Editor’s note: This is part of a weekly series marking the 120th anniversary of Niles native William McKinley’s U.S. presidency.

Abner McKinley was born in 1847 in Niles, the youngest child in the family. He was younger than William McKinley by four years. Abner moved to Poland as a small child and graduated from high school there.

In 1869, Abner moved with his family to Canton, where he was reunited with William, who encouraged Abner to study law. Abner soon became a lawyer and William established the W & A McKinley Law Firm in Canton in 1872. William defended their clients in court and Abner was in charge of the office.

Abner was not happy practicing law. He was not a good lawyer and he had a terrible reputation. Abner, unlike his brother, was interested in accumulating a fortune.

He implored William to find him a position in the federal government in the booming state of California. Abner’s plan was to move there with his federal job and then find another well-paying position.

William found Abner two well-paying positions in California between 1877 and 1881. The press had found out about Abner’s position in the late 1870s and shouted “nepotism,” causing William to quickly withdraw Abner’s name from consideration. William found a job for Abner in 1881 in California and submitted his name to President James A. Garfield, but the opportunity for the job ended with Garfield’s assassination.

William’s rise to prominence in the Republican Party left him little time to practice law in Canton. Abner became more unhappy practicing law in a small town, as he bore more of the burden of the business because of the absence of his brother. Abner finally resigned in 1888 and moved to New York City to seek his fortune.

Abner prospered in New York City. He raised capital for new businesses and sold stocks and bonds. Abner was said to have a genial manner and he had a number of friends, just like his brother. Abner was the shrewder of the two brothers, and he took more chances and was said not to have the moral compass that his brother possessed.

Abner moved to Washington, D.C., at the start of William’s administration. He intended to use his position as the president’s brother to influence decisions at the White House and various governmental departments that were favorable to his clients.

Abner made a considerable amount of money during his brother’s first year in the White House and expected to make a considerable fortune influencing the government’s departments during the Spanish-American War in 1898.

The press was already reporting by October 1898 how Abner influenced decisions in the Navy Department during the war. The press reported Abner convinced the U.S. Navy to purchase a tramp steamer from one of his clients for $500,000 when the ship had an appraised value of $50,000. The press reported Abner’s client was slated to purchase the same ship at the conclusion of the war for $75,000. The press raised questions about what Abner’s commission would be.

Abner continued to embarrass the president throughout the rest of his administration. William never permitted Abner to have access to the funds of the United States, and he never offered Abner employment in his administration. The president kept his thoughts private about Abner throughout his lifetime.

Patrick Finan of Cortland is the retired former library director of the McKinley Memorial Library in Niles.