William McKinley and the 1896 Election

Young William McKinley

When Beth and I worked at University of Akron, I taught a course called "Buckeye Presidents," about the eight U.S. presidents---W. H. Harrison, Grant, Hayes, Garfield, B. Harrison, McKinley, Taft, and Hardin---either born in or who otherwise had deep ties with Ohio. It was essentially a history of the Republican party until the early 1920s, beginning with the first Whig president (the first Harrison), moving through the Civil War and the first Republican president to the first post-Lincoln Republican president, Grant, and following the subsequent presidencies of six other Ohio men. (Grant of course and also Hayes, Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, and McKinley were war veterans.) Among this series of interesting persons, McKinley caught the interest of some students because of his proximity: Canton, OH, just south of Akron.

I had seen Karl Rove's new book on William McKinley and the 1896 election, and I had considered reviewing it for this blog. But my friend and college classmate Jim Kane has already written an excellent review, so I share the link here---with hopes that you enjoy other posts on his blog!
https://jimkane.wordpress.com/2016/02/09/my-review-of-karl-roves-the-triumph-of-william-mckinley/