1. William McKinley (1843–1901) was the 25thPresident of the United States, serving from March 4, 1897,
until his death. McKinley led the nation to victory in the Spanish–American War, raised protective tariffs to
promote American industry, and maintained the nation on the gold standard in a rejection of inflationary
proposals. McKinley's administration ended with his assassination in September 1901, but his presidency
began a period of over a third of a century dominated by the Republican Party. McKinley served in
the Civil War and rose from private to brevet major. After the war, he settled in Canton, Ohio, where he
practiced law and married Ida Saxton. In 1876, he was elected to Congress, where he became the
Republican Party's expert on the protective tariff, which he promised would bring prosperity. His highly
controversial 1890McKinley Tariff, together with a Democratic redistricting effort aimed
atgerrymandering him out of office led to his defeat in the Democratic landslide of 1890.