Hanna, Marcus (1837–1904)

MARCUS (MARK) HANNA was a major Republican boss and U.S. Senator closely associated with President William McKinley. Hanna helped McKinley win two presidential elections. In the Senate, Hanna served as a leader of the conservative faction of the Republican caucus. Although his support for business was sometimes more tempered than his present-day caricature suggests, Hanna also exemplified the connection between the Republican Party and large business interests. Born in Ohio, Hanna became a successful Gilded Age industrialist. He controlled a number of companies, and his holdings included shipping, banking, newspapers, iron, and coal. Not content with this success, Hanna moved into politics.

By the 1880s, Hanna became active in Ohio Republican politics, advancing John Sherman's successful Senate bid. He exerted great control over the party in Ohio by 1890. Hanna played a key role in William McKinley's gubernatorial campaigns in 1891 and 1893, providing financial support and building McKinley's political coalition.

By 1894, Hanna focused on securing the 1896 Republican nomination for McKinley, ultimately dedicating $100,000 of his own money to the effort. As Republican National Committee chairman, Hanna played a crucial role in building the political coalition to secure McKinley's nomination. McKinley's race against William Jennings Bryan is often considered the trigger of a political realignment in favor of Republicans, which lasted until 1932. The race also featured the first use of several modern party-based campaign techniques, including careful control of the issues to generate a national message. Hanna also executed a careful national campaign organization that dwarfed Bryan's campaign effort. The candidates' stark differences on monetary policy, tariffs, and wages mobilized interests on both sides. Hanna used this division to help McKinley raise what were then staggering contributions from business interests. Frustrated at McKinley's popularity, Bryan supporters attempted to draw public attention to Hanna's influence late in the campaign.

Marcus Hanna was an industrialist who became a politician, controlling William McKinley's presidential campaigns.

In 1897, Hanna filled John Sherman's Senate seat. Hanna quickly developed substantial influence in the Senate, supporting major business interests, advocating construction of the Panama Canal, and working to court Republican support from labor unions. At the same time, he remained a major force in Republican Party politics, as national party chairman. McKinley's 1901 assassination was a significant blow to Hanna. [Page 295]Upon hearing the news, Hanna allegedly said of Theodore Roosevelt, “Now that damn cowboy is president.” Hanna advised President Roosevelt on the handling of a major coal strike, but steadily lost influence as Roosevelt's administration became more progressive. Hanna remained the leader of the party's conservative faction until his death. Debate continues over whether Hanna would have set aside a unity pledge and challenged Roosevelt for the presidency later that year.