Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 07.djvu/187

 Mckinley

Mckinley

■came Chanceford township, York county, Pa. David, the immigrant, a weaver by trade, died in 1759. His eldest son, John, was a wagonmaster for the committee of safety, and died on his estate (the homestead purchased from the heirs), Feb. 18, 1779, and his widow married Thomas Mc- •Ciilloch and died in the winter of 1781. John's •only son David was born on the homestead. May 16, 1755. He enlisted in Captain Reed's company of ferrymen in the war of the Revolution and was drafted several times for active service, and after the close of the war became an ironmaster in Westmoreland county. He married Hannah C. Rose, wlio was born in 1757 and died in Chatfield, 'Crawford county, Ohio, in 1840. He purchased a

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farm in Crawford county, Ohio, in 1814, and died there in 1840. David's son James, born Sept. 19, 1783, married Mary (" Polly ") Rose, of Pine town- -ship, Mercer county, Pa., about 1805, and re- moved to Lisbon, Columbiana county, Ohio. His son William was born in Pine township, Nov. 15, 1807, was married in 1829 to Nancy Camp- bell Allison (who died at Canton, Ohio, Dec. 12, 1897) and was an ironmaster at New Wilming- ton, Ohio, and at Niles, Ohio, where William, the President, was born, the seventh of a family •of nine children. He attended Union seminary, Poland, Ohio, until 1860, when he entered the junior class of Allegheny college, Meadville, Pa., but before closing his class year was obliged to leave on account of a severe illness. He then taught a district school and was clerk in the Poland post-office. On June 11, 1861, he enlisted as a private in Company E, 23d Ohio volunteer infantry, Rutherford B. Hayes being lieutenant- 'colonel of the regiment. He was inspected and mustered in by Gen. John C. Fremont, served in western Virginia, and saw his first battle at Carnifex Ferry, Sept. 10, 1861. On April 15, 1862, he was promoted commissary sergeant while in camp at Fayetteville, western Virginia, and he served in the battle of Antietam with such con- spicuous gallantry as to win for him promotion, Company D. On Feb. 7, 1863, he was made 1st lieutenant of Company E, and on July 25, 1864,
 * Sept. 23, 1862, to the rank of 2d lieutenant of

was raised to tlie rank of captain of Company for gallantry at the battle of Kernstown, July 24, 1864. He served successively on the staffs of Generals Hayes, Crook, and Hancock, and his engagements after Carnif ex Ferry were : Clarke's Hollow, May 1, 1862 ; Princeton, W. Va., May 16, 1862 ; South Mountain, Md., Sept. 14, 1862*; Antietam, Sept. 17, 1862; Buffington Island, O., in Morgan's raid, July 19, 1863 ; Cloyd's Moun- tain, W. Va., May 9, 1864 ; New River Bridge, Va., May 9, 1864 ; Buffalo Gap, Va., June 6. 1864 • Lexington, Va., June 10, 1864 ; Buchanan, Va. ; June 14, 1864 ; Otter Creek, Va., June 16, 1864 ; Buford's Gap, Va., July 21, 1864 ; Kernstown, Va., July 24, 1864 ; Berryville, Va., Sept. 3, 1864 ; Winchester, Va., Sept. 19, 1864 ; Fisher's Hill, Va.. Sept. 22, 1864, and Cedar Creek, Va., Oct. 19. 1864. He was brevetted major, March 13, 1865, for gallantry at Opequon, Cedar Creek and Fisher's Hill, and was serving as acting assistant adjutant-general on the staff of Gen. Samuel S. Carroll, commanding the veteran reserve corps (1st division, first army corps) at Washington, D.C., when he was mustered out with his regi- ment, July 26, 1865. He returned home and studied law at Youngstown, Ohio, and at the Albany Law school, 186&-67, and was admitted to the Ohio bar at Warren in March, 1867, and settled in practice in Canton, Ohio, through the advice of an elder sister, then teaching school in that place. He was elected by the Republicans of Stark county prosecuting attorney, and served 1870-71, but was defeated for re-election. He was married, Jan. 25, 1871, to Ida, daughter of James A. and Catherine (Dewalt) Saxton of Canton, Ohio. He was a representative from the seventeenth district of Ohio in the 45th congress (1877-79), defeating Leslie L. Lanborn ; from the sixteenth district in the 46th congress (1879- 81), defeating Gen. Aquila Wiley, and from the seventeenth district in the 47th congress (1881- 83), defeating Leroy D. Thoman. His party claimed that he was elected from the eighteenth district to the 48th congress in 1882 by a majority of eight votes, and he was given the certificate of election, but his seat was successfully contested by Jonathan H. Wallace, of Columbiana county, who was seated in June, 1884. Mr. McKinley was elected in 1884 a representative from the twentieth district to the 49th congress (1885-87), defeating David R. Paige, and in 1886 and 1888 was elected from the eighteenth district to the 50th and 51st congresses, defeating Wallace H. Phelps and George P. Ikert, respectively, serving 1887-91, but was defeated in the sixteenth dis- trict for representative in the 52d congress in 1890 by John G. Warwick, of Massillon, Democrat, by 302 votes. The changes in the congressional districts were due to political expedients used by