McKinley's Inaugurations,
1897 and 1901

Collier's
Vol. 26, no. 24.
New York: March 16, 1901
Prints & Photographs Division (90.8)

Inaugural Ball booklet with Pension
Building at night, March 4, 1897
Printed booklet
Manuscript Division (89.6)

Inaugural program
March 4, 1901
Rare Book & Special
Collections Division (90.7)

Inaugural pass for the
McKinley-Roosevelt Inauguration
Printed card
Manuscript Division (91.4)

Inaugural Ball programs
March 4, 1897
Rare Book & Special
Collections Division (91.5a, b)

William McKinley (1843-1901), twenty-fifth president of the United States, was the third to be assassinated while in office. He was shot while at the Pan American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, and died on September 14, 1901. McKinley's two terms in office saw the rise of the agrarian Populist Party and the fierce battle between free silver and the gold standard, the latter favored by McKinley. He advocated high tariffs to protect American industry and was caught up with the American expansionist impulse associated with the Spanish-American War. Seen here is Collier's coverage of President McKinley's 1901 inaugural speech accompanied by a Winchester rifle advertisement featuring Teddy Roosevelt.

William McKinley's two inaugurations took place on the east portico of the Capitol, followed by lavish balls held in the sumptuous hall of the Pension Building, now the National Building Museum. The design and contents of McKinley's 1897 and 1901 inaugural ball booklets are similar to those used throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. They include names of various ball committee members, musical selections for the evening, and spaces for listing dancing partners.

Frances Benjamin Johnston (1864-1952)
Interior of the Pension Building for the McKinley-Roosevelt Inaugural Ball,
March 4, 1901
Copyprint
Prints & Photographs Division (92.4)

Admission ticket for an employee
of the Library of Congress to the inaugural
platform, after the procession from the
Senate Chambers, March 4, 1897
Printed card
Rare Book & Special
Collections Division (89.5)