Statue #25: William McKinley
Rapid City, South Dakota
William McKinley (1897-1901) was an average President who had the misfortune of not only being assassinated, but of being overshadowed by his successor, the charismatic Teddy Roosevelt. His Rapid City statue, by Lee Leuning, shows him wearing a carnation in his jacket lapel -- that was his sartorial gimmick -- and talking on an old-fashioned candlestick telephone. McKinley was the first President to use the telephone in his campaign, an obscure fact now immortalized in bronze. As a photo op, an ear bud and a smartphone make for nice side-by-side telecom face-offs.
Though the 25th President's accomplishments are forgotten (or have fallen into disfavor) when benchmarked in the City of Presidents, we've gone out of our way to visit A Mountain of McKinley Sights elsewhere in the nation.
Amazing Arcana of the Presidents
McKinley died holding the hand of his wife, who visited his grave every day until her own death six years later.
[Discover more fascinating details in the Roadside Presidents iPhone app!]
City of Presidents
Since 2000, Rapid City has commissioned and installed bronze statues of every former U.S. President on its downtown street corners. Visitors are encouraged to take a walking tour of the City of Presidents and inspect the nation's metallic Commanders in Chief. Paper guides are available year-round at the city's main Visitor Center at 512 Main St.