News Release

Hayes Presidential and First Ladies partner for program on connections between Presidents Hayes and McKinley

Left photo of Ida Mckinly sitting down and her husband William McKinley standing next to her. The right photo is of President Rutherford Hayes sitting down with his wife Lucy Hayes standing behind him

National First Ladies Library and Museum

News Release Date: July 12, 2024

Contact: Megan Parde

Canton, OH – 

Presidents Rutherford Hayes and William McKinley were two of the most consequential figures in late 19th century America.

Both Ohioans, they would each serve as Congressmen from the state and be elected governor of Ohio multiple times.

Though they were both Republicans and political allies, their bond was forged in the harrowing theatre of the Civil War, where they served together in the Ohio 23rd Volunteer Infantry. Hayes and his wife, Lucy, admired young McKinley’s bravery in battle, and the two men and their families would continue a warm correspondence as they shifted into their post-war political careers.

Though they would differ on some of the contentious issues of the day, such as the nation’s currency question, both Hayes and McKinley had a life-long respect for one another that extended beyond the pitfalls of Washington.

Join Dave Huthmacher, volunteer historic interpreter at theFirst Ladies National Historic Site, and Josh Dubbert, historian at theHayes Presidential Library & Museums, for a conversation about the relationship of two future presidents who forged a bond of brotherhood in war that would last a lifetime at 1 p.m. Friday, July 26, at the First Ladies National Historic Site in Canton, Ohio.

They will present “Rutherford Hayes and William McKinley: Brothers in Politics” in the site’s visitor center theater, located at 205 Market Ave. S. Canton, OH 44702.

Admission is free. The program will last about 90 minutes.

The Hayes Presidential Library & Museums is America’s first presidential library and the forerunner for the federal presidential library system. It is partially funded by the state of Ohio and affiliated with the Ohio History Connection. Hayes Presidential is located at Spiegel Grove in Fremont, Ohio. For information, call 419-332-2081, or visit rbhayes.org. Like Hayes Presidential on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram. 

First Ladies National Historic Site was established in 2000 to interpret the role of the First Lady through a collaboration with the non-profit partner, National First Ladies Library and Museum. For additional information on this unit of the National Park Service, visit us at www.nps.gov/fila,on Facebook or Instagram, e-mail us, or call 330-452-0876. You can also download the official National Park Service Mobile App. For information on the National First Ladies Library and Museum, please visit, www.firstladies.org