Mckinley, William (1843–1901)
MCKINLEY, WILLIAM (1843–1901)
William McKinley, an Ohio Republican who was President of the United States from 1897 to 1901, spent most of his term in office preoccupied with foreign affairs. An imperialist, he advocated the annexation of Hawaii and, after successfully prosecuting a war against Spain, acquired the Philippines and puerto rico for the United States. McKinley continued the domestic policies of his predecessor, grover cleveland, but unlike most Chief Executives in the late nineteenth century, McKinley saw the presidency as a powerful office. He frequently relied on expert and academic commissions to offer him advice on specific problems.
McKinley's lack of interest in enforcing the sherman antitrust act paralleled benjamin harrison 's, but McKinley's failure to enforce the law vigorously is more significant because he held office during the second greatest merger movement in American history. His three attorneys general—one of whom, joseph mckenna, would be his sole appointment to the Supreme Court—initiated only three cases under the act. The most important anti-trust cases decided during McKinley's tenure, united states v. trans-missouri freight association (1897) and Addyston Pipe & Steel Co. v. United States (1899), had been started under prior administrations.
David Gordon
(1986)
Bibliography
Gould, Lewis L. 1980 The Presidency of William McKinley. Lawrence: Regents Press of Kansas.