Ohio.
Irumbull county, Ohio, On January %,
1S43. He attended the uNblic schools
in that town until he wsk& nine years
old, at which time his fafHer moved to
the future president enxered Union
seminary. pursuing his s*adies in that
institution until he was ~ years old
He is said to nave excel1ed in mathe-
mates and languages, and to have
bested all his fellow studeUtS in debat-
ing the public questions day
In 1860 he was sent to gheny col
lege. Meadeville. Pennaylvania but
gave up the course after few months
on account of poor hea1kh. After a
period OF rest he beeame q teacher i'm
the public schools of the Kerr district,
near Poland, having joined the Metho-
dist Episcopal church in ssoiand. In the
spring of 1861 he was ase1erk in the
postoffice at Poland. which position he
gave up to enlist at Columbus on June
II of that year, in company E of the
Twenty-third Ohio volunteer infantry.
William Mckinley twice refused the
nomination for president previous to
the time when, on the first ballot at the
Republican national convention held in
St. Louis in 1896, he was finally nomi-
mated and accepted His first refusal
was at the convention of 1888 when he
supported Mr.. Sherman to whom he
was pledged, forbidding the use of his
name at a time when his formal as
sent or negative acquiescence was all
that was necessary to secure his own
nomination. At the ensuing convention
of 1892 he received 1872 votes for the
nomination, his name not having
been presented as 1t was we'll
known he was an ardent supporter
of Harrison and would Immediately
withdraw his name should it have
been proposed Being the permanent
cha irman of the convention he was great
ly embarrassed by the efforts of his sup
porters to make him the presidential can
didate, and leaving the chair the
noun cement of the result of the first bal
lot, made motion to make the nomina-
ton of Mr.. Harrison unanimous. His mo-
On April 1s 1890, Mckinley introdnos
into the house the general tariff fneaAt1zaa
in ff4<7
ure had been under CO deretion, and
every interest in the ceHntry. Including
manufacturers. laborefSs lIlaefchants, far-
mers, importers, agents free traders and
prOtectiOniSts, had been freely. fully and
patiently heard, the mtrnrity having been
their views as had the majority. His
speech May in support of the meas
ure sustained his reputa ton as an orator |
and d1spasslonate advocate. and seldom |
has such hearty applause been accorded |
any leader as greeted him upon the con- |
clusiOn of his address
His record in congress was an en- |
viable one He spoke in behalf of and ad- |
vocated the eight hour day, and proposed I
popularity has been unbounded His /
speeches have been remarkable for their /
good sense, originality. versatility and ef- |
fectfveness. In his campaigns. both. as /
gubernatoria1 and presidential candidate, /
his mental resources and powers of physi- |
trials. but no hearer has ever left the |
scene of a public address by him without |
bearing away some new text for contem- |
McKinley's home life has been that /
of the representative American, and |
almost ideal. He married on January |
%. 1871. Miss Ida Saxton. granddaughter |
of John Saxton, for sixty years editor of |
the Ohio Repository, still published at |
Kate. were born to Mr.. and Mrs McKin-
ley, both of them dying at early ages