BRYAN, WILLIAM JENNINGS Ameri can politician and orator, was born in Salem, Ill., on March 19, 186o. He graduated from Illinois college in 1881 and from the Union college of Law, Chicago, in 1883. He practised his pro fession at Jacksonville, Ill. from 1883 to 1887, when he removed to Lincoln, Neb. There he soon became conspicuous both as a lawyer and as a politician, attracting particular attention by his speeches during the presidential campaign of 1888 on behalf of the candidates of the Democratic Party. From 1891 to 1895 he represented the First Congressional district of Nebraska, nomi nally Republican, in the national House of Representatives. He soon attracted attention as a conscientious worker and became widely known for his ability in debate. His first great speech (March 16, 1892) was against the policy of protection, and on Aug. 16, 1893 he made a remarkable speech against the repeal of the silver purchase clause of the Sherman Act. Although the im mediate loser in this contest, he attained a national reputation as the leader of the "free-silver" movement. In 1894 he was a can didate for the U.S. Senate but was defeated in a campaign largely restricted to the silver question. From 1894-96 he edited the Omaha World Herald, in which he championed the cause of bimet allism.
Although defeated in all elections in which he subsequently ap peared as candidate, he was the recognized leader of his party for the next 3o years. His panacea for the industrial, and especially the agrarian evils of the day was "free-silver." In 1896 he was sent as delegate to the Democratic National convention at Chi cago, and there easily captured control of the convention, wrote the party platform, which contained a plank providing for bi metallism, and in defence of his proposition delivered a celebrated speech containing the passage, "You shall not press down upon the brow of labour this crown of thorns; you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold." As leader of the "silver" major ity he became the Democratic nominee for president. Subse quently, he received the nominations of the Populists and the National Silver Parties. In the ensuing presidential campaign he travelled over 18,000m., and made altogether 600 speeches in 27 different States—an unprecedented number. In the election, how ever, he was defeated by William McKinley, the Republican candidate, receiving 176 electoral votes to 271. During the Span ish-American War he was colonel in the 3rd Nebraska Volunteers, but saw no active service. Even though he lent his support to the ratification of the peace treaty, he opposed the permanent ac quisition of the Philippines and in was again nominated for the Presidency on a platform that declared against "imperialism" and for "free-silver." He was a second time defeated by McKin ley, receiving 155 electoral votes to 292. After the 190o election Bryan established and edited at Lincoln a weekly political jour nal The Commoner, which attained a wide circulation.
Although not an active candidate for the Democratic nomina tion in 1904, he was in attendance and assisted materially in fram ing the platform. The conservative element of the party had once more resumed control and nominated Judge Alton B. Parker of New York. In 1905-06 he made a trip around the world, and in London was cordially received as a great American orator. He was again nominated for the Presidency by the Democratic Party at its National convention at Denver in 1908. The free-silver theory was now dead, and while the chief issue was over the for mulation of a trust policy, the campaign was confused by per sonal issues, Roosevelt himself intervening in favour of Taft, the Republican nominee. Bryan was again defeated, receiving 162 electoral votes to 321 for Taft. In 1912, Bryan announced that he was not a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomina tion, but he attended the convention, dictated the platform, and inspired the general tone of proceedings at Baltimore, and it was largely owing to his influence that the nomination went to Wood row Wilson, instead of to Champ Clark. In recognition of this service Wilson appointed him secretary of State in 1913.
As secretary of State he devoted much attention to the nego tiation of peace treaties with foreign nations, whereby the signa tory powers were bound to submit all disputes to impartial in quiry and delay a full year for arbitration before going to war. These were agreed to in principle by 31 nations. The World War interrupted the movement. In 1913 he was sent to California, where he urged, unsuccessfully, that the State legislature and the governor should delay action on the proposed Webb anti-alien land ownership bill, so displeasing to the Japanese Government. In 1914 he supported the repeal of the Panama Canal tolls bill, which excluded American coastwise shipping from the payment of fees.
From the outbreak of the World War, Bryan was deeply in terested in attempts to restore peace. He opposed foreign war loans to belligerents, but as vigorously opposed an embargo on the shipment of arms as contrary to international law. After the sinking of the "Lusitania" (May 7, 1915) he signed the first strong note of protest to Germany. When the President wrote his second "Lusitania" note, Secretary Bryan resigned (June 8, 1915), saying in his letter of resignation, "You have prepared for trans mission to the German government a note in which I cannot join without violating what I deem to be an obligation to my country." He continued, after his resignation, to work in the interest of peace; opposed the Anglo-French war loan; attacked the Navy League and the National Security League ; and tried to resist the growing demands for preparedness in America. However, when war was actually declared he asked to be enrolled as a private, though then 57 years of age; he urged loyal support of the President's war measures, and in his own paper, The Commoner, strongly condemned obstruction of the selective draft.
In 1916 Bryan was defeated in Nebraska as candidate for delegate-at-large to the Democratic National convention, but went as a reporter and gave full support to the re-nomination of Wilson. He was sent as a delegate to the 192o convention at San Francisco, but when his motion for the introduction of a "dry" plank in the platform was defeated, he took no further interest in the proceedings. The same year he refused the presidential nomi nation of the Prohibition Party, although he had been a tireless worker for the cause for the past ten years. In 1921 he moved to Miami, Fla., and in 1924 attended the Democratic National convention in New York as a delegate from Florida, but he exer cised very little influence in the party councils. As a politician his work was completed. Bryan laboured earnestly for the most important "progressive" measures adopted by the United States in recent years, the popular election of senators, an income tax, the requirements of publication of 'ownership and circulation of newspapers, the creation of the department of labour, national prohibition and woman suffrage, and their adoption was due in part to his popular persistent appeal.
His last public appearance was in 1925 at the trial of J. T. Scopes, a school teacher of Dayton, Tenn., who was arrested on a charge of violating the State law prohibiting the teaching in public schools of any theories that deny the divine creation of man as taught in the Bible. Scopes was a biologist and had been teaching evolution. Bryan, a firm believer in the literal interpre tation of the Bible, went to Dayton to assist the prosecution. Widespread popular interest was manifested in the case, which in the hands of Bryan and Clarence Darrow, chief defence counsel, assumed the form of a contest between fundamentalism and mod ernism. The outcome was that on July 21, after a hearing ex tending over three weeks, Scopes was found guilty and fined $100, though Bryan was prevented, through the tactics of Dar row, from delivering the elaborate speech which he had prepared in refutation of Darwin's theories. On the conclusion of the trial he was taken ill, and died at Dayton, Tenn., on July 26, 1925. See Life and Speeches of William Jennings Bryan (Baltimore, iqoo) ; Wayne C. Williams, William Jennings Bryan (1923) ; W. J. and Mary Baird Bryan, Memoirs of William Jennings Bryan (1925) ; Charles E. Merriam, Four American Party Leaders (1926) ; J. C. Long, Bryan, The Great Commoner (1928) ; and Paxton Hibben, The Peerless Leader, William Jennings Bryan (i929).