Editing William McKinley (section)

===Inauguration and appointments===
[[File:McKinley sworn in.jpeg|thumb|right|[[Chief Justice of the United States|Chief Justice]] [[Melville Fuller]] swears in William McKinley as president; outgoing President [[Grover Cleveland]] at right]]
McKinley was [[First inauguration of William McKinley|sworn in as president]] on March 4, 1897, as his wife and mother looked on. The new president gave a lengthy inaugural address; he urged tariff reform and stated that the currency issue would have to await tariff legislation. He warned against foreign interventions, "We want no wars of conquest. We must avoid the temptation of territorial aggression."{{sfn|Phillips|pp=207–08}}

McKinley's most controversial Cabinet appointment was that of John Sherman as Secretary of State. Sherman had an outstanding reputation, but old age was fast reducing his abilities. McKinley needed to have Hanna appointed to the Senate, so Senator Sherman was moved up.{{sfn|Gould|pp=17–18}} Sherman's mental faculties were decaying even in 1896; this was widely spoken of in political circles, but McKinley did not believe the rumors.{{sfn|Gould|pp=17–18}} Nevertheless, McKinley sent his cousin, William McKinley Osborne, to have dinner with the 73-year-old senator; he reported back that Sherman seemed as lucid as ever.{{sfnm|Morgan||1pp=194–95, 285|Leech||2pp=152–53}} McKinley wrote once the appointment was announced, "the stories regarding Senator Sherman's 'mental decay' are without foundation&nbsp;... When I saw him last I was convinced both of his perfect health, physically and mentally, and that the prospects of life were remarkably good."{{sfnm|Morgan||1pp=194–95, 285|Leech||2pp=152–53}}

Maine Representative [[Nelson Dingley Jr.]] was McKinley's choice for Secretary of the Treasury; he declined it, preferring to remain as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. Charles Dawes, who had been Hanna's lieutenant in Chicago during the campaign, was considered for the Treasury post but by some accounts Dawes considered himself too young. Dawes eventually became [[Comptroller of the Currency]]; he recorded in his published diary that he had strongly urged McKinley to appoint as secretary the successful candidate, [[Lyman J. Gage]], president of the [[First Chicago Bank|First National Bank of Chicago]] and a [[Gold Democrat]].{{sfnm|Gould||1p=15|Horner||2pp=236–38}} The [[United States Department of the Navy|Navy Department]] was offered to former Massachusetts Congressman [[John Davis Long]], an old friend from the House, on January 30, 1897.{{sfn|Gould|p=14}} Although McKinley was initially inclined to allow Long to choose his own assistant, there was considerable pressure on the President-elect to appoint [[Theodore Roosevelt]], head of the New York City Police Commission and a published naval historian. McKinley was reluctant, stating to one Roosevelt booster, "I want peace and I am told that your friend Theodore is always getting into rows with everybody." Nevertheless, he made the appointment.{{sfn|Morgan|pp=199–200}}

In addition to Sherman, McKinley made one other ill-advised Cabinet appointment,{{sfn|Phillips|p=127}}<!-- "McKinley had made a few unwise appointments in 1897, especially Russell Alger at the War Department and John Sherman at State" --> that of [[United States Secretary of War|Secretary of War]], which fell to [[Russell A. Alger]], former general and [[Michigan]] governor. Competent enough in peacetime, Alger proved inadequate once the conflict with Spain began. With the [[United States Department of War|War Department]] plagued by scandal, Alger resigned at McKinley's request in mid-1899.{{sfn|Gould|pp=16–17, 174–76}} Vice President Hobart, as was customary at the time, was not invited to Cabinet meetings. However, he proved a valuable adviser both for McKinley and for his Cabinet members. The wealthy Vice President leased a residence close to the White House; the two families visited each other without formality, and the Vice President's wife, [[Jennie Tuttle Hobart]], sometimes substituted as Executive Mansion hostess when Ida McKinley was unwell.{{sfn|Connolly|pp=29–31}} For most of McKinley's administration, [[George B. Cortelyou]] served as [[Secretary to the President of the United States|his personal secretary]]. Cortelyou, who served in three Cabinet positions under Theodore Roosevelt, became a combination [[White House Press Secretary|press secretary]] and [[White House Chief of Staff|chief of staff]] to McKinley.{{sfn|Horner|pp=139–40, 240–41}}