President McKinley Dies
Eight days after being shot by an assassin at the Pan-American Expo, President McKinley died on September 14, 1901.
Less than a year before, McKinley had won re-election. Following his March inauguration, McKinley and his wife, Ida, began a national tour. But when Ida fell ill, they postponed the last stop, the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, until later in the year. On September 5, McKinley addressed some 50,000 people at the fairgrounds, with Leon Czolgosz among them. Czolgosz was an anarchist who wanted to become a hero.
The following day, as the President greeted the public, Czolgosz approached McKinley and shot him twice at point-blank range in the abdomen. Upon being shot, McKinley’s first thoughts were of his wife, telling his aides to be careful how they broke the news to her. He also ordered that the mob of people surrounding Czolgosz leave him be, likely saving his life.
Initially, doctors thought McKinley’s condition was improving. However, they could not tell that he had developed gangrene internally, which was slowly poisoning his blood. Ida sat by his side throughout it all, and when his condition worsened, she cried that she wanted to go with him. He responded that “We are all going… God’s will be done, not ours.” President McKinley died in the early morning hours of September 14, 1901. His assassin was found guilty and later sentenced to death.
According to one historian, “The nation experienced a wave of genuine grief at the news of McKinley’s passing.” At least 200,000 people passed by his casket as it sat in the Capitol Rotunda and a Canton, Ohio, courthouse. McKinley was later interred at a special memorial in his honor, which was already under construction.
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Very interesting. Shows how stamps relate to history. Thanks for doing this!
Really enjoy knowing the stories behind the stamps, it’s starting to be part of my daily routine. Shame on President Obama for wanting to rename Alaska’s Mt McKinley that honors a fallen president.
Obama did not rename Mt McKinley, the people of Alaska did some time back. Although not a big fan of Obama, this one is not on him.
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McKinley’s sudden death brought Vice-President Theodore Roosevelt into the presidency. McKinley’s mentor, Senator Marc Hanna of Ohio, was heard to say something like, “Now look, that damn cowboy is President of the United States.” Roosevelt who once owned a cattle ranch in Dakota Territory, turned out to be one of our greatest presidents.
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Good information. Thanks Mystic.
Much of what I know about history I learned through stamp collecting.
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moment to read these snippets of our human past.
Thanks, Mystic, for this update on President McKinley’s assassination and the name of his idiotic and unnecessary assassin. And for one of the pieces of trash Obama accomplished during his weak and wasted time in office … with TWO terms of service-in-office opportunity to become a truly fine U.S. President !!! A somewhat-smart man, but, like our first president from the South … and I was born, raised and still live in the South! … Obama, in my personal opinion, matches Jimmy Carter as one of our Nation’s disappointing and weakest presidents. I was hoping at the time, that Carter would turn out to be a GREAT president, because most of the U.S. population up until then, seemed to think the South was slow in moving around, uneducated and lacking good leaders. Their “lack” of respect for Southerners was NOT realizing that … BEFORE air conditioners … doing things a little slower in the South enabled everyone to get MORE done more “comfortably,” and avoid getting worn-out before finishing what needed to be accomplished . For and through-out the South, that” more-focus-action” … before air-conditioners existed … worked … as Southerners did what was necessary at the time !!
What specifically are you talking about? What did Obama do?