William McKinley Assassination

Published June 22, 2026Updated June 20, 2026

Overview

Case Overview

President William McKinley was shot by Leon Czolgosz during a public receiving line inside the Temple of Music at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, on September 6, 1901. Surgeons operated immediately, but one bullet remained unrecovered and McKinley died of infection and gangrenous complications at the Milburn House on September 14. Theodore Roosevelt was sworn in that same afternoon in Buffalo, Czolgosz was swiftly tried and executed, and the assassination accelerated the emergence of full-time Secret Service protection for the president.

Featured Book

The President and the Assassin: McKinley, Terror, and Empire at the Dawn of the American Century

by Scott Miller

Best single-volume narrative on the assassination itself and the broader political climate that shaped it, including anarchism, empire, and Roosevelt’s sudden succession.

Strongest fit for this case because it keeps McKinley’s shooting at the center while still giving the larger national context.

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Case At A Glance

William McKinley Assassination

Key context, structure, and current status

Status

Solved

Primary location

Temple of Music, Pan-American Exposition

Timeline coverage

12 events

Latest development

Sep 30, 1907: The McKinley National Memorial is dedicated

Key Facts

Status: Solved

Also known as: Assassination of William McKinley, McKinley assassination, Pan-American Exposition shooting, Temple of Music shooting, Czolgosz–McKinley shooting

Coverage: 12 timeline events, 9 persons, and 8 locations

Sources collected: 215 sources