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The Ohio Statehouse

Ohio Statehouse Remembers McKinley With Carnation Day

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – The Ohio Statehouse is honoring the memory of President William McKinley with the celebration of an event known as Red Carnation Day.

An exhibit on the life and legacy of McKinley, who was also an Ohio governor, is scheduled for Monday in the Statehouse Rotunda in downtown Columbus.

The Carnation League of America was founded by Dayton native Lewis Reynolds in 1903. It encouraged Americans to wear a red carnation on McKinley’s birthday on Jan. 29.

The carnation was said to be the favorite flower of McKinley, who was shot at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo on Sept. 5, 1901 and died nine days later.

The Statehouse commemoration includes discounts at the museum shop for individuals wearing red carnations or dressed in scarlet.