MACKINDER, Halford John, English author and educator: b. Gainsborough, 15 Feb. 1861. He was educated at Christ Church, Oxford; in 1883 was president of the Oxford Union; Burdett-Coutts University scholar 1884; barrister, Inner Temple 1886; reader in geography, Oxford University 1887 1905 ; and from 1903-08 director of the London School of Economics and Political Science. He was leader of the Mount Kenya Expedition 1899; and has been member (Unionist) for the Camlachie division of Glasgow since 1910. He has written 'Britain and the British (1902) ; The Rhine' (1908) ; 'Elementary Studies in Geography> (12th ed., 1914); 'Eight Lectures on India> (1910), etc.
McKINLEY, William, Amer ican statesman, 25th President of the United States: b. Niles, Trumbull County, Ohio, 29 Jan. 1843; d. Buffalo, N. Y., 14 Sept. 1901. He was educated at Union Seminary, Poland, Mahoning County, Ohio, and Alleghany College, Meadville, Pa. (1860-61). Forced by illness to discontinue his college course, he taught in the public schools, was a clerk in the Poland post office and on 11 June 1861 enlisted for the Civil War as a private in Company E of the 23d Ohio Volunteer Infantry. His first battle was that of 'Carnifex Ferry (10 Sept. 1861), and on 15 April 1862, while in camp at Fayette ville, western Virginia, he was promoted corn missary sergeant. For conspicuous service at Antietam (17 Sept. 1862) he was made second lieutenant of Company D. His subsequent ap pointments were, first lieutenant, Company E (7 Feb. 1863) ; captain Company G (25 July 1864) ; and brevet major (14 March 1865). When mus tered out on 26 July 1865 he was acting assist ant adjutant-general on the staff of Gen. S. C. Carroll, commanding the veteran reserve corps stationed at Washington. Among other actions in which he participated were those of South Mountain (14 Sept. 1862), Lexington (10 June 1864), Kernstown (24 July 1864), Ope quan Creek (Winchester, 19 Sept. 1864), Fish er's Hill (22 Sept. 1864) and Cedar Creek (19 Oct. 1864). During his subsequent political career he was generally known, especially in Ohio, as Major McKinley. At the close of the war he began the study of law at Youngs town, Ohio (1865-66), continued it at the Al bany (N. Y.) Law School (1866-67), in March 1867 was admitted to the bar at Warren, Trum bull County, Ohio, and at once entered practice at Canton. In 1870-71 he was prosecuting attorney of Stark County, and during the cam paign between R. B. Hayes and William Allen for the governorship of the State, spoke effec tively against the °greenback° craze. He was elected to Congress as Republican representative from the 17th Ohio district in 1877, and served continually in the 45th, 46th and 47th Con gresses (1877-83). It was asserted by the Re publicans that he was elected in 1882 to the 48th Congress by a majority of eight ballots; but, although he had received the certificate of election, his seat was successfully contested by J. H. Wallace, who was not, however, seated until June 1884. He represented the 20th dis trict in the 49th Congress (1885-87), and the 18th in the 50th and 51st Congresses; but in 1890 was defeated in the 16th for the 52d Con gress by 300 ballots by J. G. Warwick, Demo crat, lieutenant-governor of the State a short time previously. His defeat was attributed to the gerrymandering of the district by a Demo cratic legislature. His service in Congress was notable. In 1877 he was appointed a member of the Judiciary Committee, and in December 1880 of the Ways and Means Committee to succeed James A. Garfield; and in 1881 was chairman of the committee in charge of the Garfield memorial exercises in the House. In 1889-90 he was chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. He was a candidate for speaker of the 51st Congress, but was defeated by T. B. Reed on the third ballot in the Repub lican caucus. He was known among the fore most orators of the House; and his speeches on arbitration as a solution of labor troubles (2 April 1886) and in support of the civil service laws (24 April 1890) were most favor ably received. But his principal efforts were made in connection with the tariff, which, from his first appearance in the House, was the chief object of his study. On 6 April 1882 he spoke in advocacy of protection; on 30 April 1884 in opposition to the Morrison tariff bill, making what was esteemed the ablest argument against that measure; and on 7 May 1890 in support of the general tariff bill, now known by his name, which, as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, he had introduced before the House on 16 April. The bill was passed by the House on 21 May, by the Senate on 11 September, and on 6 October became a law. His bill obtained for him an international reputation, and eventually the Presidency. In 1884 he was dele gate-at-large from Ohio to the Republican National Convention at Chicago, where he sup ported Blaine's candidacy, and where, as chair man of the committee on resolutions, he helped to determine the platform of his party, which he read before the convention. In the Republi can National Convention at Chicago in 1888, he was again a delegate and chairman of the com mittee on resolutions. 11.! supported the candi dacy of John Sherman, although, when it was finally learned that Blaine would decline the nomination, he was himself the choice of many delegates and was strongly urged to permit the use of his name. At the Minneapolis conven
tion of 1892 he was once more a delegate and was elected permanent chairman of the assem bly. He supported the renomination of Presi dent Harrison, and though refusing the use of his own name, received the ballots of 182 dele gates. He then left the chair and moved to make Harrison's nomination unanimous, which was accordingly done. In the ensuing campaign he took a very active part, traveling, it was estimated, more than 16,000 miles and speaking to more than 2,000,000 voters. In 1892-96 he was governor of Ohio, having been elected in 1891 by 21,500 plurality, and in 1893 by the unusual plurality of 80,995. Labor riots oc curred during his administration, necessitating the placing of 3,000 militia troops in active serv ice, but the difficulties were successfully ad justed. McKinley also personally directed the relief work for the starving miners of the Hocking Valley district. He was nominated for the Presidency by the Republican National Convention which met at Saint Louis 16 June 1896, and was elected by a plurality of 601,854 over W. J. Bryan, receiving a popular vote of 7,104,779, and in the electoral college a vote of 271 to 176 for Bryan. Throughout the cam paign he remained in Canton, where he made over 300 speeches to more than 750,000 visitors. Under his administration decided increase in business prosperity followed the passage of the Dingley tariff measure. The most important event of his term was the Spanish-American War (q.v.), which he had believed might be prevented and had done all in his power to avert. When hostilities broke out on the pact of certain inhabitants of the Philippine Islands, the President appointed a commission to study the situation and report on the most suitable mode of government for the new territory. On 7 July 1898 he approved the joint resolution of Congress for the annexation of the Hawaiian Islands, and in 1898 he also selected a delegation to represent the United States in The Hague peace conference which convened in May 1899. The original Philippine commission having rendered a report (31 Jan. 1900), the President appointed a new commission, known from its head, Judge W. H. Taft, as the Taft commis sion, under whose direction civil government was instituted in the islands on 1 Sept. 1900. (See PHILIPPINES, History). In 1900 the Presi dent stood conspicuously for justice in the set tlement of the difficulties in China which marked that summer. He was renominated for the Presidency by the Republican National Conven tion which met at Philadelphia on 25 June 1900, receiving the entire vote of the 930 dele gates. He was elected by a popular vote of 7,206,677 to 6,374,397 for W. J. Bryan, receiving till then, the largest popular majority ever given a candidate for the Presidency. He ob tained 292 electoral votes and carried 28 States. On 5 Sept. 1901 he delivered at the Pan-Amer ican Exposition, Buffalo, N. Y., an important address, summarizing at once the problems then before the nation and his policy for their solu tion. On 6 September, while holding a recep tion in the Music Hall of the Exposition, he was twice shot by Leon Czolgosz (q.v.), an anarchist. He died on 14 September; and 19 September was appointed by his successor, President Roosevelt, a day of mourning and prayer throughout the United States. Unpre cedented honors were paid to McKinley's memory in foreign capitals, notably in London, where memorial services were held in West minster Abbey and Saint Paul's Cathedral. A statue was erected in his honor at Columbus, Ohio, and unveiled in 1906. Consult Smith (editor), 'Speeches and Addresses of William McKinley' (1893) ; Porter, 'The Life of Major McKinley' (1896), and 'Speeches and Ad dresses of William McKinley from 1897 to 1901' (1900). See also UNITED STATES, History.
McKINLEY, Mount, United States, a peak of the Rocky Mountains, the highest in North America, south of the central part of Alaska, about 155 miles north of Cook Inlet. The Indian name for this peak is Traleyka and the Russian name, Bolshaya. The fact that this is the highest land on the continent was not known till 1896 when Mr. Dickey explored the Sushitna River and the land near its source. He estimated the height of the peak at 20,000 feet, and named it McKinley, in honor of William McKinley (q.v.). In 1903 it was visited by members of the United States Geological Survey. The mountain is a great dome-shaped mass, over 20,000 feet above the sea. Consult Balch, E. S., 'Mount McKinley and Mountain Climbers' Proofs' (Philadelphia 1914) ; Browne, A., 'The Conquest of Mount McKinley' (New York 1914).
McKINLEY ACT, a name popularly given to a tariff bill reported to Congress, 21 May 1890, by the Ways and Means Committee of the House of Representatives, of which William McKinley was chairman. It became a law in October 1890 and was repealed in 1894. It in creased the duties on wool, woolen manufac tures, on tin-plate, barley and some other agri cultural products and remitted the duty on raw sugar. Thereciprocity feature was an import ant part of the bill, providing for the remission of duty on certain products from those coun tries which should remove duties on American imported products. See TARIFF.
McKINNEY, Mrs. Glen Ford. See WEB