He was a pioneer of the iron industry in eastern Ohio as well as the father of President William McKinley.

[3] He was born to James S. McKinley and Mary Rose in Pine Township, Mercer County, Pennsylvania, on November 15, 1807.

[4] Working in the iron business, as had his father, he operated foundries in New Lisbon, Niles, Poland, and finally Canton.

His parents, James S. and Mary Rose McKinley, both died in South Bend, Indiana, on August 20, 1847.

[citation needed] McKinley Sr. was a Whig and later a Republican party member, and an "ardent advocate" for a protective tariff.