Pressed Glass Plate with President McKinley Portrait

Q: I own a glass plate that belonged to my grandmother, who was born in 1885. It is decorated with an embossed figure of President William McKinley, showing his birth date on the left side above his elbow and his death date on the right side. At the top of the plate it says, “It is God’s way” and on the bottom “His will be done.” There is no name of a company to identify who made this.

A: William McKinley was elected president of the United States in 1899. He was shot by an anarchist, Leon Czolgosz, while he was visiting the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, N.Y., on Sept. 6, 1901. McKinley died the next week, on Sept. 14. His last words were: “It is God’s way. His will be done.” Your pressed glass plate was made in 1901, but its manufacturer is unknown. Value: $50.