William Jennings Bryan (1860 - 1925)

Born 19 Mar 1860 in Salem, Marion, Illinois, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Mary Elizabeth (Baird) Bryan — married 1 Oct 1884 in Pike County, Illinois

Descendants

Died 26 Jul 1925 at age 65 in Dayton, Rhea, Tennessee, United States

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Preceded by 40th Secretary Philander C. Knox

William Jennings Bryan 41st United States Secretary of State

Succeeded by 42nd Secretary Robert Lansing

Biography

William Bryan was a Nebraskan.

William Bryan is Notable.

• US Congressman for Nebraska 1891-95.
• Editor of the Omaha World-Herald newspaper from 1894-96.
• Three-time Democratic nominee for US President (1896, 1900 & 1908)
• A noted orator, Bryan pioneered the political campaign tradition of traveling the country and making "stump speeches"
• US Secretary of State 1913-15.
• In an early 1921 sound recording, Bryan re-read a speech he had made in 1896 "Cross of Gold." Bryan opposed the gold standard for American currency.
• Advocate of women's suffrage, election of US senators by popular vote, creation of the US Dept of Labor, federal regulation of alcohol sales, and federal income tax.
• In his later years, during a time when genetics, eugenics, and selective breeding were becoming controversial, he was an active opponent of the teaching of evolution in public schools, where his speech to the Tennessee legislature helped convince them to pass a law banning such teaching in 1925. This led to the famous Scopes "Monkey" Trial, in which Bryan and Clarence Darrow faced off as opposing counsel. Bryan won the case, but it was overturned by the US Supreme Court (on a technicality.)
• Burial: Arlington National Cemetery, VA^[1]

Legacy

• Bryan County, Oklahoma was named in his honor.
• Lyman Frank Baum (1856-1919), a supporter of Republican William McKinley against Bryan in the 1896 election, is reported t have written the Cowardly Lion character in The Wizard of Oz as a satire of William Jennings Bryan. (Or, perhaps, politicians more generally.) "The Wizard of Oz" was published in 1900, the year Bryan was the Democratic Party's Presidential candidate for the second time, challenging incumbent McKinley.

Sources

1. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #141 william-jennings-bryan; Accessed: 10/14/2017.

• Wikipedia
• Wikidata: Item Q205282, en:Wikipedia

Further reading:

• H.L. Mencken's journalistic reports about the Scopes Trial.
• Encyclopaedia Britannica entry for Bryan, William Jennings.
• Nelson's Unabridged Encyclopedia entry for Bryan, William Jennings.
• Volume Library entry for Bryan, William Jennings.
• An archive of William Jennings Bryan's papers is housed at the Nebraska State Historical Society.
• https://nebnewspapers.unl.edu/publishing
• Marriage record at https://www.ilsos.gov/isavital/marriagesrch.jsp