# William McKinley — An Autobiography character guide

> William McKinley in An Autobiography by Theodore Roosevelt.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** President McKinley, McKinley, President, Mr. McKinley

**First appearance:** 0016-x-the-presidency-making-an-old-party-progressive

## Snapshot

The president Roosevelt succeeded, whose shadow he refuses to merely follow, insisting he will face new problems on his own terms.

## Who they are

McKinley stands behind Roosevelt's account as the man whose assassination lifted him into the presidency, and as a label critics try to pin on him as a pale copy. Roosevelt rejects the comparison outright, saying he was concerned not with following or not following footsteps but with confronting the new problems that arose. The McKinley years also frame the party's drift into the hands of conservatives and reactionaries, the very forces Roosevelt spends his presidency pushing against.

## In the story

### [II: The Vigor of Life](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_autobiography_se/chapters/ii-the-vigor-of-life)

Referenced indirectly as the president before Roosevelt's own term; the chapter focuses on Roosevelt's later actions as President.

### [Applied Idealism](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_autobiography_se/chapters/v-applied-idealism)

President Harrison is mentioned as appointing Roosevelt; McKinley is referenced in the context of the spoils system's persistence.

### [VII: The War of America the Unready](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_autobiography_se/chapters/vii-the-war-of-america-the-unready)

Mentioned as the President who was close to Senator Proctor and who ultimately approved Dewey's command.

### [The Presidency; Making an Old Party Progressive](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_autobiography_se/chapters/x-the-presidency-making-an-old-party-progressive)

Mentioned indirectly as Roosevelt's predecessor; context of the 1904 nomination.

### [The Peace of Righteousness](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_autobiography_se/chapters/xv-the-peace-of-righteousness)

Referenced indirectly through the Spanish-American War context.

### [Appendix A: The Trusts, the People, and the Square Deal](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_autobiography_se/chapters/appendix-a)

Mentioned in the context of Roosevelt's actions regarding the Tennessee Coal and Iron Company during the panic of 1907.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_autobiography_se/characters/president_mckinley
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_autobiography_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_autobiography_se/characters