Nineteen-year-old William hunkered low in the mule-drawn wagon he drove, to avoid the bullets whizzing over his head.
Once he reached the front lines of his Ohio regiment, William and a few others began serving up tin plates of warm food and cups of hot coffee to the hundreds of soldiers—using the wagon as a shield.
The mission required numerous trips, but William did not stop until everyone had been fed.
No one had told the young commissary sergeant to attempt the undertaking. William took it upon himself, knowing that after three days of heavy fighting and not much breakfast, the men would be exhausted and famished.
His action during this crucial battle at Antietam, Maryland, may have helped turn the tide against the Confederates, who soon retreated back to Virginia.
William continued to distinguish himself as the Civil War wore on, living out his Christian faith with courage, compassion, integrity, and more. He earned the rank of major before General Lee surrendered in April, 1865.
William, 1865
Several years before William had proclaimed at his baptism, “Here I take my stand for life” [1].
Stand he did.
William read the Bible daily, testified to his faith, and lived a moral life. He also sought God’s guidance when making decisions [2].
After the war William returned to Ohio, becoming a lawyer in 1867. He garnered respect as an outstanding prosecuting attorney.
Leaders in the Republican Party noted his intelligence, winning personality, and integrity. They drafted him to run for the U.S. Congress in 1876, and William won. He served fourteen years, distinguishing himself on the Ways and Means Committee [3].
In 1890, however, William’s re-election bid failed due to gerrymandering. His district suddenly included three thousand more Democratic voters. Still, he lost by only three hundred votes.
Some may have thought they’d stymied William’s political career. Instead, he received a promotion, elected as Ohio’s governor in 1891. His success in that position led to an easily-won second term.
In June of 1896, the Republic Convention named William McKinley, Jr. as their presidential candidate. He won the popular vote and the electoral college.
In his first inaugural address, William repeated the oath administered to him. Then he added:
“This is the obligation I have reverently taken before the Lord this day. To keep it will be my single purpose and prayer . . .
“ . . . faith teaches that there is no safer reliance than upon the God of our fathers . . . who will not forsake us so long as we obey His commandments and walk humbly in His footsteps” [4].
One of McKinley’s most difficult decisions occurred in 1898: what to do about the Philippines after the Spanish-American War. Should he:
- Affirm their independence, which would lead to chaos and misrule due to dire instability?
- Allow a European power to take control?
- Or make the Philippines a U. S. Territory to prevent exploitation?
The last option would require financial investment from America, and some Filipinos would certainly resist American-annexation [5].
To a group of church leaders at the White House, McKinley later shared:
“The truth is, I didn’t want the Philippines. I did not know what to do. . . . I sought counsel from all sides—Democrats as well as Republicans—but got little help. . . .
“. . . I walked the floor of the White House night after night . . . and am not ashamed to tell you I went down on my knees and prayed Almighty God for light and guidance more than one night. And one night late it came to me this way.”
William explained the Philippines clearly needed help and the United States should “by God’s grace do the very best we could by them as our fellow-men for whom Christ died.
“And then,” William concluded, “I went to bed, and went to sleep and slept soundly [6].
In 1900, McKinley easily won a second term, the first president to do so since Grant in 1872.
But on September 6, 1901, an anarchist, Leon Czolgosz, shot the president in the abdomen. Immediately, men nearby wrestled the assailant to the ground.
William instructed, “Don’t let them hurt him.” And then to his secretary, “My wife—be careful how you tell her—oh, be careful” [7].
Even in extreme crisis, William displayed honorable Christian character.
For eight days he lingered; the nation hoped and prayed for recovery. But as William grew increasingly weak, he told his doctors, “It is useless, gentlemen. I think we ought to have a prayer.”
Later the president recited from his favorite hymn, “Nearer My God to Thee.”
And finally William spoke his last words: “Good-bye, good-bye all. It is God’s way. His will, not ours be done” [8].
President McKinley did indeed stand tall on his Christian faith, from the day he first proclaimed it until his dying breath.
[1] https://www.tribtoday.com/news/local-news/2018/11/methodist-faith-affected-mckinleys-life/
[3] https://www.whitehousehistory.org/the-life-and-presidency-of-william-mckinley
[4] https://courierheraldtoday.com/william-mckinley-american-patriot-and-man-of-faith/
[5] https://shec.ashp.cuny.edu/items/show/878
[7] https://gentlereformation.com/2024/02/19/the-last-words-of-william-mckinley/
Additional source:
https://www.britannica.com/biography/William-McKinley
Image credits: http://www.picryl.com; http://www.commons.wikimedia.org; http://www.canva.com; http://www.rawpixel.com (2); http://www.picryl.com (2).
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I didn’t know any of these facts about William McKinley except for the fact he was president and that he was assassinated. What a strong, fearless man of God he was! I love, too, how you kept me in suspense by only introducing him by his first name and waiting until you were close to the end to reveal his last. His stalwart faith and trust in prayer should be a model of excellence for all Christians in this great nation. Blessings, Nancy, and thanks!
I didn’t know anything about him either, Martha, but am glad to have learned about him. There’s so much more I could have shared, like his long-term loving attentiveness to his wife who suffered from depression after the deaths of their two young daughters. One website included numerous quotes about him, from sources written shortly after his death. People certainly respected him and appreciated all his fine qualities.
Truly, a Christ-centered love President McKinley had for his wife and his family, Nancy. That we could have the same courage and faith!
With all of our technological advances, we think we are so smart, but this is one more example of how we need to know our history, our roots. Thanks for sharing McKinley’s story.
You’re welcome, Linda. McKinley really is a hero of the faith who’s sadly faded from attention as the years have passed. I’m so glad he came to MY attention, giving me opportunity to learn from his example.
Blessings Nancy sharing the faith of William McKinley. Indeed, there are lessons to harvest from His Christian journey.
Thank you, Richard. He did set a worthy example for us to follow. It saddens me that his legacy has been lost as the decades have passed.
Yes, time is cruel in how it erases what is precious. Several years ago, my wife and I made a trip to Canton to tour the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I became a bit more acquainted with William McKinley and Canton’s history when we stayed a couple of nights at the McKinley Grand Hotel.
I tried to find interior pictures of the McKinley Grand Hotel online, but after several minutes of clicking through websites I gave up! From what I did gather, it’s not a historic establishment, but opened in 1986. I hope the owner(s) at least tried to capture some of the charm of the 1890s-1900s. And! I trust you enjoyed your stay!
The hotel’s main floor displays many photos of McKinley. Thank you for sharing some history behind the hotel.
You’re welcome, Richard!
Your bio of McKinley was captivating, Nancy. His faith, devotion to his wife, and his integrity as a soldier and leader made for a delightful read. Thank you! 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed this brief recounting of McKinley’s life, Nancy. Of course he had his detractors over policy, but few if any could find fault with his faith-based integrity. I did see a recent article that put unfounded, negative designations to his name. They must not have read the same accounts that I did!
Most well-known people have their detractors, and presidents-even more so. I like children’s books, because they put in all the good stuff! 🤣
Thank you for this revealing story of the life of one of our country’s presidents. It was presented in such a way as to make me want to read more. So often we become wrapped up in the politics of our country, without looking at the leadership behind it. God ordained government and ultimately He is in control of our destiny. Maybe we need to focus more on the positives that our presidents achieved while in office instead of beating them into the ground. We have lost respect for them over time. Some, rightly so, but I truly believe that the ability to respect others is to look for the good in them. In our country today, I see young people with a lack of respect for parents, peers, teachers and anyone in authority. A whole generation has grown up believing that no one can compare with them.
It HAS been disheartening to see morality forsaken, respect disdained, Christians and Jews unfairly treated–even harmed, criminals coddled, lies perpetrated, etc. BUT! I take hope in Gen Z who are seeing the emptiness of consumerism, power-grabbing, and the continual pursuit of pleasure. Turning Point USA alone is impacting thousands of lives. May their efforts and those of others usher in revival in this nation! That’s my prayer.
I am praying for that too.
Were that such genuine, committed faith were the norm in our nation’s leadership today. Thanks for sharing this needed dose of inspiration Nancy, reminding me that, regardless of national circumstances, God remains in control.
Keep Looking Up ^ … His Best is Yet to Come!
Thank you, Fred. Let’s pray that in the next elections going forward, we see more politicians like William McKinley– like J. D. Vance, Marco Rubio, Mike Johnson–coming forward to serve, who not only proclaim their conservative Christian faith but live it out. (Marco Rubio’s speech at Charlie Kirk’s funeral sounded like an evangelical sermon.) I am hopeful!
I too appreciated Marco Rubio’s speech and Charlie Kirk’s widow’s compassion forgiveness of her husband’s assassin Nancy. The virulent, vengeful, non-Christian declaration … “I hate my enemies!” … by our president disturbs me greatly, but like each of us, he too is created in God’s image and has my in prayers for the Lord’s wisdom, guidane and Christlike humility in governing our sadly divided nation to once again reflect the ” One nation under God” principles it was founded upon.
Amen, Fred!
Well done, Nancy, I didn’t know any of this amazing story. Thank you so much for sharing, it is so inspiring!
I’m so glad you found McKinley’s story inspiring, Dana. I did too!
I grew up in Canton, McKinley’s home town and didn’t know much of this. Thanks for this info. Fascinating.
You’re welcome, Jean. I found his story fascinating also. / How about that–you’re from Canton!
I grew up very close to McKinley’s monument too.
Amazing!
I had no idea William McKinley was such an upstanding and faithful follower of Jesus. What a legacy he left. How wonderful it would be if our present president valued the wisdom and truth of the Lord and His Word? I know there are men and women of faith in government service; they just seem to be hidden behind rules, fears, or not wanting to be rejected. I love William’s selflessness! What an inspiration to us all.
I too was unaware of McKinley’s stellar example of Christian faith-in-action. I agree, Dayle–he led an inspirational life for us all.
Nancy,
It’s great to hear historical acts of faith. These are the people who the Lord has blessed and we feel the benefits. In Christ,
Gary
Gary Avants Forbear Productions * *garyavants66@gmail.com garyavants66@gmail.com
We DO feel the benefits, don’t we, from their examples, and the encouragement they provide, even though far removed by time and place. One day we’ll all be together, won’t we!
What a joy is was to read this. First of all, William McKinley is from Ohio, my state! Secondly, although I knew about his assassination I did not know that he was a man of God. How wonderful to know this. It gave me a much-needed positive boost!
So glad to give you a much-needed positive boost through this post, Cheri! Praise God for his timing.
And now I know much more about McKinley than the mere fact he was one of our presidents! I suspect most of our nation’s leaders have a path along the lines of this one, Nancy, from grass-roots to full-fledged authority. It’s just refreshing to read how God guided McKinley’s every decision. If today’s leaders had the same strength of faith, what a wonderful world it would be indeed.
I suppose that’s too much to hope for, Dave, but that world is coming, when Jesus, who is Faithful and True, is enthroned as our King (Revelation 21:1-5)!
The passage is a good reminder to reread Revelation. It’s not all gloom and doom!
Thank you for sharing all of this information with us. It is very inspiring to learn so many details about McKinley’s life and deep faith. I learned so much from reading this post!!!
You’re welcome, Linda. You can imagine how much I learned doing the research! But it was not a chore–I greatly enjoyed learning how McKinley lived out his faith.
Nancy, you do introduce us to the most fascinating people. And, “Here I take my stand for life” is a powerful choice for us all to choose what matters most, what we’ll go to the mat for, how best to invest our lives.
Thank you for this gentle nudge.
I’m so glad you found McKinley’s story to be fascinating, Linda. I did too as I completed the research. McKinley did indeed leave us a worthy example to follow, including that courageous statement when just a teenager.