William B. McKinley


William Brown McKinley was a U.S. Representative and United States Senator from the State of Illinois. A member of the Republican Party, he was born near Petersburg, Illinois.

Biography

After graduating from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, McKinley became a drug clerk in Springfield. He returned to Champaign to become a banker. In 1902, he was elected a trustee of the university. McKinley ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1905, winning his first of four consecutive terms. In 1913, he ran for the U.S. Senate against Lawrence Yates Sherman and lost.
He ran for Congress again in 1914 and won, serving from 1915 until 1921. In 1920, McKinley ran against Sherman for the Senate, this time winning. In 1926, he ran for re-election and lost to Frank L. Smith.
McKinley was also chief executive of the Illinois Traction System. The McKinley Bridge between Venice, Illinois and St. Louis, Missouri was named for him. The McKinley Health Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is also named for him. McKinley died aged 70 in Martinsville, Indiana.