Lot 175
Ida S. McKinley (1847-1907, Widow of William McKinley). Manuscript "Mrs. Ida S. McKinley" free frank on 1905 mourning cover & postmarked "Canton, Ohio" machine cancel, Extremely Fine and scarce.Estimate $750 - 1,000.
When the President was shot by an assassin in September 1901, after his second inauguration, he thought primarily of her. He murmured to his secretary: "My wife--be careful, Cortelyou, how you tell her--oh, be careful." After his death, she lived in Canton, cared for by her younger sister, visiting her husband's grave almost daily. She died in 1907, and lies entombed beside the President and near their two little daughters in Canton's McKinley Memorial Mausoleum.
Realized: $525