This month’s Booking It Through History: First Ladies post was a bit challenging as Ida McKinley hasn’t had many books written about her. Ida is often mistakenly described as a frail invalid who didn’t make an impact on the role of First Lady. During my research, however, I found a vibrant woman shaped by physical pain and emotional tragedy who withstood the worst to find a purpose in life.
Each month, I’ll detail the life of the first lady and their legacy. Then I’ll share what I learned while studying them, along with ways you can travel in their footsteps through historical sites and museums. I’ll also share books, podcasts, TV shows, and websites where you can learn even more about that first lady. Read all of the way through the blog post or click on the links below to go straight to those sections.
Life
Childhood
Ida Saxton was born on June 8, 1847 to James and Kate Saxton in Canton, Ohio. Her father was a successful banker and both her mother and grandmother were formidable women who shaped little Ida and her two younger siblings.
She wanted for nothing as her family was prosperous and prominent in the Canton community. She cherished her piano and rocking chair and excelled at school, particularly in math. Her father was against slavery and was a strong supporter of women’s education, and he made sure Ida attended the best boarding schools in New York, Cleveland, and Pennsylvania to further her studies. Popular and vivacious yet headstrong and stubborn, Ida loved to shop and dance. She was beautiful with blue eyes and masses of auburn hair.
When she returned to Canton, she was the belle of the city, standing out from the crowd. Her father wanted her to have an occupation so she wouldn’t be reliant on her husband. He gave her a job as a teller in his bank where she eventually would become a manager.
Before setttling down, she and her younger sister took a six-month tour of Europe where they visited museums and hiked the Alps. She loved taking long walks and visiting the theater, even going out with male friends she met in European cities. She also took over the financial record keeping for the trip and was scrupulous in her figures. She got her first glimpse of the hard lives of the poor in the European lace factories, and she also happened upon her first person with a disability who painted with his feet, causing her to gain empathy for people who faced these challenges.
Before her trip, she was linked with John Wright, a former Confederate major, who became her expected husband. While in Europe, however, she received the sad news that he had died of meningitis. Heartbroken, she returned to Canton and threw herself into her work at her father’s bank with a new outlook on life.
Marriage and Family
Ida met hardscrabble lawyer William McKinley at a Canton picnic before her European trip. He fell in love at first sight, but Ida was attached to Major Wright. William was a few years older than Ida and came from a poor family. While a teenage Ida was rolling bandages for Civil War soldiers, William served in an Ohio regiment, becoming a protege of Ohio general and future president, Rutherford B. Hayes.
They often crossed paths on their way to their different churches (she was Presbyterian, he was Methodist) after Ida returned from Europe, and she grew to enjoy spending time with the kind and thoughtful lawyer. He asked her to marry him in the fall of 1870 and her father heartily approved, saying William was the “only man to whom I’d entrust my daughter.” Ida often worried about his safety, scarred from her experience with Major Wright.
Ida and William married on January 25, 1871 at her Presbyterian church with both ministers presiding in the newly built sanctuary. She wore an ivory satin gown, and they held a reception in the ballroom at her childhood home which now belonged to her mother. Ida and William took a three-week train ride to New York City and Washington on their honeymoon, and Ida declared that he would return to Washington one day as president.
They lived in a house purchased by her father at Market and Elizabeth streets, but she spent most time at her childhood home, called the Saxton house. It was here that she gave birth to her first child on Christmas Day, 1871 – Katherine “Katie.” She loved motherhood and spent her days tending to Katie’s every need.
However, just a few months later, Ida’s mother learned she had terminal cancer. Ida, newly pregnant with her second child, found herself celebrating Christmas and Katie’s first birthday, knowing it was her mother’s last. On March 14, 1873, Ida’s beloved mother died, and just a few weeks later on April 1st, Ida gave birth to her second daughter, also named Ida. It was a difficult birth and the baby was sickly. Sadly, little Ida died four months later of cholera.
Ida never fully recovered from the difficult birth, her leg partially paralyzed from phlebitis. She likely also suffered from preeclampsia which led to an episodic seizure disorder that would plague her for the rest of her life. At some point, she also suffered a spinal injury that limited her mobility at times and may have resulted in neurological damage. She, Katie, and William moved back to the Saxton house with her father where Ida worried incessantly about Katie’s well-being. Even little Katie was aware of her mother’s concerns and stayed close to home to prevent worrying her.
Ida’s worst fears came true as little Katie died of scarlet fever on June 25, 1875, just three-and-a-half years old. Her death crushed Ida’s soul as in less than three years, she lost her grandmother, mother, and two children along with her health. She didn’t turn to God, believing these hardships to be his punishment, and only went to church a handful of times in the rest of her life. She investigated reincarnation and eventually Buddhism for comfort.
William tried to indulge Ida’s every whim, taking care of her medical needs and consulting with specialists who worsened her condition with too much rest and harmful medications. She tried many different treatments, but as patients with epilepsy were usually institutionalized, they kept her symptoms quiet. He would put a napkin on face when she had a seizure at home and constantly searched for answers to her many medical maladies.
Political Years
In 1876, William was elected to Congress, and Ida went to Washington with him. They lived at Ebbitt House where she spent her days crocheting or sewing. He had Congressional business but spent most of his free time with her. They dined at the White House with their friends, President and Mrs. Hayes, and Ida loved spending time with the Hayes children. On February 29, 1879, she was President Hayes’ escort at a diplomatic corps reception, and the Hayeses hosted a dinner party for her 32nd birthday.
She joined a Ladies Aid Society in Washington, watched debates at the Capitol, and supported a woman’s right to work and vote. While on the East Coast, she visited doctors in Philadelphia and New York, looking for a cure to her disorders and trying any treatment that promised help.
Even with her health issues, she was able to host a large gathering of Civil War veterans at her home in Canton. She and William went on a 10th anniversary trip to California, and she was well enough to hike the mountains. The picture below shows that Ida wasn’t an invalid but a vibrant woman who still loved to travel and have adventures.
In 1892, Willliam was elected as the governor of Ohio, and they moved to rented rooms in Columbus where she had fewer attacks. Ida socialized and loved her time there, spending her days knitting while William waved to her every morning on his way to the Capitol.
As William continued to gain prominence, Ida was by his side as he undertook a sixteen state speaking tour. They celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary in their first home where both the girls had been born, using it as a political tableau. The story of her as an invalid and him as her gallant rescuer began appearing in newspapers. It was a very Victorian view of their marriage, one that they didn’t dissuade as it made him seem chivalrous.
When William received the 1896 Republican nomination for president, Ida took part in his “front porch” campaign. The campaign even released a biography about how she had overcome personal troubles, the first one released about a potential first lady. Her spinal injuries were revealed to the public, but it was kept in the dark about her seizures by the campaign and the press.
White House Years
William won the presidency and the McKinleys made plans to move to Washington. Ida took part in the inauguration and attended the Inaugural ball wearing a blue-and-silver-threaded dress with feathers in her hair. As the night wore on, she stumbled or had a seizure and was taken back to the White House.
Ida may have seemed frail, but she entertained friends nightly and hosted events for women. At her receptions, she often stayed seated holding flowers. She got along well with the Second Lady who would step in to shake hands for Ida in receiving lines.
Ida was the first First Lady to provide musical entertainment after receptions and dinners, playing the piano for the guests. Her husband often planned the dinners, making sure to keep Ida close by which was against protocol. He continued to protect her from scrutiny even in the White House.
She invited former First Ladies Julia Grant and Lucretia Garfield to dinners as well as President Buchanan’s hostess/niece and John Tyler’s daughter (although she disliked former First Lady Frances Cleveland!). She served alcohol at dinners and broke with the traditional custom of going weekly to church. She attended the theater instead.
She loved flowers and spent much time in the White House greenhouses (see picture here). Since she couldn’t go into the community for charity work, she often sent lavish White House bouquets to organizations. She also loved to knit and ended up making over 4,500 pairs of slippers to be given as gifts or sold for charities.
Ida continued to be a strong proponent of women’s education and included racial equality in her beliefs, sponsoring several African-American children in school. The picture below shows Ida in the a carriage (near the front) during a Tuskegee event.
She publicly supported women’s suffrage, meeting with Susan B. Anthony and supporting a fundraising auction for the National Suffrage Society. She didn’t seem to care what the public thought of her, only what they thought of her husband. He valued Ida’s opinion and made sure she sat just outside of his office so she could provide him with her take on political affairs.
William was soon embroiled in the Spanish-American War in Cuba, but even in the midst of this crisis, he always made time for Ida. He was worried when her brother was murdered in 1898 by a scorned mistress and the scandal was hard on Ida who had a horrible seizure in 1899. A new doctor began to treat her with bromide which leaves patients dulled, aggressive, and with memory loss. It made her appear frail and necessitated the use of a wheelchair at times as she developed bromism. Her hair was kept short to prevent the taxing weight on her head.
It’s now known that bromide was not an appropriate treatment for Ida, but at the time, Wiliam would try anything and everything to make her healthy. He even suggested that she retire from being First Lady, but she wouldn’t hear of it.
Ida feared an assassination and didn’t want William to run for reelection. She was distraught when he told her he was running again in 1900. He won with a new vice president, Theodore Roosevelt, and she attended the inauguration on March 4, 1901 even in her poor health.
She recovered enough to go with him on a seven-week tour of the south and west where she became the first sitting First Lady to visit another country when she went to Juarez, Mexico (even before a president had done so!). The trip was too taxing on her body, however, and a simple finger cut became a whole body infection that almost became deadly in San Francisco. William ended the trip early, and they spent the summer in Canton to recuperate. She felt better than she had in a long time by September.
Ida felt up for going with William to the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York in early September. On September 6, 1901, Ida was resting at their guest room in the Milburn House when William was shot by an anarchist at the exposition. He was brought back to the home, and she was able to visit with him. He lingered for eight days before succumbing to his injuries.
Ida was not consulted about the lying in state in Washington and the funeral in Canton. Her final request to see him one last time was even thwarted when they sealed the casket. She retreated to her Canton home, stating, “He is gone, and life to me is dark now.”
Final Years
Ida was left alone with only her sister as her constant companion. She stayed sequestered in her Canton home, only venturing out to visit William’s grave daily. She kept a photo of little Katie nearby and placed her tiny rocking chair beside her own. As the years went by, she slowly became more social, especially when her grandnieces visited. She always doted on children, especially little girls, and she never had another seizure. In early May of 1907, she was stricken with bronchitis and then a stroke, dying on May 26 in her home where she had been born almost sixty years earlier. She died just before her husband’s memorial was finished and was laid to rest with him and their girls inside it.
Thank you to the National First Ladies Library and Museum for information used in this post.
Legacy
Ida leaves a legacy that is shrouded in mystery and sadness. She was a vibrant young woman stricken by affiliations that were not well understood or treated. The treatment was often the source of much of her pain, dulling her senses and keeping her from being herself. Plus her physical ailments were compounded by her emotional tragedies that depressed her mentally and affected her physically.
It’s a sad story but one that also shows the resiliency of a strong woman. Unlike Jane Pierce who also lost all of her children, Ida didn’t let her light be diminished by her physical and mental limitations. She seems to have still enjoyed life, especially with William, and demonstrated to American women that they, too, could continue on after tragedy.
Her biggest legacy has to be her home, the one passed down from her mother and grandmother. This home is now the First Ladies National Historic Site and National First Ladies Library and Museum. It seems fitting for the museum to be housed in a home owned outright by the First Lady and not the President!
My Time with Ida
I had a difficult time really getting to know Ida at first. With only one book about her, I don’t feel like I truly got to the heart of who she was. I’d like to learn more about the young Ida, the vivacious young woman who hiked mountains and went on dates with unknown European gentlemen. She sounds like fun!
I feel sorry for Ida and her physical afflictions. I have a family member who had a seizure disorder, and it was scary and challenging even with 21st century medicine. I can only imagine the worry and hardship this caused Ida and William. The thought that a seizure can strike at any moment is terrifying, especially if you’re trying to hide it from the world.
I found it interesting that Ida was so independent as a young woman, even excelling at a job in a man’s world, but became known for her dependence on her husband in her later years. It is almost as if she used this dependency as her way to keep William’s focus on her or that William used her illnesses to keep her close. I wonder how her life would have been different if her daughter had lived.
I do know I’d love to learn more about Ida and see her lovely home in Canton. I can’t wait to visit the National First Ladies Library and Museum!
Travels with Ida
Ohio
Ida is one of six first ladies to hail from Ohio. Her entire life was spent there, particularly in Canton where she was born and died in the exact same home.
Canton
First Ladies National Historic Site and National First Ladies Library and Museum
This site consists of Ida’s beloved Saxton-McKinley home and a visitor center/museum a block away. It is the number one place I want to visit! They have dresses and other memorabilia from the first ladies and also tell Ida’s story in her own home. The third floor of the house has been renovated to look like it would have during Ida and William’s time in the White House including their apartment/office in the former ballroom. I want to see her rocking chair and a pair of slippers she knitted! I hope to make it there in 2025.
McKinley Presidential Library and Museum
Visit President McKinley’s library and museum which also houses many of Ida’s belongings. It is a unique site in that it includes a history museum, interactive science center, planetarium, and research library. Watch the TV show below to see into its archives. The site also includes the memorial tomb.
Market and Elizabeth streets home
See the site where Ida and William first lived after they married and where they conducted their “front porch” campaign. The building is no longer there but there is a historical marker.
See Ida’s home church (formerly First Presbyterian) in which she married William (with a thousand guests in attendance!).
New York
Buffalo Presidential Center, Buffalo
Visit this museum dedicated to presidents linked to Buffalo, including the McKinleys who were in town for the Pan-American Exposition where William was shot. You can see a historical marker where the Milburn home stood in which President McKinley died.
To Learn More
Books to Read:
There is just one book written about Ida.
Links are Amazon affiliate links. Be sure to see my Bookshop.org list for all of the books related to my Booking It Through History: First Ladies project.
Nonfiction:
Ida McKinley: The Turn-of-the-Century First Lady Through War, Assassination, and Secret Disability by Carl Sferrazza Anthony
A detailed look at Ida’s life. This is the best way to get to know her outside of visiting her home. I was filled with sadness while reading.
TV Shows
C-SPAN First Ladies Image and Image – watch to see first video of a President and First Lady ever captured! Ida comes to life in this show.
Websites
National First Ladies Library and Museum
First Ladies National Historic Site
White House Historical Association
- The McKinley White House Christmas ornament has festive scenes from the annual Army and Navy reception in 1900. Ida even makes an appearance on the back!
Ida Saxton McKinley is often portrayed as a frail invalid, but she made her mark on the role of First Lady even with her challenges. I think Ida would be proud to know that all these amazing First Ladies are honored in her beloved home, the one passed down through the maternal generations of her family. It seems fitting!
