William McKinley Thanks a Man for His Congratulations on McKinley’s Nomination for Governor of Ohio, His Stepping Stone to the Presidency

McKinley served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1877 to 1883, 1883 to 1884, and 1885 to 1891; and was a delegate to the 1884, 1888, and 1892 Republican National Conventions. In 1891 McKinley secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor of Ohio in the 1891 general election in November. He went on to win reelection to a second term in 1893. During his tenure, the tax system was improved; a railroad safety law was sanctioned; a state board of arbitration was established; and a coal miners’ strike was dealt with.

Autograph letter signed “Wm. McKinley Jr.”, Canton, Ohio, June 20, 1891, to Dr. J.E. Shellenberger of Payne, Ohio, who had congratulated him on his gubernatorial nomination. “Please accept my thanks for your kind congratulatory letter of the 18th. What you say is highly appreciated.” Until the death of his father, William McKinley Sr., McKinley signed himself “Jr.”