William McKinley

By: Kevin Phillips, Arthur M. Schlesinger

Narrated by: Richard Rohan

Length: 5 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's Summary

A best-selling historian and political commentator reconsiders McKinley’s overshadowed legacy....

By any serious measurement, best selling historian Kevin Phillips argues, William McKinley was a major American president. It was during his administration that the United States made its diplomatic and military debut as a world power. McKinley was one of eight presidents who, either in the White House or on the battlefield, stood as principals in successful wars, and he was among the six or seven to take office in what became recognized as a major realignment of the U.S. party system.

Phillips argues that McKinley’s lackluster ratings have been sustained not by unjust biographers but by years of criticism about his personality, indirect methodologies, middle-class demeanor, and tactical inability to inspire the American public. In this powerful and persuasive biography, Phillips musters convincing evidence that McKinley’s desire to heal, renew prosperity, and reunite the country qualify him for promotion into the ranks of the best chief executives.

©2003 Brenda Z. Guiberson (P)2003 Macmillan Audio

Disappointing

If you want a five-hour lecture about why McKinley is historically under-ranked as a president, this book is for you. If you are looking for a linear discussion of McKinley’s accomplishments, or just a coherent narrative, look elsewhere. The author assumes you’ve read other McKinley biographies and are well-versed in his life and presidency. It is only a value-add to the extent you want to revisit what you already know about McKinley with a more favorable lens. The author is argumentative and biased, and spends too much space speculating about what McKinley might have accomplished with two full terms. If you are looking to learn about the 25th president, don’t start here.

Thought-provoking

William McKinley (1843-1901) was president from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. He was the twenty-five president of the United States. McKinley was a strong governor of Ohio and a decisive president whose stern looks hid a thoughtful and gentle man. William McKinley was a Civil war veteran and a Lincoln Republican.

Phillip details how McKinley presided over the emergence of the United States as a world power in the Spanish-American war. McKinley’s election in 1890 ushered in approximately forty years of Republican political dominance.

Phillip points out that McKinley was one of eight presidents, who either in the White House or on the battlefield, led the nation in successful Wars; and he was among the six or seven to take office in what become recognized as a major realignment of the United States’ party system. McKinley was among the sixteen United States presidents elected to two terms, and avoided the tarnish of major scandal.

The author points out that McKinley was a “hinge president,” whose first term ushered in the 20th century, and who ‘presided over the fruition of the Northern or Yankee version of U.S. expansionism, a commercial manifest destiny tied to increasing American exports.’
In 1901 McKinley was assassinated by a deranged anarchist’. McKinley’s vice president Theodore Roosevelt took over the presidency and carried on McKinley’s moderate platform. Roosevelt’s charisma overshadowed McKinley over historical time.

This book is more of a political analysis of William McKinley rather than a biography as Phillips tell what other historians have written about McKinley and argues with many of them. The book is narrated by Richard Rohan.

Ends Certain Misperceptions about McKinley

Where does William McKinley rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book is a few years old and can drag on occasions. It cites a lot of facts and requires some knowledge of Reconstruction Era/Gilded Age American history to fully appreciate. But it covers and era that is not well-studied, but has strong parallels to the present.

What was one of the most memorable moments of William McKinley?

Understanding how McKinley was not an arch-conservative and laid the groundwork for the modern progressive movement.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No.

Incomplete

A Lot of details here but not a single word on how or why he was Assassinated. Where is he berried? How did people react/respond? Not much on military strategy other than communication from the White House.

Dull Dull Dull

I was on chapter 2 and I was ready to fall asleep. I was listening more about the background of Ohio and falling asleep

Confusing presentation

Dialog was all over the place, time and characters. Very difficult to follow. Of all the presidential books on Audible, this was worst. Hayes was next. The rest were great.

Assassination not discussed!

Why was the assassination not covered? Who did it? Why? Where? A two term president died at a young age in office and the assassination is not covered in the book. Bizarre

Interesting but with no coherent timeline

This was worth the listen. But unlike other notable biographies, this was non-sequential meaning the events were not necessarily in order, jumping back and forth from McKinley’s presidency, governorship, ame so forth, which
Makes it a less that ideal choice for the audiobook format.