Things You Didn't Know About the 25th US President

Of the many American presidents you've studied about in school—George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt—you probably aren't too familiar with William McKinley. Inaugurated as the 25th US president in 1897, McKinley went through some peculiar happenings before his life was cut short. Curious to learn more about America's forgotten president? Here are 20 weird facts about William McKinley you probably didn't know about.

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1. Has an Alaskan Mountain Named After Him

In 1896, the peak of Denali—as it's called by the native Alaskan people—was unofficially declared "Mount McKinley" by a gold prospector to honor McKinley. The federal government ruled it official in 1917 to commemorate the late president, though it has since gone through several back-and-forth changes: former president Barack Obama redesignated it as Denali in 2015, only for President Donald Trump to rename it back to Mount McKinley a decade later.

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2. Believed in the Power of Tariffs

The McKinley Tariff Act of 1890—a piece of legislation championed by McKinley—was passed by Congress six years before his presidency, which raised duties on most imported manufactured goods to nearly 50%. But back in the 19th century, it was widely acknowledged that the brunt of those costs would be paid for by Americans, and not by foreign countries.

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3. One of Five Presidents Who Served in the Civil War

Known as the last of five total presidents who served in the Civil War, McKinley had been working at a country school in his home state, Ohio, when conflict broke out. He joined the Union Army in the summer of 1861, where his commanding officer, Rutherford B. Hayes, would later become a US president. McKinley fought in the Battle of Antietam and brought food and necessary supplies to frontline soldiers, and for his bravery he was promoted to second lieutenant.

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4. Secret Service Formed After McKinley's Assassination

Following McKinley's assassination in 1901, the Secret Service was formed to provide presidential protection. He was the third president to be shot in under 40 years, after Abraham Lincoln's death in 1865 and James A. Garfield in 1881. Congress passed legislation for a designated defense team to be created in 1906. 

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5. First President to Ride in a Car

McKinley became the first president to ride in a car—a Stanley Steamer—in 1899. He was initially reluctant, fearing the automobile would catch on fire, even though Freelan Stanley, inventor of the vehicle, assured it was safe. It wasn't the last time he would play passenger; during the 1901 assassination attempt, he was transported to the hospital via an electric ambulance.

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6. Awful Family Luck

McKinley married his wife, Ida Saxton, in 1871—two short years before Saxton's mom would pass away from cancer in 1873. From there, his wife met awful luck: she'd struck her head during her second pregnancy, prompting the start of undiagnosed seizures, and then her daughters died within two years of each other. McKinley devoted the rest of his life to taking care of her, even when it impeded his presidential duties.

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7. Red Carnations Were His Good Luck Charms

Symbolizing deep love and reverence, red carnations were a favorite of McKinley's. It started in 1876 while he was running for Congress and was given a boutonniere by his opponent and friend, Democratic nominee Levi Lamborn. McKinley went on to win that debate and considered the flower his good luck charm ever since.

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8. Had Photographic Memory

McKinley, apparently, had an incredible photographic memory; he could remember faces and names of people he'd met, even if he'd only seen them once. On one occasion, while waiting for ceremonies to begin at a monument dedication at the Antietam battlefield, McKinley called down to a veteran, saying, "Hello, comrade, I saw you in the crowd at Gettysburg last month when I spoke there, didn’t I?" The veteran was shocked, but when McKinley was asked later about how he'd been able to recall that, he simply stated that it was something that came naturally.

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9. His Campaign Took Place on his Front Porch

Pitted against the Democratic nominee William Jennings Bryan, who traveled far and wide by rail to deliver speeches across the country, McKinley took the opposite approach: he stayed at home. His "front door campaign" was held just outside his home in Canton, Ohio, and it's estimated that some 750,000 visitors came to see him before the election.

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10. Owned a Parrot Named "Washington Post"

McKinley also had a best friend who he'd appointed as the official greeter of the White House: his Mexican double yellow-headed parrot, Washington Post. His favorite pet bird—not his only one, as McKinley owned numerous roosters as well—Washington Post could whistle "Yankee Doodle Dandy," compliment women who visited the presidential residence, and even recite McKinley's speeches. Despite sharing the same name as the newspaper, it remains unclear how the parrot got his name. 

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11. Was the Face of the $500 Bill

Though you're unlikely to ever come across a $500 bill now, McKinley was featured as the face of the note from 1928 to 1945. Discontinued in 1969, it's now considered ultra-rare and worth more than 23 times its original amount—a whopping $11,620.

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12. Has One of the Largest Presidential Tombs in the US

McKinley's final resting place is in Canton, Ohio, a site chosen by Mark Hanna, his lifelong friend, political mentor, and manager, along with other friends. McKinley had once suggested that the Canton’s Westlawn Cemetery would be an appropriate place for a soldiers’ and sailors’ memorial. His late wife, Ida Saxton, lies next to him in the memorial chamber.

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13. His VP Was Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt

Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the vice president during McKinley's second term, and was sworn in as the 26th US president eight days after McKinley was assassinated. As the tale goes, Roosevelt was pushed into the role of VP because some Republican leaders wanted to sideline him from power—only for fate to intervene. Being only 42, Roosevelt was—and remains—the youngest person ever to assume the presidency.

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14. Ohio Named His Favorite Carnation as Official Flower

Three years after McKinley's death, in 1904, Ohio named the red carnation as the state's flower. This was done to honor the president, an Ohioan himself, who always liked to wear the vibrant bloom on his lapel throughout his political career.

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15. Rumored to Live in an Apartment Above a Grocery Store

According to early biographies written in the 20th century, McKinley had a modest upbringing and had purportedly lived in a humble apartment above a grocery store. In reality, though, he and his family had their own home, which was later repurposed into several businesses—from a grocery to a machine shop—after they moved out.

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16. Co-Signed Loan of a Friend Who Later Became Bankrupt

McKinley's tariff act of 1890 didn't sit well with Americans, and he and the Republican party were rejected by voters in the election that same year. However, McKinley eventually regained the respect of the public, and widespread sympathy when he suffered financial hardship after co-signing the loan of a friend who later went bankrupt, leaving him with significant debt. A year after losing his congressional seat, he was elected as governor in 1891 and went on to become the president in 1896.

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17. Died After Giving Away His Favorite Flower

Red carnations, as mentioned, were McKinley's favorite flower. Oddly—and eerily—enough, he was wearing this scarlet bloom on the lapel of his jacket the day he was assassinated. He had given the bloom away to Myrtle Ledger, a 12-year-old girl in the crowd with her mother—only to be greeted by his assassin who was waiting next in line. Years later, Ledger recalled his words to her being: "I must give this flower to another little flower."

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18. He Didn't Die Immediately

McKinley was shot twice—in the chest and abdomen—by anarchist Leon Czolgosz on September 6, 1901, while shaking hands with the public at the Pan-American Exposition. He was sent to the hospital, where he fought his wounds for eight days before succumbing to his fatal injuries on September 16.

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19. His Assassin Was Electrocuted Two Months Later

Leon Czolgosz, a 28-year-old Detroit native and anarchist, was the next in line among the public crowd waiting to shake McKinley's hand. He had a concealed .32 Iver Johnson revolver that he then fired twice, point blank, into the president's chest and abdomen. Without an ounce of remorse, he confessed his crimes upon being arrested, stating that he'd "done [his] duty." His rumored last words before being electrocuted on October 29, 1901, at Auburn State Prison were: "I killed the president because he was the enemy of the good people—the working people."

Perhaps more interestingly, after McKinley had been shot, he told his guards to not hurt Czolgosz. Then, facing his private secretary, he'd said: "My wife, be careful, Cortelyou, how you tell her—oh, be careful."

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20. Was a Lawyer

Education was important to McKinley, and he'd attended Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania, in 1860, but only stayed for several months before financial difficulties and illness forced him to return home. It wasn't until after the Civil War that he enrolled in Albany Law School and passed the bar exam in 1867, opening up his own firm in Canton, Ohio. Though his initial profession was practicing law, politics became his future when he joined the Republican Party.

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