Buffalo’s ties to the nation’s presidents run deep. The city and its region have been home to presidents Millard Fillmore and Grover Cleveland, the scene of William McKinley’s final public appearances and assassination, and the place where Theodore Roosevelt was sworn in. Over more than a century, nearly every commander in chief has set foot in Buffalo at some point—on the campaign trail, during a term in office or afterward.
One of the most consequential visits came in early September 1901, when President William McKinley attended the Pan‑American Exposition and toured the fairgrounds and nearby Niagara Falls. He was shot on Sept. 6 and died eight days later. Vice President Theodore Roosevelt, vacationing in the Adirondacks, was summoned to Buffalo and was sworn in at the home of Ainsley Wilcox after McKinley’s death; photos from the period show Roosevelt walking Delaware Avenue with political figures such as Sen. Mark Hanna.
The city continued to draw presidential attention through the early 20th century. William Howard Taft made a short but notable stop in 1910 that included a speech to the Chamber of Commerce and a gathering at Wilcox’s home. Woodrow Wilson campaigned here in 1912, addressing tens of thousands at Braun’s Park, and Harry S. Truman visited Buffalo in both 1948 and 1952. Former President Herbert Hoover took part in the dedication of a Tonawanda school bearing his name in 1951, and Dwight D. Eisenhower was greeted on arrival by Mayor Joseph Mruk and Erie County party leaders.
The postwar and Cold War eras kept Buffalo on the national map. A young John F. Kennedy was the keynote speaker at an Erie County Democratic event in 1959, and Lyndon Johnson campaigned in Niagara Square in 1964. The 1970s and 1980s brought visits from Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter—whose 1978 stop at Prior Aviation drew Love Canal protesters—and Ronald Reagan, who sought labor support during his 1980 run and pledged to boost maritime interests at the Port of Buffalo.
In more recent decades the region continued to be a stop for national figures. Bill Clinton prepared for a 1996 debate at Chautauqua and returned in 1999 to speak to a large crowd at the arena. Former President George H.W. Bush headlined a speaker series at the University at Buffalo in 1999, and George W. Bush campaigned here that year as well. Barack Obama famously ducked into Duff’s for wings during a 2010 visit and later spoke at the university in 2013. Donald Trump appeared as a keynote at a 2014 Republican dinner and was introduced at other local campaign events, while President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden visited the Tops site on Jefferson Avenue to pay respects following the 2022 shooting. Locally, discussions about gubernatorial succession have also been part of the political conversation, noting that if Gov. Andrew Cuomo had been forced from office, Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul would have become New York’s first woman governor.
