He was the last Civil War veteran to serve as President of the United States.
William McKinley was the last Civil War veteran to serve as President of the United States. He had served with the 23rd Regiment, Ohio Volunteers, eventually rising to the rank of brevet major. He saw action at South Mountain, Antietam, Winchester and Cedar Creek. For a time he served on Rutherford B. Hayes? staff. McKinley, born in Niles, Ohio, January 29, 1843, was elected the 25th president in 1896. He died in Buffalo, New York, on September 14, 1901, after being shot by an anarchist assassin on September 6.
