Friday, November 30, 2007

Ida Saxton McKinley; 1897-1901

Born: 1847

Died: 1907



Growing up in Ohio as the privileged daughter of one of the town's leading families, Ida Saxton was attractive, confident and strong-willed. After completing school and a grand tour of Europe, she went to work at her father's bank and met newcomer William McKinley, a lawyer three years her senior. Right away she took to calling him "Major" because of his rank in the Union Army. They wed in 1871, but Ida's happiness was short lived. Within five years, she lost her two children, her mother, and her health, developing epilepsy and depression. An invalid for the rest of her life, she nonetheless accompanied William throughout his political rise -- as Congressman, Governor and President. For his part, William did everything possible to satisfy Ida's needs. He campaigned for President from his Ohio front porch so she could be nearby. A docile man, McKinley was influenced by others -- his monied supporters, the newspapers, his wife. She urged him to retain the Philippines following the Spanish-American War so the native peoples could be Christianized.



As First Lady, Ida received guests, but held a bouquet to discourage tiring handshaking. She sat next to William at dinners so he could cover her face with a handkerchief if she had a seizure. But mostly, she knit slippers, donating hundreds of pairs to charity. When William was shot and fatally injured in his second term, his first worry was how Ida would be told.

Twenty-Fifth President
William McKinley

No comments: