The popular president's much-anticipated visit to Buffalo began on Thursday, September 5. The largest crowd assembled at the Exposition gathered to listen to McKinley give what was destined to be his last speech. Ribbons, programs, glass tumblers, and other mementos bearing the popular President's image were popular souvenirs that day. In the afternoon, McKinley was taken to the New York State Building (now the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society), where a luncheon was given in his honor. Hosted by the New York State Commissioners, the guest list included numerous VIPs. That evening McKinley stayed to view the spectacular electric light display of the Exposition.
After a trip to Niagara Falls on the morning of September 6, President McKinley and his entourage returned to Buffalo for a public reception at the Temple of Music. Although recent political assassinations abroad and growing anarchist agitation at home worried the President's aides, McKinley insisted on attending the ten minute reception. Shortly after 4:00 p.m., a young man with a handkerchief over his right hand approached McKinley in the receiving line. When the President offered his left hand in greeting, Leon Czolgosz fired two shots from a gun concealed by the handkerchief. Before he was able to fire a third shot, bystanders knocked Czolgosz to the ground. The assailant was taken into custody and moved to police headquarters. President McKinley was taken by electric ambulance to the small hospital on the Exposition grounds. Established to treat minor ailments, the hospital was not equipped for major surgery. The doctors who had rushed to the hospital upon hearing the news felt it was too risky to move the President. It was agreed that the surgery should take place at the Exposition hospital.
A team of doctors led by Dr. Matthew D. Mann, a gynecologist, operated on the President. The operation went smoothly and McKinley remained in good condition. Nonetheless, the doctors were unable to locate and remove one of the two bullets. Believing it had ended up in fatty tissue and would not pose any further threat, the doctors closed the wound. The President was then moved to the home of John Milburn, president of the Exposition, to recuperate.
For several days following the surgery, McKinley's condition improved and it was believed that he would make a complete recovery. Vice President Theodore Roosevelt, who had rushed to Buffalo upon hearing of the shooting, left to join his family in the Adirondack Mountains. On Friday, September 13, 1901, McKinley took a turn for the worse and an urgent telegram was sent, requesting Roosevelt return to Buffalo immediately. Before Roosevelt could reach the city, President William McKinley died Saturday at 2:15 a.m. at the Milburn House. He left behind a nation in mourning.
Roosevelt arrived in Buffalo later that afternoon and paid his respects to President's McKinley's widow before proceeding to the home of his long-time friend, Ansley Wilcox (now the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site). There, in the presence of approximately fifty witnesses and before United States District Judge John R. Hazel, Theodore Roosevelt became the twenty-sixth president of the United States at approximately 3:30 p.m. on September 14, 1901.
In the aftermath of McKinley's assassination, the Pan-American Exposition, which had opened with such promise, had become the location of a national tragedy. While the Exposition would continue and formally close on November 1, a somber mood had replaced the celebrations. Rather than featuring the beauty of the Exposition, the most popular souvenirs were ones memorializing McKinley's life and his tragic end. What was supposed to Buffalo's grandest hour instead became one of its darkest.
One Hundred Years Later,
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