1-155-837 - Ann Ronan Picture Library/Heritage-Images

Ida Saxton McKinley, wife of President William McKinley, c1901. Ida Saxton (1847-1907) married William McKinley (1843-1901), 25th President of the USA, in 1871. The couple had two daughters, but one died in infancy and the second from typhoid fever in 1873. The shock of losing two children caused Mrs McKinley to have a mental breakdown and for the rest of her life she suffered from epilepsy and periods of depression. By the time her husband became President in 1896, Mrs McKinley was a semi-invalid and, in public, always appeared seated. She is seen here in the conservatory of the White House at Washington. From The Sphere. (London, 14 September 1901).