Clerk of the House Alexander McDowell signed this unusual pass that allowed the bearer entry to the House wing of the Capitol for William McKinley’s 1901 inauguration. With passes for access to the dome and the Capitol interior for the event, admission to the Capitol during inaugurations was more wide-ranging in 1901 than it is today. McKinley had served in the House for seven terms, including one Congress as Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means. Just months after this second inauguration, McKinley was assassinated in Buffalo, New York.
