William Brown McKinley (September 5, 1856December 7, 1926) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

(1905–1913, 1915–1921) and

United States Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

(1921–1926) from the

State of Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. A member of the Republican Party, he was born near

Petersburg, Illinois Petersburg is a city in and the county seat of Menard County, Illinois, United States, on the bluffs and part of the floodplain overlooking the Sangamon River. It is part of the Springfield, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population ...

Biography

After attending the

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univ ...

for two years, in around 1875 McKinley worked as a drug-store clerk in Springfield. He soon returned to Champaign to become a banker, specializing in farm mortgages. He entered politics in 1902, being elected a trustee of the University of Illinois. McKinley ran for the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

in 1904, winning his first of four consecutive terms. He lost re-election to the House in 1912. His re-election loss coincided with his service as national campaign manager for incumbent President William H. Taft, who also lost in 1912. Voters in 1914 returned McKinley to the U.S. House, where he served from 1915 until 1921. In 1920, McKinley was elected to the U.S. Senate, taking office in 1921. In 1926, he ran for re-election and lost to Frank L. Smith (who ultimately was denied the seat by the Senate on the grounds of fraud and corruption in his campaign). McKinley also was chief executive of the Illinois Traction System, an interurban electric railway. The

McKinley Bridge The McKinley Bridge is a steel truss bridge across the Mississippi River. It connects northern portions of the city of St. Louis, Missouri with Venice, Illinois. It opened in 1910 and was taken out of service on October 30, 2001. The bridge was r ...

between

Venice, Illinois Venice is a city in Madison County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,890 at the 2010 census. History Venice was platted in 1841. Geography Venice is located at (38.673796, -90.167885). According to the 2010 census, Venice has a to ...

and

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

was named for him. The McKinley Health Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is also named for him. McKinley died aged 70 in

Martinsville, Indiana Martinsville is a city in Washington Township, Morgan County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 11,828 at the 2010 United States Census. The city is the county seat of Morgan County. History Martinsville was founded in 1822. It i ...

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:McKinley, William B. 1856 births 1926 deaths American people of Scottish descent People from Petersburg, Illinois Businesspeople from Illinois Politicians from Springfield, Illinois University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumni Republican Party United States senators from Illinois Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois 20th-century American railroad executives

Biography

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References

External links