[46] He remained a devoted husband and tended to his wife's medical and emotional needs for the rest of his life.[46]
Ida insisted that her husband continue his increasingly successful career in law and politics.[47] He attended the state Republican convention that nominated Hayes for a third term as governor in 1875, and campaigned again for his old friend in the election that fall.[47] The next year, McKinley undertook a high-profile case defending a group of striking coal miners, who were arrested for rioting after a clash with strikebreakers.[48] Lynch, McKinley's opponent in the 1871 election, and his partner, William R. Day, were the opposing counsel, and the mine owners included Mark Hanna, a Cleveland businessman.[48] Taking the case pro bono, McKinley
was successful in getting all but one of the miners acquitted.[48] The case raised McKinley's standing among laborers, a crucial part of the Stark County electorate, and also introduced him to Hanna, who would become his strongest backer in years to come.[48]
McKinley's good standing with labor became useful that year as he campaigned for the Republican nomination for Ohio's 17th congressional district.