25th President
Republican
1897-1901William McKinley
Imperial Turn
McKinley presided over industrial prosperity and the Spanish-American War, positioning the United States as a more assertive global power before his assassination.
Sequence
25th President
Years
1897-1901
Party
Republican
Why This Presidency Matters
Spanish-American War
Annexation of Hawaii
Assassinated early in second term
Sequence Recall
Previous
Benjamin Harrison
Next
Theodore Roosevelt
Term Structure
1897-03-04 to 1901-03-04
Elected by the Electoral College1901-03-04 to 1901-09-14
Re-elected by the Electoral CollegeAssassinated in office.
What This President Actually Did
A full dossier has not been written for this presidency yet. The page still includes timeline, institutional themes, measures, crises, and study prompts, and the dossier model is ready to be filled out presidency by presidency.
Vice Presidents
Garret HobartTheodore Roosevelt
Constitutional Themes
Assassination and imperial presidency transition
Signature Measures
Dingley Tariff
Defining Crises
Spanish-American War
Assassination in office
Self-Test Prompts
Which party did William McKinley represent, and what broader era does this presidency belong to?
Republican. This presidency is grouped here under Imperial Turn.
How did William McKinley first enter office?
Elected by the Electoral College.
What are the three most important moments to remember from this presidency?
Spanish-American War; Annexation of Hawaii; Assassinated early in second term.
Daily Drill Extension
Which presidents bracket William McKinley in the sequence?
Benjamin Harrison and Theodore Roosevelt.
Which party and era should you associate with William McKinley?
Republican; Imperial Turn.
How did William McKinley first enter office?
Elected by the Electoral College.
Name two high-signal moments that make William McKinley historically memorable.
Spanish-American War; Annexation of Hawaii.
Which constitutional or institutional themes should you connect to William McKinley?
Assassination and imperial presidency transition.