Clay Center was first settled in 1862. It was named from its position near the geographical center of Clay County. The first post office was established in Clay Center on July 3, 1862. Clay Center was located on the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads.
Becoming the President: In 1896, William McKinley was nominated to run for president for the Republican Party with Garret Hobart as his running mate. He was opposed by William Jennings Bryan who during his acceptance to the nomination gave his famous Cross of Gold speech where he spoke against the gold standard.
As a longtime champion of protective tariffs, the Republican McKinley ran on a platform of promoting American prosperity and won a landslide victory over Democrat William Jennings Bryan to become the 25th president of the United States.cKinleyâs Reelection in 1900 and Assassination. In 1900, McKinley again faced William Jennings Bryan, who ran on an anti-imperialism platform, and was reelected with a greater margin of victory than he obtained four years earlier.