Kohlsaat was a friend , confidant and advisor of five U.S. presidents : William McKinley , Theodore Roosevelt , William Howard Taft , Woodrow Wilson , and Warren G. Harding . He helped draft the gold standard plank of the Republican Party 's 1896 national convention in St. Louis . McKinley 's campaign for president against William Jennings Bryan was ultimately won on the gold standard issue , with Kohlsaat one of his strongest allies . Kohlsaat visited McKinley at the White House in 1898 . According to one published account , McKinley confided to Kohlsaat that he was having difficulty sleeping over an upcoming decision to go to war with Spain over Cuba . Kohlsaat later related that McKinley broke down in his presence and cried like a " boy of thirteen "
1896 national convention
1896 Republican National Convention
H. H. Kohlsaat