william jennings bryan
secretary of state
biography
Although he was defeated three times for the presidency of the United States, William Jennings Bryan molded public opinion as few presidents have done. For many years he was the leader of the Democratic party, and it was his influence that won the Democratic presidential nomination for Woodrow Wilson in 1912.
Bryan was born in Salem, Ill., on March 19, 1860. He graduated from Illinois College in Jacksonville, Ill., in 1881 and received a law degree from the Union College of Law in Chicago in 1883. He practiced law in Jacksonville for the next four years. In 1887 he moved to Nebraska, and in 1890 he was the second Democrat elected to Congress from his state. He was reelected in 1892 but declined to run in 1894. While seeking nomination as U. S. senator, he stumped widely for free coinage of silver and for tariff reform and an income tax.
Six years later, in 1896 at the age of 36, Bryan achieved national fame he received his first nomination for the presidency. He won in the national Democratic convention by a vigorous appeal for free and unlimited coinage of silver. At the Chicago Democratic National Convention of 1896, Bryan boosted his chances for the presidential nomination with his now-famous "Cross of Gold" speech—in which he argued the case for free silver, exclaiming: "You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns. You shall not crucify mankind upon this cross of gold."
From 1896 to 1913, Bryan effectively led the opposition both to the Republican administrations and to the conservative Democrats. He was a volunteer colonel during the Spanish-American War in 1898, but he saw no action. Accepting anti-imperialism rather than free silver as the "paramount issue" in the campaign of 1900, he barnstormed again as the Democratic candidate and again lost to McKinley. Bryan's political fortunes reached a low point in 1904, when a conservative Democrat, Alton B. Parker, was nominated. But Bryan embarked on a "bold new program," recaptured party leadership, and was unopposed for a third nomination in 1908. He was defeated by William H. Taft, under whom some of his reforms became law.
Though Bryan lost the election then and again in 1900 and 1908, he was still regarded as the leader of the Democratic party. Through his paper, called The Commoner, and by lectures delivered from Chautauqua platforms he advanced the cause of prohibition, of religion, and of morality.
Bryan was named secretary of state by President Wilson. In this capacity he helped Wilson win adoption of "New Freedom" domestic reforms. A nationalist, Bryan expanded United States control over the Caribbean in order to protect the Panama Canal and to defend Latin America against European encroachment. He negotiated treaties with 30 countries, representing three fourths of the world's population, for investigation of disputes before resorting to war. Because of his opposition to war, he resigned from office in June 1915 in protest against the president's firmness concerning the sinking of the Lusitania.
After the war he moved to Florida and worked to advance moral and religious causes. He died in July 1925, in Dayton, Tenn., where he had been helping prosecute a case involving an "anti-evolution" law. Bryan led the "dry" forces in gaining passage of the 18th Amendment. He also helped the suffragettes to win adoption of the 19th Amendment. Though a proponent of world peace and disarmament, he opposed Wilson's League of Nations on the ground that it could not win Senate approval. He proposed that a popular referendum be held before going to war. Bryan blamed the war in part on the godlessness he associated with the theory of evolution.
In addition to his lecture fees, he had added to his income by building and selling houses, and he profited greatly from the real estate boom in Florida (he moved there in 1921). Bryan died a millionaire.
