William McKinley was born in 1901.
William McKinley Jr. ( January 29 , 1843 -- September 14 , 1901 ) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the 25th President of the United States from March 4 , 1897 until his assassination in September 1901 , six months into his second term . His 1890 McKinley Tariff was highly controversial ; which together with a Democratic redistricting aimed at gerrymandering him out of office , led to his defeat in the Democratic landslide of 1890 . With the aid of his close adviser Mark Hanna , he secured the Republican nomination for president in 1896 , amid a deep economic depression .