William McKinley (1843–1901)

Family background and the specific, documented Scots-Irish ancestral connection to Dervock, County Antrim, are drawn from Wikipedia's published biographical record, which also notes McKinley's mother was of English descent. Civil War service, presidency and its specific economic and foreign policy achievements, and the 1901 assassination and death are drawn from Wikipedia's published research record.

A specific, named ancestral town stated with real documentation

This article names William McKinley's Scots-Irish ancestry with precision rather than a vague general claim: the documented family ancestor, David McKinley, originated in Dervock, County Antrim, in Ulster. This article states this specific, named town directly because it represents a documented connection with real traceable detail, and also names his mother's separate English ancestry, rather than collapsing his full family background into a single simplified heritage claim.

A substantial military record named before McKinley's political fame

This article states McKinley's Civil War service directly, rather than presenting his political career as his first notable achievement: his enlistment as a private at eighteen, his rise to brevet major, and his documented service under fire at Antietam. This article names this because it represents the real, formative foundation of McKinley's later public life.

A consequential turn toward overseas expansion named directly

This article states the specific, documented scale of American territorial expansion under McKinley rather than a vague claim about the Spanish-American War's outcome: the annexation of Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines. This article names this because it represents a real, consequential, and still-debated turning point in American foreign policy, not an incidental wartime footnote.

A documented assassination and its specific cause of death named directly

This article states the precise circumstances of McKinley's death rather than a vague reference to his assassination: he died from gangrene, a documented medical complication of his gunshot wounds, eight days after being shot by Leon Czolgosz. This article names this specific detail because it reflects the real documented record of his death.

• William McKinley's documented Scots-Irish ancestor, David McKinley, came specifically from Dervock, County Antrim, in Ulster.
• McKinley's mother, by contrast, was of documented English descent, giving him a genuinely mixed family background.
• McKinley enlisted as a private in the Civil War at age eighteen and rose to brevet major, serving under fire at the Battle of Antietam.
• As president, McKinley signed the Gold Standard Act of 1898, formally establishing gold as the US monetary standard.
• Under McKinley's leadership, the US annexed Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines following the Spanish-American War.
• McKinley's 1896 election victory realigned American politics, establishing Republican dominance for decades.
• McKinley died from gangrene, a complication of his gunshot wounds, eight days after being shot by an anarchist in 1901.

• Clarification: This article does not present William McKinley's ancestry as uniformly Scots-Irish; his documented family background is mixed, with his mother's side separately of English descent.
• Context note: This article names the Spanish-American War's territorial consequences (the annexation of Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines) as a significant and debated turn toward American overseas expansion, rather than an incidental wartime detail.