William McKinley was born in Ohio. He became a schoolteacher. When the Civil War started, he was 18 years old. He joined the army for the North. He was our last U.S. president to fight in the Civil War.

After the Civil War, McKinley studied law. He became a lawyer. McKinley was elected to Congress in 1877. In 1891, he was elected governor of Ohio.

In 1896, William McKinley became the 25th President of the Untied States. In 1898, the United States went to war against Spain. The United States won. The U.S. took over the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico. Cuba became an independent country. The Hawaiian Islands became part of the U.S.

The people liked McKinley. They were happy that the U.S. had won the war against Spain. McKinley was elected to a second term in 1900.

In March 1901, President McKinley was in New York giving a speech. He was shot two times. He died eight days later. McKinley was the third President to be killed while in office.