who succeeded william mckinley as president?
Theodore Roosevelt
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 Four days later , President William McKinley was shot by an assassin ; his death a further eight days later elevated Roosevelt to the presidency . 

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 According to historian Lewis L. Gould , in his account of McKinley 's presidency , 

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 In September 1901 , William McKinley was at the height of his power as president . Elected in 1896 , during the serious economic depression resulting from the Panic of 1893 , he had defeated his Democratic rival , William Jennings Bryan . McKinley led the nation both to a return to prosperity and to victory in the Spanish – American War in 1898 , taking possession of such Spanish colonies as Puerto Rico and the Philippines . Re @-@ elected handily in a rematch against Bryan in 1900 , according to historical writer Eric Rauchway , " it looked as if the McKinley Administration would continue peaceably unbroken for another four years , a government devoted to prosperity " . 

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 McKinley was easily re @-@ elected as governor in 1893 . Despite the poor economic times in Ohio , he remained popular , and spoke across much of the nation for Republican candidates . He followed the usual Ohio custom and stepped down at the end of two two @-@ year terms , returning home to Canton in January 1896 to municipal celebrations . The Canton Repository stated , " It is just plain Mr. McKinley of Canton now , but wait a little while . " To devote full @-@ time to McKinley 's presidential campaign , Hanna in 1895 turned over management of his companies to his brother Leonard . Mark Hanna was certain , as he stated as McKinley 's campaign began , that " nothing short of a miracle or death will prevent his being the nominee of the party in ' 96 " . 

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 The election of Republican president William McKinley in 1896 deepened the Democrats ' resolve to oppose the Republican governor and his allies . Moreover , when the legislature convened in 1898 , the Democratic majority in both houses was overwhelming . Bradley 's message to the General Assembly in 1898 called for numerous reforms including spending cuts to reduce government waste , putting the state 's charitable institutions under control of a non @-@ partisan board , and reforms to public education and legal system . 
