By the Maui Curmudgeon (25th in a 43-part series)

How do the U.S. Presidents stack up? I thought I’d find out by reading biographies of all 43 presidents, in the order of their administrations. Here are briefly the pros and cons of my discoveries, the interesting bits, and how I’d rank him. For comparison, I give you the 1982 Murrary-Blessing ranking, a survey of hundreds of leading historians who ranked each president by number. This survey is the gold standard of presidential rankings and is most cited when this kind of thing needs bringing up in media.

WILLIAM MCKINLEY: 1897-1901  ~ 25th U.S. President

After the lethargy of the Harrison administration, and the growing problems of Grover Cleveland’s second term, it almost takes a reader’s breath away to hit upon a whirlwind such as Republican William McKinley. I find very little to like about the man, but you’ve got to admire the single-mindedness and determination he showed again and again as he, for all intents and purposes, got exactly what he wanted.

That admiration may come from a foolish and tiny connection: my soccer field was where McKinley was assassinated. In 1901, the Pan American Games were held at my school (this was a year or two before I attended) in Upstate New York. For a while, it was called McKinley field.

Read the rest…