The POTUS Timeline
Election / Transition

William McKinley elected president, defeating William Jennings Bryan

On November 3, 1896, Republican William McKinley won the presidential election over Democrat William Jennings Bryan, securing a national victory that would replace incumbent Grover Cleveland the following March.

The result ended Cleveland’s second (nonconsecutive) term and marked a political shift toward pro–gold standard and pro-business policies that shaped federal economic policy into the 20th century.

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