Biography of William Jennings Bryan

A look at the man who was nominated for presidency three times and served as Secratary of State.

William Jennings Bryan was a prolific politician who was nominated for the presidency three times during his long career. He also served as Secretary of State under president Woodrow Wilson. He was famous and admired among his peers for his amazing capacity as an orator.

Childhood, Family and Education

William Jennings Bryan was born on March 19, 1860 in Salem Illinois. His father was a lawyer, politician and judge. His name was Silas Lillard Bryan. His mother was a dedicated and patient housewife by the name of Mariah Elizabeth Bryan. William had eight siblings. John, Virginia and Hiram (or Harry as William called him), all died in infancy. His younger brother Russell Jones died at the age of 17. Frances Mariah, Charles Wayland, Nancy Lillard and Mary Elizabeth all survived to adulthood.

Religion played a large role in Bryan’s upbringing. Silas was a Baptist and Mariah was a Methodist. Both were devout Christians. William attended Sunday School at both of his parents’ churches and prayed with his family every day. At the age of 14 he converted and became a Presbyterian. His religious beliefs were apparent in most of the speeches he gave as an adult. He was particularly fond of quoting the Proverbs.

William Jennings Bryan was home schooled until the age of 10. At this time he went to a local public school that he refers to as "The Old College." He attended one other public primary school before moving on to high school and later the Whipple Academy. Whipple Academy was a prepatory school that was affiliated with Illinois College. After graduating from the academy, William went on to attend Illinois College. He graduated as valedictorian of his class in 1881.

William married Mary Baird Bryan in 1884. They had three children together. Ruth Baird was born in 1885, William Jennings Jr. was born in 1889 and Grace Dexter was born in 1891. Mary and William had a happy marriage. They were of similar views and Mary, being a very capable woman, was able to assist Bryan with various duties during his career.

William the Lawyer

Shortly after graduating from college Bryan began his career as a lawyer. In 1882 he moved to Jacksonville (the same town in which his prep school and college were located) and joined a law firm there. In the beginning most of his work involved collecting debts for clients. This did not pay well at first, but Bryan persevered. Business picked up as his reputation as a polite and capable debt collector grew. His income at the firm increased steadily over the next few years. His first big case was against a policeman who had unlawfully collected a reward for the return of a missing horse. He won the case.

Mary and William moved to Lincoln, Nebraska in 1887. William started a new practice with a friend from school named Adolphus Talbot. They met with some success in this venture together, though Bryan was known to do some pro bono and low paying work for worthy causes. Bryan himself confessed that, monetarily, he was not a very successful lawyer. Despite his thoughts to the contrary, William Jennings Bryan is actually famous for his skills as a lawyer. This is largely due to his successful prosecution of the Scopes trial in 1925.

William the Politician

William Jennings Bryan was very passionate about his causes and he was a particularly active politician. He attended every Democratic National Convention from the age of 14 until the day he died, save three. William was elected to Congress in 1890 and again in 1892. He took leave from his practice at the time to go to Washington, but he later retired from the firm when he realized that his political career would last longer than he had anticipated.

In 1896 Bryan gave his now famous "Cross of Gold" speech at the Chicago Convention. The very next morning he was nominated for the presidency. He lost to Republican, William McKinley, but not before leaving a lasting impression on the people of the United States. It was a very close election with William carrying 22 states to McKinley’s 23.

During the Spanish-American War in 1898, William joined the Army, but he never saw combat. He left the Army at the end of the war (August of the same year). He believed his place was in the political arena.

He was again nominated for the presidency after the Kansas City Convention in 1900. He was not present at the convention, but his influence on the proceedings was obvious. He lost again to William McKinley. He later announced that he would not be a candidate for the 1904 election.

After the Denver Convention in 1908, William Jennings Bryan was nominated for the presidency a third time. This time he ran against William H. Taft, but he lost again. He never ran for the presidency again, but he remained an active political figure for the rest of his life.

In 1913, president Woodrow Wilson appointed William Jennings Bryan as his Secretary of State. During his time as Secretary of State, Bryan negotiated nearly 30 peace treaties and made several attempts to negotiate a treaty with Germany before the United States became involved in WWI. He resigned his post in 1915 because of a conflict of interest with the president about the war. He remained friends with the president, he simply was a man that refused to act against his principles.

Ten years later, on the afternoon of July 26, 1925 William Jennings Bryan died while taking a nap at his home. He was remembered by his family and friends as a caring and polite man, who never gambled or imbibed in liquor. He was remembered by his countrymen as a man with exceptional intellect and oratory skill, a man who fought for what he believed in. He was laid to rest at the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.

Source

Bryan, William Jennings&Bryan, Mary Baird, The Memoirs of William Jennings Bryan, 1925, pages 15, 19, 26, 42-44, 25, 62, 101-128, 487, The United Publishers of America