The life of William McKinley

Preface

DURING the whole of the McKinley Administrations, Mr. George B. Cortelyou, who, as Secretary to the President, was associated with him more intimately than any other man, kept a close lookout for biographical material. With a thoroughness and care seldom if ever equaled, he treasured all the official and private correspondence, documents of every description, memoranda in the President's handwriting, drafts of speeches and messages, reports of telephone conversations, photographs, pamphlets, and countless other items of interest. In addition he preserved his own shorthand notes of occasional remarks made by the President, and kept a diary in which were recorded, from a peculiarly intimate point of view, all the daily happenings of importance, in the White House, at Canton, or in the trains which carried the President to various parts of the country.

Without reservation this entire collection was generously placed at my disposal. Its very bulk would have been appalling but for the pains with which it had been arranged, classified, and indexed. It was made vastly more valuable by the enthusiasm viii PREFACE

with which Mr. Cortelyou, again and again, drew my attention to various items of interest, supplementing them from his own knowledge, and illuminating the subject with apt descriptions of scenes and incidents that had come within his personal observation.

Mr. William R. Day, now an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, who, with Mr. Cortelyou, was administrator of the estate of President McKinley, and who, as neighbor and friend in Canton, Ohio, as Secretary of State during the Spanish War, and as chairman of the Peace Commission, was closely identified with many of the most important events of McKinley's life, has also manifested the keenest interest in the production of this biography and to him I am indebted for many letters, papers, and books of interest, for personal reminiscences of great variety, and for his wise suggestions.

Mr. Charles G. Dawes, of Chicago, was Comptroller of the Currency during a part of President Mc- Kinley's first Administration, and, with Mrs. Dawes, was a frequent caller at the White House, where they enjoyed the most delightful social relations with Mr. and Mrs. McKinley. Mr. Dawes was one of a few younger men with whom the President liked to chat informally, and to whom he gave his confidence and sincere friendship. To his kindness I am indebted

PREFACE ix

for many intimate glimpses of life in the White House and for the use of his personal diary.

For several years following the death of President McKinley these three gentlemen were by common consent regarded as the arbiters of all questions relating to the contemplated publication of an authoritative biography. I gladly acknowledge my debt of gratitude to them for committing to my hands what has proved to be a delightful task. I am also gratified to say that each of them has taken the pains to examine my manuscript and proofs, giving these volumes the benefit of their first-hand knowledge of affairs, besides much valued advice.

There are many others whose kindness I am proud to acknowledge. Indeed, it has been a source of genuine satisfaction to find that the name of William McKinley was a kind of " open sesame" to the hearts of those who were most closely associated with him. My requests for assistance from these gentlemen have been met with such unreserved cordiality as to suggest that the quick response was made, not to me, but to the memory of the beloved Chieftain, speaking for the moment through my lips. Former Vice-President Charles W. Fairbanks, who, as United States Senator, was one of McKinley's stanchest supporters, besides giving me many personal recollections, kindly permitted the use of the x PREFACE

unpublished manuscript of his Reminiscences. Colonel Myron T. Herrick, late Ambassador to France, another very close friend, placed at my disposal a large collection of personal letters, together with information regarding certain important episodes that had never before been given to the public. Especial mention should be made also of Mr. Daniel J. Ryan, of Columbus, Ohio, one of the authors of an exhaustive work on the History of Ohio, who sent me the manuscript of an extensive series of memoranda regarding the earlier political history of McKinley, up to the time of his governorship. Mr. Elihu Root, Mr. John W. Griggs, Mr. Joseph McKenna, Mr. Philander C. Knox, and the late Governor John D. Long, all former members of President McKinley's Cabinet, gladly contributed their aid.

Among many others to whom I am indebted for their personal recollections are ex- President William H. Taft, Professor John Bassett Moore, Mr. John G. Milburn, Major Charles R. Miller, Mr. George B. Frease, Dr. Josiah Hartzell, Judge George F. Arrel, Mr. Joseph G. Butler, Jr., Mr. Allan Carnes, and Mr. James Boyle. To these must be added the names of Miss Helen McKinley and Mrs. Sarah Duncan, the two surviving sisters of Mr. McKinley; Mrs. Mary C. Barber, the sister of Mrs. McKinley; Mrs. Grace McKinley Heidt, a niece, and Mr. Wil-

PREFACE xi

Ham McKinley Duncan, a nephew of the late President.

William McKinley was not a prolific letter-writer, nor did he ever, so far as I know, even attempt to keep a diary. His letters, as a rule, were either businesslike communications, straight to the point, or, if purely personal, were written in simple, unassuming style, friendly in tone, and with occasional pleasantries. They were not ornamented with literary embellishments, although, in his speeches, carefully chosen phrases and epigrammatic sentences were a distinguishing characteristic. Indeed, his unusual facility of expression and clear, forceful style, are seen to best advantage in the public addresses, and through them it would be possible to trace, quite accurately, the development of his political ideas. I have not hesitated to use extracts from them for this purpose whenever it seemed desirable. The letters, on the contrary, are inadequate to give proper expression to the real charm of McKinley's personal character. Too often the correspondence on some promising subject came suddenly to an end — disappointingly to the biographer — with a cordial "Won't you come and see me?" I have found a few letters that seemed to reveal the true depth of his nature; but as a rule McKinley did not commit to paper his plans and purposes, nor his inmost thoughts xii PREFACE

and aspirations. He much preferred a meeting, face

to face, and a confidential talk.

If it has not been possible, for this reason, to tell the whole story of McKinley's life in his own words, as I should have liked to do, there has been some compensation in the fact that much of what he said in these private conversations has been remembered, and. sometimes recorded, by those who heard it. I have therefore allowed these favored friends to speak for him, wherever I could, at the same time drawing freely upon his speeches and letters so far as they have seemed available.

McKinley's life, from his election to Congress in 1876, until the close of his career, was so interwoven with the vast political and economic changes which marked the last quarter of the nineteenth century, that any complete account of it must be historical as well as biographical. I have thought best, therefore, to endeavor to draw the backgrounds somewhat full and deep, in order that the real achievements of William McKinley may be seen in their true relation to the great movements of his time.

Charles S. Olcott.

January 22, iqi6.

Contents

I. ANCESTRY AND ENVIRONMENT I

II. BOYHOOD DAYS 13

III. THE VOLUNTEER 22

Chapter I

THE early ancestors of William McKinley were Scottish Highlanders, a race of men distinguished for the strength with which they fought and overcame the hardships of their surroundings. Bred in the fastnesses of the Caledonian Mountains, where Nature offered little chance to earn a living and few of the comforts of life, these men struggled bravely to maintain their homes. The frequent encroachments upon their patrimony by greedy barons of the Lowlands were met with a fierce resistance, until the Highlanders became famous, not only as fighting men of the stanchest quality, but as patriots of the truest type, ready to lay down their lives at a moment's notice in defense of their homes, their families, and their native land.

When the descendants of these men emigrated to America, as many of them did, they did not escape the hardships of life. Conditions were different, but the battle for existence still continued. And when the War of Independence began, a new force for the development of patriotism was put into motion, no less potent than that which for centuries had called to arms the loyal Scotsmen.

At the battle of Pinkie, in 1547, a certain stalwart Highlander, bearing the Royal Standard of Scotland, gave up his life in defense of his native country. He was known as ' ' Findla Mohr, ' ' or the ' ' Great Findla. ' ' The name in Gaelic was "Fionn-Laidh," the pronunciation of which is " I -on-lay." He left four sons, who took the name of Maclanla, "mac" meaning son. So the sons of Fionn-laidh became Maclanla, and William, the eldest, wrote it "MacKinlay."

Genealogists have placed the great Findla as the twenty-first in direct line of descent from the valiant MacDuff, Thane of Fife, who according to Shakespeare, paraded upon the stage with Macbeth's head on a pole, and who, by the best historical authority, really did meet that monarch (though he did not kill him) before the Castle of Dunsinane in 1054. The same authorities, who base their statements upon the somewhat unreliable Scottish chronicles and histories of the Highland clans, also mention a certain Shaw Mor Macintosh, as fourteenth in the same line. He was the leader of the victorious thirty in the fight between the Clan Chattan and the Clan Quhele on the North Inch at Perth in 1396, celebrated by Sir Walter Scott in "The Fair Maid of Perth." The old motto of the clan was, "We force nae friend, we fear nae foe."

The sons of William MacKinlay settled near Callender, in Perthshire, and his great-great-grandson, James MacKinlay, known as "James the Trooper," went to Ireland as a guide to the army of King William III and engaged in the battle of the Boyne, July 1, 1690. He remained in Ireland and became the ancestor of the Irish MacKinlays.

The earliest immigrant to America was David McKinley, a son of James, known as "David the Weaver." That he was a thrifty man is shown by a record of the purchase in 1743 of three hundred and sixteen acres of land overlooking the Susquehanna River in York County, Pennsylvania. John, the eldest son of "David the Weaver," was born about 1728. Inheriting a small estate from his father, he became a large landholder and engaged in important business transactions. When the Revolution broke out he served in the York County Militia and was also made wagonmaster for his township.

David McKinley, the son of John, and great-grandfather of the President, was born May 16, 1755, in York County, Pennsylvania. At the outbreak of the Revolution, he enlisted as a private in the militia, serving continuously for twenty-one months and taking part in three engagements. After the war he moved to Mercer County, Pennsylvania, and in 1814 settled in Columbiana County, Ohio. He had ten children, the second of whom was James Stevenson McKinley, the grandfather of the President. He was born September 19, 1783. His wife was Mary Rose, an English woman, who came to America from Holland, whither her ancestors had been driven from England because of religious intolerance. Her grandfather, Andrew Rose, had previously emigrated to America with William Penn.

James and Mary settled on a farm in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, but in the thirties James became interested in the iron business and was made manager of a charcoal furnace at New Lisbon (now Lisbon), Ohio. Their son, William McKinley, the father of the President, was born November 15, 1807. Like his father, he was a "founder," or manager of blast furnaces, a trade which in the pioneer days required a strong physique and skill of many and varied kinds. Pig iron was made in charcoal furnaces, and the duties of the manager included the chopping of wood, the burning of the charcoal, the mining of the ore, and all the details of the manufacture of the resultant product, pig iron. He had begun work at sixteen, with no education except what could be gained from the meager facilities of the common schools in an undeveloped country. Yet it is said that there were three books which he kept constantly at hand, and read for a few minutes at a time whenever he had an opportunity. These were the Bible, Shakespeare, and Dante. His first business venture on his own account was made in 1830, when as a partner in the firm of Campbell, McKinley & Dempsey, he rented a furnace at Niles, owned by James Heaton. Later he formed a partnership with his brother-in-law, Jacob Reep, buying or renting furnaces, first at Fairfield, then New Lisbon, and finally at Niles, Ohio. In 1829 he married Nancy Allison.

The ancestors of Nancy Allison McKinley came from Scotland and settled in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. She was a woman of strong, rugged, positive character. Her old neighbors often referred to her as a peacemaker. She was continually doing kindnesses, caring for the sick, helping the poor, and extending the hospitality of her home to the schoolmasters who "boarded round," or the travelers who occasionally passed that way. Her sturdy Scotch disposition made her a thrifty housewife and a stern disciplinarian, though her children obeyed her wishes more from love than through fear. She expected obedience and received it. The family were neither rich nor poor. They lived simply, dressed as became their station, and commanded the respect of the community wherever they resided. In company with her sister, Mrs. Jacob Reep, Mrs. McKinley took entire charge of the Methodist church at Niles, sweeping the floors, dusting the pews, lighting the candles, obtaining the fuel, and providing food and lodging for the itinerant preachers who came for the services. It was commonly said that these two sisters "ran the church, all but the preaching." When she wanted to visit her relatives at New Lisbon, thirty miles away, Nancy Allison McKinley thought nothing of riding the entire distance on horseback, carrying one of her children with her. She was a woman of unusual common sense, who kept her emotions well in reserve. In later years, when her son was the Governor of Ohio, she was accosted by a strange woman on a railroad train, who asked her where she was going. " To Columbus," was the reply. " Do you know any one there? " inquired the chance acquaintance. "Yes," she answered quietly, "I have a son there."

Though not having the benefit of an education, Nancy Allison McKinley was a born gentlewoman. Her husband was an industrious worker, and a good business man, who, though never prosperous in a large way, was always able to provide for the necessides of his family. Though not a well-educated man, he realized his own deficiency, and early in life determined that his children should be sent to school, a purpose in which he was earnestly supported by his good wife, if, indeed, she was not the real instigator of it. To support their family in a fair degree of comfort and provide for the education of their children proved to be no small undertaking, for nine little ones came to bless the household of this worthy couple. 1

William McKinley, Jr., the seventh child of William and Nancy Allison McKinley, was born in Niles, Ohio, January 29, 1843. A famous American philanthropist, upon revisiting the tiny cottage in Scotland where he was born, left this inscription upon the visitors' register: "First visit to my birthplace — the humble home of honest poverty — best heritage

1 The children of William and Nancy Allison McKinley in the order of their birth were : —

1. David, who became Consul to Honolulu and later Minister to Hawaii, and died in 1892.

2. Anna, who taught school for thirty years in Canton, Ohio.

3. James, who settled in California, and died in 1889.

4. Mary, who married Daniel May, and lived in Poland, Ohio.

5. Helen, now living in Cleveland, Ohio.

6. Sarah Elizabeth, who married Andrew J. Duncan, and is now living in Cleveland, Ohio.

7. William.

8. Abbie Celia, who died in infancy.

9. Abner, who practiced law in Canton as a partner of William, and died in 1904.

of all when one has a heroine for a mother." Such was the heritage of William McKinley, Jr., except that the family did not live in poverty. The house where he was born was a small frame cottage, standing on a corner of the main street in the village of Niles. The lower floor on the left side was used as a store. It was a humble home, presided over by a heroic mother, who managed by hard work and good sense to make the slender income of her husband meet the necessities of a large family. In this, both boys and girls were taught to help, and it may be surmised that the household tasks, though rigorously insisted upon, were never thought too irksome, for the children, without exception, loved their mother devotedly.

The McKinley children attended school at Niles under a teacher whose name was Alva Sanford, locally nicknamed "Santa Anna," from some supposed resemblance to the famous Mexican general. Sanford was accused of partiality toward William McKinley in spite of the fact that the latter had difficulty in learning his A B C's. The martial spirit aroused by the Mexican War resulted in the formation of a company of small boys who drilled on Saturday afternoons and William was one of those who marched about proudly with paper cap and wooden sword. Another incident of this period was his narrow escape from drowning. In company with Joseph G. Butler, Jr., who was three years older, he went "swimming" in Mosquito Creek, though he could not swim. Getting beyond his depth he was sinking for the third time, when young Butler attempted a rescue, but he, too, was nearly drowned. The two boys were finally saved by a young man named Jacob Shealer.

Niles at this time (1843) was a mere hamlet. The first house in the vicinity had been built only a little more than ten years previously, and the village itself was laid out in 1834. A beginning had been made, however, in the industry that led eventually to the present activity of Niles as the center of a thriving business in the manufacture of iron. As early as 1809, James Heaton had built a small refining forge on Mosquito Creek for the manufacture of bar iron, from pig iron made at the Yellow Creek Furnace, in the adjoining county of Mahoning. Here were produced the first hammered bars made in the State of Ohio. In 1812, he built another furnace with a stack thirty-six feet high — something of a marvel in those days — and began to produce castings for stoves, andirons, and various household utensils. This was the plant which was leased and operated by Campbell, McKinley & Dempsey.

Although the owner accumulated a considerable io william Mckinley

property, there was no great wealth in the operation of this primitive establishment, whose output was at first only one ton of iron a day, and never exceeded five tons in the most prosperous period of its existence. It was not until the establishment of a rollingmill in 1842 that the village began to attract settlers, and prior to 1850 the population did not reach one thousand. In a volume published in 1847 * it is described as containing "3 churches, 3 stores, I blast furnace, rolling mill and nail factory, 1 forge and grist mill and about 300 inhabitants."

In this quiet spot the people had few social advantages. There were no railroads and few wagon-roads. The stages to and from Pittsburg were the only means of communication with the world. Cleveland and Columbus were then towns of about six thousand people, and even Cincinnati, the "metropolis" of the State, had at that time a population of only 46,338, according to the Census of 1840. The first railroad in Ohio, known as the Mad River and Lake Erie, and intended to run from Dayton to Sandusky, had been chartered in 1832, but was not completed until 1848. The town was, therefore, like hundreds of other frontier towns of the Middle West, an isolated community, where the opportunities for mental and spiritual development were so meager that to 1 Henry Howe, Historical Collections of Ohio.

ANCESTRY AND ENVIRONMENT n

many it seemed as though the doors had been tightlyshut.

There was one outlet, however, which the McKinley family, guided by the keen sensibilities of the mother, were quick to utilize. This was the Methodist Episcopal Church, where the children went regularly to the "preaching" and the Sunday School. The ministers were " circuit riders," who came with Bible and hymn-book in their saddle-bags. They were the product of their times and sprang up mysteriously in answer to the call for men to meet an opportunity and a necessity then arising. The New West required something more than toilers in the fields and mines and workshops — needed men to guide the moral and spiritual growth of the new nation. Under the sway of an impulse that seemed irresistible, these men of obscurity, without education or other qualification except a tremendous zeal for their cause and an infinite capacity for hard toil, left their homes, their fields, and their shops, and went forth to preach the Gospel, literally carrying "no gold nor silver nor brass" in their purses. If not profound theologians nor broad-minded interpreters of the Scriptures, they were men of strong emotions and rugged eloquence, who knew how to read the hearts of the people, and their influence in the Middle West was as potent as that of the

Pilgrim ministers who guided the colonists of New England. They helped develop a race of God-fearing men and women, who were profoundly needed a generation later, when men and women with a stern sense of duty, lofty patriotism, consciences that could distinguish right from wrong, and a spirit of willing self-sacrifice in their souls were necessary for the preservation of the Union. William McKinley was only one of thousands of boys whom these crude but powerful influences of the pioneer life moulded, slowly and surely, for future service.

Chapter II

NILES was sadly lacking in school facilities, and indeed the first schoolhouse was not built until 1 87 1. For this reason, in 1852, when William McKinley was nine years old, the family decided to move to Poland, a small village in Mahoning County, where a very good academy offered desirable educational advantages. Two members of the family had already left home when this change was made. It meant a sacrifice to the father, whose business required him to remain in Niles, or go to some other place' where there were furnaces in operation, but he accepted the situation cheerfully, and for many years saw his family only at week-ends, when he would ride long distances on horseback to visit them. ' According to the authority previously quoted, 1 Poland (in 1847) was "one of the neatest villages in the State. The dwellings are usually painted white and have an air of comfort. Considerable business centers here from the surrounding country, which is fertile. In the vicinity is coal and iron of excellent quality. . . . Poland contains 5 stores, 1 Presbyte-

1 Henry Howe, Historical Collections of Ohio.

rian and I Methodist Church, an academy, an iron foundry, I grist, I saw, I oil, and I clothing mill and about ioo dwellings."

On arrival at Poland, William McKinley was sent to school in a little low building, which still remains standing on the main street of the village. A former schoolmate recalls that he was a stout, pleasantfaced boy, who enjoyed playing with the other lads, and took a lively interest in all their sports. He played "three old cat" and "old sow," the latter played with a stick and a block of wood, the game being to put the block into a hole — probably the nearest approach to golf the future President ever made. In the spring and autumn he went fishing in Little Beaver Creek, sometimes camping'out for a week at a time. In the hot days of summer he went swimming with the other boys, and in the winter was fond of skating.

William, according to the same schoolmate, always looked a trifle cleaner and neater than the other boys — no doubt his mother could explain why — and he always acted like a gentleman. Yet he was never a prig and did not think of himself as better than others. On the contrary, he was well liked by his playmates. He excelled in all the sports. It was commonly remarked that "Will is good at anything he goes at." He never had any quarrels, and although constantly associated with the boys of the village, who were no better than other lads, and no doubt occasionally used "bad words," it was noticed by them that "Will" never indulged in such language. They learned, too, that even when quite young he preferred to study his lessons before playing rather than after, declaring that he could have more fun when the work was out of the way. Gradually he came to be recognized as a natural commander. The boys looked up to him and accepted his word as law.

After a year in the little schoolhouse, William McKinley entered the Poland Seminary. This modest institution is highly creditable to those farsighted pioneers who founded a school in the wilderness almost before there were roads to travel over. A beginning was made in 1830, when the Reverend Mr. Bradley, a Presbyterian minister, opened a "select school" in which the classics and English literature were taught. Five years later John Lynch, a pupil of Bradley, continued the effort by opening an academy, which, after a hard struggle for ten years, was abandoned. For three years educational advancement came to a standstill, but in 1848 Mr. B. F. Lee, a student of Allegheny College, returned to Poland and opened a new academy in the autumn of 1849. Another school was started, a little later, under Presbyterian auspices, but after an existence of six years, the building was burned and the school discontinued. Mr. Lee, however, was more fortunate and his academy proved to be founded upon a permanent basis. His staff of instructors was composed of Professor M. R. Atkins, principal; Miss E. M. Blakelee, preceptress; Miss Elmina Smith, assistant preceptress; and Miss Mary Cook, teacher of music. A vigorous effort was made to secure an endowment through the Pittsburg and Erie Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, but it proved impossible to collect sufficient funds. Undaunted by this failure, Mr. Lee rallied the Methodists and other citizens of Poland to the support of the "college," as it now came to be known, and by his zeal and unremitting toil was at last able to erect a substantial three-story brick building, eighty feet long and sixty feet wide. This edifice remained standing until 1895, when it collapsed, and a new one was erected on the same foundation. Miss E. M. Blakelee, the first preceptress, held her position, with the exception of six years, from 1849 until 1880. William McKinley entered the seminary soon after the opening of the new building. In after life he gave Miss Blakelee credit for much good influence upon his youthful development. She was a woman of rare force of character and intellectual ability, firm and resolute in a quiet way, and able to make a strong impression upon the young men and boys of the school. She was a close friend of McKinley's oldest sister, Anna, who was also a teacher. It is said that there was rivalry between the two to see who could teach school the longer. Anna was a teacher for thirty years, and won the highest esteem and admiration for her unusual qualities. She was a woman of fine intellect and great moral force, joined with serene tranquillity and kindliness. In this she resembled her mother. There was an air of refinement and cultivation about her which exerted an uplifting influence upon all who knew her.

There were five women who had a large share in moulding the character of William McKinley. The first was his mother, to whom in childhood he submitted his own will so perfectly that no sculptor ever had more freedom in modeling his clay than this good woman in shaping the moral quality of her child. The second was the sister Anna, whose influence was of a maternal kind largely because of her natural disposition and partly because of her superior age. The third was his sister Helen, who as a child was not too old to play with him, yet old enough to command his respect. She never praised him, but continually urged him to do his best. The fourth was the teacher Miss Blakelee. The fifth and greatest influence of all, though not exerted in the formative period of early youth, was that of the devoted and well-beloved wife, whose life became so closely intertwined with his that the two souls grew as one plant, each sustaining and uplifting the other.

It was not long after entering the seminary that the young McKinley took a step that proved at once the independence of his character and the remarkable seriousness of his youthful mind. The Methodist Church at Poland was then in the charge of the Reverend W. F. Day, an earnest man and an excellent preacher. In accordance with the custom of the times there were frequent camp-meetings and stirring revivals.