Ida McKinley

On June 8, 1847, Ida Saxton was born to parents James and Kate Saxton in Canton, Ohio. Ida attended female seminaries, studying a variety of subjects from mathematics and foreign languages to the arts.¹ Her cultural education continued after graduation, as she embarked on a grand European tour with her sister, Mary, in 1869.² Ida also worked at her father’s bank, learning about the family business.

On January 25, 1871, she married lawyer William McKinley in Canton. Later that year, the couple welcomed their first daughter, Kate, followed by their second, Ida, in 1873. Sadly, both of their children passed away in childhood.³ In addition to their shared grief over the loss of their daughters, Ida McKinley experienced seizures and muscle weakness, though the exact causes of these symptoms are mostly speculative.⁴

Though history has painted her as an unimportant or uninvolved first lady because of her disability, this is not accurate. The McKinleys were less public than other first families, but Ida McKinley fulfilled her duties to the best of her ability and remained a critical part of her husband’s career.⁵

Indeed, Ida McKinley supported her husband’s candidacy for president, making campaign appearances and sitting for interviews.⁶ After moving into the White House in 1897, she attended events and hosted dinners and receptions, sometimes using a cane or wheelchair for mobility as needed.⁷ Some of her hobbies included attending the theatre, crocheting slippers for charity, and visiting the White House Conservatory.

She also traveled extensively with the president—in fact, Ida McKinley was the first sitting first lady to visit a foreign country. In 1901, the first couple embarked on a seven-week transcontinental journey following McKinley’s second Inauguration. On May 7, while in Texas, Mrs. McKinley crossed the border into Juarez, Mexico.⁸ She enjoyed a luncheon of traditional Mexican cuisine before returning to the United States and reuniting with her husband—meaning that a sitting first lady traveled abroad before a sitting president did!⁹

Less than four months later, on September 6, 1901, President McKinley was shot at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York.¹⁰ Mrs. McKinley did not attend the event and was shocked to hear the news when her husband was brought to recuperate at Milburn House, where they had been staying in Buffalo.¹¹ He died eight days later from his wounds; Mrs. McKinley stayed at his side throughout.¹² The president’s secretary, George Cortelyou, released the following statement: “In his last moments of consciousness he spoke words of comfort to Mrs. McKinley.”¹³ After his State Funeral in Washington, D.C., Mrs. McKinley returned to Canton, Ohio, with his remains.¹⁴

She stayed in Canton, visiting her husband’s grave, spending time with family, and attending the theater. Ida McKinley died on May 26, 1907. She is entombed with her husband and daughters at the William McKinley National Memorial in Canton.