September 9, 2014

On September 9, 1901, the press continued to report on the status of President William McKinley after he was shot on September 6th at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. McKinley would not survive and died on September 14. The assassin, Leon Czolgosz, was executed the following October.

McKinley was one of the first presidents to appear on movie film. The Thomas Edison company traveled to Washington, D.C. in March of 1901 to film his swearing-in ceremony.

About six months later the Edison company filmed President McKinley giving a speech at the Pan-American Exposition the day before he was shot by Leon Czolgosz.

“William McKinley, President of the United States, was shot down at the hands of either an anarchist or a lunatic, a few minutes after 4 o’clock…The assassin was captured and is safely in custody, while the President has undergone an operation and is at the home of President Milburn of the Pan-American Exposition, whose guest he has been. Grave fears are entertained as to his recovery, the second bullet having entered the abdomen, completely penetrating the stomach. It has not been found and further search for it has been abandoned for the present. The first bullet struck the breast and did not penetrate.

When Mrs. McKinley was told of the tragedy she was at the home of Mr. Milburn and it was reported that she bore up well….”

— The Buffalo Courier

“For the third time a pistol-shot has added a sad chapter to American history and created consternation throughout the world. President McKinley was shot down by an assassin while he stood in the Temple of Music at the Buffalo Exposition on Friday afternoon, September 6, greeting his fellow citizens.

….Vice-President Roosevelt held himself in readiness to take the place of the Chief Executive; for it was realized that, even under conditions the most favorable, the President’s injuries would make it impossible for him to discharge the duties of his office for months to come, even in a formal way. The obligations imposed upon the Vice-President in a crisis like the one that now confronts the government are outlined in the Constitution….”

“The Shooting of President McKinley” Collier’s Weekly

“BUFFALO. Sept 14 — The President breathed his last at 2:15 o’clock this morning.

…At the actual moment of dying the President had long been, to all intents and purposes, beyond the world forever. For hours he had been unconscious. His living became purely automatic, the functions gradually growing weaker and weaker until at last they ceased altogether. The physicians had ceased plying him with drugs and restoratives. It was but useless work. From the moment that his final collapse developed in all its seriousness they knew in their hearts that he was beyond their aid.”

“The President Passes Away,” The Washington Times (An evening newspaper)

This film of McKinley’s funeral begins with footage of Theodore Roosevelt, the new president of the United States.

See Also:

Topics in Chronicling America – The McKinley Assassination

McKinley Assassination Ink: A Documentary History of William McKinley’s Assassination

Images of President William McKinley at the Pan-American Exposition

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