(1837-1904)

George Da Maduro Peixotto (American, 1862-19370

Loan Courtesy of the Western Reserve Historical Society

Clevelander and Union Club president Marcus Hanna was a legendary businessman, US senator from Ohio, and political kingmaker who successfully managed the presidential elections of William McKinley and transformed American politics in the process. He was one of six union club members who were US senators.

After accumulating a fortune in coal, iron ore and streetcar companies Hannah turned his considerable talents and energies to the political arena. As chairman of the Republican National Committee in 1896, Marcus Hanna conceptualized and organized the presidential campaign that William McKinley, who was at that time Ohio's governor. At the 1986 Republican convention, a time of severe economic depression, Hanna ensured the nomination of McKinley as “ the advance agent of prosperity”. The Democrats, advocating the “free and unlimited coinage of both silver and gold”  that would have devalued currency nominated William Jennings Bryan. Hannah used large contributions from eastern Republicans frightened by Brian's views on silver, and offered McKinley unconventional political advice to stay home in Canton, and encourage the delegates to come to you. McKinley won the presidency against the legendary orator by the largest majority of popular votes since 1872. In orchestrating his friend McKinley's election, Hannah introduced a new approach to politics, incorporating marketing techniques to increase McKinley’s name recognition while carefully controlling the candidates message through prepared statements and press releases. Considered the Karl Rove of his day, Hannah's insistence that McKinley remained at home in Canton during the entire 1896 presidential campaign, enabled him to avoid the exhausting and costly tradition of ceaseless travel and political stumping. Mckinley's front porch campaign in which he met daily with delegations and newspaper reporters at his home captured the imagination of the American public and changed politics forever

Hanna became a United States senator the same year McKinley moved into the White House, despite plots by his enemies that turned the election into what Nathaniel R Howard described as “the most scandalous battle in the legislature's history; and his fame reflected mightily on his Cleveland club. New members toward the 500 limit were suddenly crowding the admissions committee lured by the exciting prospect of becoming a fraternal brother of Senator Marcus a Hanna, the real power in the McKinley administration... in fact this famous member doubtless accelerated the consciousness of members that their clubhouse was getting pretty small and crowded for real comfort”.

Once he had secured his Senate seat, Hannah quickly became one of the country's best known, best liked, and best informed state Senate members. His popularity remained undiminished even following the death of McKinley, winning reelection to the Senate in 1903 and presiding over the Senate republican caucus

 Early in 1904 Hannah fell ill in Columbus from typhoid fever, which was traced to drinking water the very epidemic that his fellow club member William Bingham had worked so diligently to eradicate in Cleveland. He was returned to Washington and died there in his home on Lafayette square on February 16th, 1904. News of his death stunned the country and the sense of disbelief reverberated intensely at the union club. It produced the only memorial meeting of the club in its history. On February 20th, more than 300 people crowded the dining hall to eulogize one of their most dynamic members, and everyone who wanted to speak was given the opportunity. In this portrait by Cleveland board portraitist George Peixotto, Hannah is portrayed as the larger and life man that he was, a mountain of a man with alert eyes and an attentive, open expression give the impression of an individual of inexhaustible energy and vitality.

ABOUT THE ARTIST:  From a distinguished Sephardic Jewish family, Peixotto received his art education in Dresden during his father's service in Romania as the first US council to Bucharest. He became a notable portrait painter, executing portraits from life of Cardinal Manning, President McKinley, Chief Justice Waite, and John Hay among others. He exhibited at the Paris salon of 1893, and his portrait of Sir Moses Montefiore at the latter’s centenary in 1884 hung in the Corcoran gallery. He produced murals for the new Amsterdam Theatre and the Criterion Club in New York City