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She'll tell you why William McKinley is an important figure
By Jim Carney
Beacon Journal
Published on Monday, Feb 18, 2008
CANTON: Kimberly Kenney, 32, obviously never met William McKinley.
He was assassinated in 1901, more than seven decades before she was born.
But the curator of the William McKinley Presidential Library and Museum knows everything about him.
She can rattle the facts off.
He was a portly guy.
He wasn't that tall.
He liked to eat.
He loved cherry pie.
He liked bacon and eggs.
And he was a down-home kind of guy.
Today, on Presidents Day, the native of Rome, N.Y., talks about Canton's favorite son.
Q: What makes McKinley different from other presidents?
A: He doesn't have direct descendants and so the collection of things that belonged to him went out to nieces, nephews, brother and sisters. As a result, not all of it made it back to the museum.
Q: What makes McKinley interesting?
A: Aside from there being only a handful of presidents and this was one of them, his presidency was the birth of a lot of things. You can trace our foreign policy back to the Spanish-American War, which he was in charge of. . . . .He was the last of the old guard. He was the last president who was a Civil War veteran. He was the last of the Victorian era. His tragic murder makes a better story in history.
Q: Do you still get donations of McKinley items to the museum?
A: We still have people who bring things in. We get McKinley commemorative things and McKinley-owned things. This table came from First Christian Church. The person who donated it to the church was a lawyer in the law office before (McKinley) was elected. . . . We recently got a document that was signed by McKinley when he was a Civil War soldier. He was a commissary sergeant. It was something he signed and had given to this company.
Q: What was McKinley like?
A: McKinley was a politician who was obviously a likable guy. You don't see that in politics today. People on both sides of the aisle admired him for different reasons, even though they didn't agree with him.
Q: Are there things in the collection here that are remarkable?
A: Some things I like are things he really did use. We have his set of razors with the days of the week on them. A Masonic sash. A hat. And the barbells he used at the YMCA.
Q: Can you talk about McKinley and the carnation?
A: It was his signature flower. He wore it everywhere. He considered it his good luck charm. He would give it to pretty girls in the room. This is folk lore, but a few people before the assassin in line, he gave his carnation to one of the young girls he saw. And then a few people down the line was Leon Czolgosz (his assassin).
Q: Has McKinley been treated with the respect he deserves in history?
A: Yes and no. I think his life was cut short. You never know what could have been.
Q: Can you talk about this large photograph (a lifesize photo of a large group of people and McKinley standing in front of his home).
A: This is from his first presidential campaign. People came from all over the country. This is a presidential campaign year and candidates today are traveling. He did none of that. They came to him. You cannot replicate this. It was remarkable. They would march up from the train station and come to the house.
Q: Where did this group come from?
A: This was taken (on) Illinois Day. Oct. 21, 1896.
Q: In 1901, there were only newspaper, no radio and television. How was his assassination covered in the press?
A: News extras. Lots of special updates. There was a time when people didn't know what was going on. McKinley's assassination was felt the world round.
CANTON: Kimberly Kenney, 32, obviously never met William McKinley.
Get the full article here.
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