Happy birthday Mr. McKinley: Community and national reps celebrate former president

CANTON ‒ William McKinley is still famous.

Nearly 123 years after the former president was assassinated, and now firmly in the digital age, he's remembered. Want proof? A stately black and white photo of McKinley is planted amongst dozens of modern-day celebrities who were also born on Jan. 29 on the website Famousbirthdays.com.

So, on Monday, if you're so inclined to say 'Happy Birthday' to Oprah, Tom Selleck, Sara Gilbert or even TikToker Lane Hancock, please don't forget the 25th president of the U.S.

Canton didn't; neither did the White House.

Annual wreath-laying honors his birthday

On Saturday at noon, eight wreaths were placed in front of a bust of the former president outside the William McKinley Presidential Library and Museum.

The wreath-laying was part of an annual ceremony held on or around McKinley's birthday. The museum has been commemorating birthdays of all dead presidents for decades.

"There are so few presidential communities in the country," explained Kim Kenney, the museum's executive director. "This is a big deal ... and we honor all the elements of his life."

McKinley was a Civil War Union private, Canton lawyer, congressman, governor and so on. Each wreath was a solemn nod to who McKinley was and what he accomplished before his death at age 58.

"It's really incredible for me to be here," Emilia Sykes, in her first term in Congress representing Ohio's 13th District, said afterward. "Of course, Ohio is the mother of presidents."

She laid the seventh wreath.

The eighth and final one was laid on behalf of President Joe Biden. It was placed by U.S. Army Reserve Maj. Gen. Matthew Baker and Sgt. Maj. James Flemister, both of the 88th Readiness Division.

Other wreath-layers were Canton Mayor William Sherer and state Rep. Scott Oelslager, R-North Canton, as well as representatives of Civil War re-enactors, the Ohio Army & Navy Union, the Union's Ladies Auxiliary, and the McKinley Masonic lodge.

Niles-born, but made famous in Canton

Bagpiper Brian McElhinney opened the ceremony with a rendition of "Amazing Grace," and after all the wreaths had been laid and honorary shots fired, the event ended with a bugled "Taps."

Although McKinley was born in Niles in 1843, he rose to fame while living in Canton. Widely known for his front porch campaign, McKinley was brought to Canton after his death in 1901.

The domed mausoleum on the grassy hill overlooking the museum and bust is the tomb for McKinley, his wife Ida and their children.

A plaque on the bust reads: "He was an obedient son. Patriotic and faithful as a soldier. Honest and upright as a citizen. Tender and devoted as a husband. And truthful, generous, unselfish, moral and clean in every relation of life."

Reach Tim at 330-580-8333 ortim.botos@cantonrep.com.On Twitter: @tbotosREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: William McKinley honored in Canton with wreath-laying for his birthday