"I BEG TO SAY THAT ALREADY I HAVE AS MUCH INSURANCE AS I CARE TO CARRY"

MCKINLEY, William. Typed letter signed. Columbus, Ohio, October 4, 1895. One sheet of letterhead, measuring 8 by 10-1/2 inches, typing on recto. $5000.

Typed letter signed by William McKinley while Governor of Ohio, declining an offered insurance policy.

The letter, dated 4 October, 1895 and typed on letterhead of the Governor's Office in Ohio, reads: "Messrs. Lynch & Robinson, Insurance Agents, etc., Canton Ohio. Gentlemen: I am in receipt of yours of the 30th ultimo inviting me to take out a policy in the Preferred Accident Insurance Company of New York. I beg to say that already I have as much insurance as I care to carry. Very truly yours, [signed] William McKinley." After serving in Congress for over a decade, McKinley was elected Governor of Ohio in 1891 and served from 1892 to 1896; sworn in as President on March 4, 1897, he was assassinated in 1901 less than a year into his second term by anarchist Leon Czolgosz in Buffalo.

Fold lines. Signature bold and clear.