Editing John Hay (section)

====Death of McKinley====
{{main|Assassination of William McKinley}}
McKinley's vice president, [[Garret Hobart]], had died in November 1899. Under the laws then in force, this made Hay next in line to the presidency should anything happen to McKinley. There was a [[1900 United States presidential election|presidential election in 1900]], and McKinley was unanimously renominated at [[1900 Republican National Convention|the Republican National Convention]] that year. He allowed the convention to make its own choice of running mate, and it selected Roosevelt, by then governor of New York. Senator Hanna bitterly opposed that choice, but nevertheless raised millions for the McKinley/Roosevelt ticket, which was elected.{{sfn|Taliaferro|pp=374–79}}

Hay accompanied McKinley on his nationwide train tour in mid-1901, during which both men visited California and saw the Pacific Ocean for the only times in their lives.{{sfn|Taliaferro|pp=397–99}} The summer of 1901 was tragic for Hay; his older son Adelbert, who had been consul in [[Pretoria]] during the [[Boer War]] and was about to become McKinley's personal secretary, died in a fall from a hotel window.{{sfn|Thayer II|p=262}}{{sfn|Kushner & Sherrill|p=124}}

Secretary Hay was at The Fells when McKinley [[Assassination of William McKinley|was shot]] by [[Leon Czolgosz]], an anarchist, on September 6 in Buffalo. With Vice President Roosevelt and much of the cabinet hastening to the bedside of McKinley, who had been operated on (it was thought successfully) soon after the shooting, Hay planned to go to Washington to manage the communication with foreign governments, but presidential secretary [[George Cortelyou]] urged him to come to Buffalo.{{sfn|Taliaferro|pp=406–07}} He traveled to Buffalo on September 10; hearing on his arrival an account of the President's recovery, Hay responded that McKinley would die.{{sfn|Leech|p=599}} He was more cheerful after visiting McKinley, giving a statement to the press, and went to Washington, as Roosevelt and other officials also dispersed. Hay was about to return to New Hampshire on the 13th, when word came that McKinley was dying. Hay remained at his office and the next morning, on the way to Buffalo, the former Rough Rider received from Hay his first communication as head of state, officially informing President Roosevelt of McKinley's death.{{sfn|Taliaferro|p=407}}