Editing Mark Hanna (section)

=== Roosevelt years and death (1901–04) ===
[[File:President Theodore Roosevelt, 1904.jpg|thumb|upright=0.95|Theodore Roosevelt, President of the United States (1901–1909)]]
McKinley's death left Hanna devastated both personally and politically.  Although the two had not been allies, the new president, Roosevelt, reached out to Hanna, hoping to secure his influence in the Senate.  Hanna indicated that he was willing to come to terms with Roosevelt on two conditions:  that Roosevelt carry out McKinley's political agenda, and that the President cease from his habit of calling Hanna "old man", something which greatly annoyed the senator. Hanna warned Roosevelt, "If you don't, I'll call you Teddy."{{sfn|Brands|p=492}}  Roosevelt, who despised his nickname, agreed to both terms, though he imperfectly carried out the second condition.{{sfn|Brands|p=492}}

==== Panama Canal involvement ====
{{main|History of the Panama Canal}}

Hanna was a supporter of building a canal across [[Central America]] to allow ships to pass between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans without making the lengthy journey around [[Cape Horn]].  The senator believed a route across the [[Colombia]]n province of [[Panama]] to be superior to its [[Nicaragua]]n rival.  How he came to support this route is uncertain, though attorney and lobbyist [[William Nelson Cromwell]] later claimed to have personally converted Hanna to the Panama cause in 1901.{{sfn|McCullough|p=276}}  This was disputed by the French canal promoter, [[Philippe Bunau-Varilla]], who stated that at the end of his meeting with Hanna at the Arlington Hotel, the senator exclaimed, "Monsieur Bunau-Varilla, you have convinced me."{{sfn|McCullough|p=286}}

The [[History of the Nicaragua Canal|Nicaragua route]] had many supporters and a bill sponsored by Iowa Congressman [[William Peters Hepburn]], which would authorize the construction of a canal on the Nicaragua route, had passed the House of Representatives.  In June 1902, it was considered by the Senate, and on June 5 and 6, Hanna made a speech against the Hepburn Bill.  In his speech, he referred to enormous maps, which were displayed in the Senate Chamber as he spoke.  This was a novel technique, especially as he referred to the possibility of active volcanoes on the Nicaragua route in his speech, and the maps showed  active volcanoes marked with red dots and extinct ones with black.  There was an almost continuous band of black dots through Nicaragua, with eight red ones; no dots were placed on the map of Panama.  Hanna pointed out many advantages of the Panama route:  it was shorter than the Nicaraguan route, would require much less digging, and had existing harbors at either end.  Hanna was in poor health as he gave the speech; [[Alabama]] Senator [[John Tyler Morgan]], the Senate sponsor of the Hepburn Bill, tried to ask Hanna a question, only to be met with, "I do not want to be interrupted, for I am very tired."{{sfn|McCullough|pp=319–324}}  At the end, Hanna warned that if the US built the Nicaragua canal, another power would finish the Panama route.  One senator stated that he had been converted to the "Hannama Canal".  The bill was amended to support a Panama route, according to some accounts in part because Cromwell remembered that Nicaragua depicted volcanoes on its [[postage stamp]]s, and combed the stock of Washington stamp dealers until he found enough to send to the entire Senate.  The House afterwards agreed to the Senate amendment, and the bill authorizing a Panama canal passed.{{sfn|McCullough|pp=319–324}}

The US entered into negotiations with Colombia for rights to build a canal; a treaty was signed but was rejected by the [[Senate of Colombia|Colombian Senate]].  In November 1903, Panama, with the support of the United States, [[Separation of Panama from Colombia|broke away from Colombia]], and Bunau-Varilla, the representative of the new government in Washington, signed [[Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty|a treaty]] granting the US [[Panama Canal Zone|a zone]] in which to build a canal.{{sfn|Estill}}  The United States Senate was called upon to ratify the treaty in February 1904; the debate began as Hanna lay dying.  The treaty was ratified on February 23, 1904, eight days after Hanna's death.{{sfn|McCullough|pp=397–398}}

==== Re-election, rumors of a presidential run, and death ====
[[File:Satterfield cartoon about Mark Hanna hiding from a presidential candidacy.jpg|thumb|left|220px|January 1904 political cartoon depicting Hanna hiding from presidential candidacy]]
At the 1903 Ohio Republican convention, Foraker filed a resolution to endorse Roosevelt for re-election.  This would normally have been introduced at the 1904 convention, but Foraker hoped to use the resolution to take control of the Ohio party from Hanna.  The resolution placed Hanna in a difficult position:  if he supported it, he proclaimed he would not run for president; if he opposed it, he risked Roosevelt's wrath.  Hanna wired Roosevelt, who was on a western trip, that he intended to oppose it and would explain all when both men were in Washington.  Roosevelt responded that while he had not requested support from anyone, those friendly to  his administration would naturally vote for such a statement.  Hanna resignedly supported the resolution.{{sfn|Morris|pp=232–233}}

The 1903 convention also endorsed Hanna for re-election to the Senate, and nominated Hanna's friend [[Myron Herrick]] for governor.  The Foraker faction was allowed the nomination for lieutenant governor, given to [[Warren G. Harding]], who later became president.  Hanna campaigned for several weeks for the Republicans in Ohio, and was rewarded with an overwhelming Republican victory.  With no drama, Hanna was re-elected in January 1904 for the term 1905–1911 by a legislative vote of 115–25, a much larger margin than Foraker had received in 1902.{{sfn|Croly|p=433}}
[[File:Mark Hanna cph.3a02233.jpg|thumb|upright=0.95|A photo of Senator Hanna taken roughly a year before his death.]]
Despite the differences between the two men, Roosevelt in November 1903 asked Hanna to run his re-election campaign.  Hanna saw this as an unsubtle attempt by the President to ensure that Hanna would not oppose him, and was slow to respond to his request.  In the interim, he allowed talk of a Hanna for president campaign to continue, although he did not plan to run.{{sfn|Morris|p=299}}  Financier [[J. P. Morgan]], who disliked Roosevelt's policies, offered to finance the Hanna presidential campaign when he hosted the Hannas at [[Thanksgiving]], though the senator remained silent at the offer.{{sfn|Morris|pp=299–300}}  In December, Hanna and Roosevelt had a lengthy meeting and resolved many of their differences.  Roosevelt agreed that Hanna would not have to serve another term as chairman of the Republican National Committee.  This in theory freed Hanna to run for president, but Roosevelt could see that Hanna was an exhausted man and would not run.{{sfn|Morris|p=300}}

On January 30, 1904, Hanna attended the [[Gridiron Club]] dinner at the Arlington Hotel.  He neither ate nor drank, and when asked how his health was, responded "Not good."{{sfn|Morris|p=309}}  He never again left his Washington residence,{{sfn|Morris|p=309}} having fallen ill with [[typhoid fever]].{{sfn|Croly|p=454}}  As the days passed, politicians began to wait in the Arlington lobby, close to Hanna's house, for news; a letter from the President, "May you soon be with us, old fellow, as strong in body and as vigorous in your leadership as ever" was never read by the recipient.{{sfn|Morris|p=311}}  Hanna drifted in and out of consciousness for several days; on the morning of February 15, his heart began to fail.  Roosevelt visited at 3&nbsp;pm, unseen by the dying man.  At 6:30&nbsp;pm, Senator Hanna died, and the crowd of congressional colleagues, government officials, and diplomats who had gathered in the lobby of the Arlington left the hotel, many sobbing.  Roosevelt biographer [[Edmund Morris (writer)|Edmund Morris]] noted Hanna's achievement in industry and in politics, "He had not done badly in either field; he had made seven million dollars, and a President of the United States."{{sfn|Morris|p=311}}