Short biography of william jennings bryan

American politician (1860–1925)

Not to be confused with William Jennings Bryan Dorn.

"William J. Bryan" redirects here. For the Senator from Florida, see William James Bryan.

William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator, and politician. He was a dominant force in the Democratic Party, running three times as the party's nominee for President of the United States in the 1896, 1900, and 1908 elections. He served in the House of Representatives from 1891 to 1895 and as the Secretary of State under Woodrow Wilson from 1913 to 1915. Because of his faith in the wisdom of the common people, Bryan was often called "the Great Commoner", and because of his rhetorical power and early fame as the youngest presidential candidate, "the Boy Orator".

Born and raised in Illinois, Bryan moved to Nebraska in the 1880s. He won election to the House of Representatives in the 1890 elections, served two terms, and made an unsuccessful run for the Senate in 1894. At the 1896 Democratic National Conventio

He was known as "The Great Commoner" and "The Silver-Tongued Orator" and he ran for president of the United States in a then-unprecedented three campaigns. He became famous at 1896 Chicago Democratic Party convention when he uttered words which lived on in history - "You shall not crucify the working man upon a cross of gold!"

William Jennings Bryan, Salem's Favorite Son, was born here on March 19, 1860. His boyhood home has been preserved and has been turned into a museum filled with memorabilia of Bryan, his politics and the turn-of-the-century era in which he lived. The home is located on South Broadway, next door to the building that once housed the Bryan Bennett Library which he helped found. The museum is open by appointment only. Please contact City Hall through this website, email, or call (618) 548-2222 Ext.10 to set up a tour.

Bryan spent the first years of his life living in Salem. He attended Salem public school and at the age of 14 became a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church which is now named First United Presbyterian Church. Inside the church, located at the corner of McMackin and Washington Streets near downtown Salem, is a pulpit with a carved scene of the burning bush as noted in the Bible's Book of Exodus. The pulpit was a gift to the church from Bryan during his later years.

Initially, Bryan's ambition was to become a minister; however, he eventually decided to follow in his father's footsteps and become a lawyer. He left Salem to study law at the age of 15 and never lived here permanently again. Nevertheless, the "great commoner" often visited his home town during his career as an attorney, newspaper editor and politician.

Bryan was known as a populist and as a champion of free coinage of silver during his political career. That career blossomed in 1896 with the delivery of the "Cross of Gold" speech which drew greater ovation than had been given any other speaker at that gathering. Even those

In 1912, Bryan helped Woodrow Wilson win the presidency and Wilson named Bryan Secretary of State. He served for two years, negotiating peace treaties with 29 nations. He also helped Wilson push through a series of domestic reforms known as the "New Freedom" measures. But when Wilson began to push the country towards involvement in the First World War, Bryan resigned.

He turned his attention to other issues, saying that the three great reforms of the 1920s would be peace, prohibition and women’s suffrage. His support was significant in passing the latter two causes. At the end of his life, he was more and more concerned with religious issues and he became even more famous for his prosecution of the Scopes monkey trial. He argued against the teaching of evolution. Five days after the trial ended, Bryan died in his sleep in Tennessee.

In many ways, Bryan was ahead of his times. Despite his fundamentalist religious views, he was a progressive politician. The ideas he promoted unsuccessfully in 1896, were adopted by Teddy Roosevelt’s platform in 1904. He supported the adoption of the Federal Reserve Act, the Federal Trade Commission, control of trusts and monopolistic companies, government control of currency and banking, voting reform and regulation of campaign contributions. Before Bryan, the Democratic Party was a conservative party of Civil War losers. After Bryan, the party was a progressive alliance of small businesses, farmers, blacks and blue-collar workers. It was this alliance that later elected Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson.

William Jennings Bryan is in the Nebraska Hall of Fame.

Learn more about him and the other members.