biography
| sex:
| male
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| lived:
| (1833–1901)
|
| biography:
| US statesman and 23rd president (1889–93), born in North Bend, Ohio, USA. The grandson of a US president and son of a US senator, he took up law practice in Indianapolis in 1854. During the Civil War he raised a regiment and led it with distinction. Active thereafter in Republican politics, he made two unsuccessful bids for the Indiana governorship before gaining a seat in the US Senate (1881–7), where he supported civil-service reform and a protective tariff. In 1888 he rode the tariff issue into the presidency with the support of big business. As president he signed the high McKinley Tariff and the Sherman Silver Purchase Act (both highly unpopular) as well as the Sherman Anti-trust Act, and he also supported several international conferences. His association with high tariffs was the main element in his loss to Grover Cleveland in 1892. He returned to legal practice in Indianapolis, regaining respect for his responsible views on national and international issues. |
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