HANNA, Marcus Alonzo, American poli tician: b. New Lisbon, Ohio, 24 Sept 1837; d. 15 Feb. 1904. In 1852 his family moved to Cleveland, where he was educated in the public schools and he also took a year's course of study in Western Reserve University. He left college to enter the grocery trade with his father, and later had entire control of the busi ness. In 1867 he became a partner with his father-in-law in the firm of Rhodes and Com pany, engaged in handling coal and iron; he soon mastered the details of the business, greatly extended the work of his firm and was the first to build steel steamships for the lake trade. In 1877 he became the controlling part ner of the firm, the name of which was changed to M. A. Hanna and Company, and acquired large interests in lake navigation. He also was for a time manager of a theatre, and president of the Union National Bank of Cleveland, and of the Cleveland City Railway Company. In 1880 he organized a business men's political club, and from that time was active in politics. In 1884 he was sent as a delegate to the Republican National Conven tion, and in the next convention (1888) was John Sherman's political manager. He first gained a national reputation, when he obtained the nomination of McKinley for President at the Convention of 1896, and as chairman of the Republican National Committee conducted the Presidential campaign, which resulted in a large plurality for McKinley. In this campaign he
adopted the methods which had made him suc cessful in business, studying the situation and its needs, and carefully attending to details. In 1897 he was appointed United States sena tor to succeed Sherman, who resigned before the completion of his term of .six years. In 1898 he was elected to a full term, and in 1904 re-elected, but died before taking his seat. In 1900 he again conducted the Presidential cam paign. As a large employer of labor, Senator Hanna had a number of questions to settle with his own employees, and as a rule won their respect and confidence by his fairness and wil lingness to listen to their claims. He was a firm believer in arbitration between labor and capital, and was active in the organization, in 1901, of the National Civic Federation, a non partisan organization formed to consider such topics as trusts, tariffs, taxation, etc., becom ing its president, and a member of a perma nent committee appointed to consider and settle labor disputes.