BRYAN, William Jennings, American political leader: b. Salem, Ill., 19 March 1860. He was graduated at Illinois College, Jackson ville, in 1881, and at the Union College of Law, Chicago, in 1883. He practised law at Jackson ville from 1883 to 1887, when he removed to Lincoln, Neb. He was elected to Congress in 1890, and again in 1892. From 1894 to 1896 he was editor of the Omaha World-Herald. In 1896 he was nominated for President by the Democratic National Convention at Chicago, and also by the People's party and Free-Silver Republicans, on a platform demanding the free and unlimited coinage of silver by the Umted States at a ratio of 16 to 1, regardless of the action of other nations, a financial policy which he had for some time advocated with much earnestness and eloquence of both tongue and pen. He was defeated at the polls by McKinley. During the war with Spain, he was colonel of a Nebraska regiment of volunteers, but saw no field service. In 1900 he was a presidential candidate, of the Democrats, Populists and Free-Silver Republicans, upon an anti-imperial istic and anti-trust platform, with a reiterated demand for free-silver. He was again defeated by William McKinley. Soon after the election he established The Commoner, a political weekly. Made tour of the world in 1906 and contributed to newspapers. In 1908 he was again the Democratic candidate for President, and received 162 electoral votes, against 321 for William H. Taft, March 4, 1913, he was ap pointed Secretary of State by President Wilson ; occupied that position until his resignation 9 June 1915. While Secretary he was instrumental
in promoting closer relations with Latin America and he negotiated 30 treaties with as many governments, representing three-fourths of the population of world. These treaties embody a plan which he had been advocating for many years, whereby the parties agree: (1) That all disputes of every character and kind shall, when they defy diplomatic settlement, be submitted to an international tribunal for investigation and report; (2) the time allowed for the in vestigation shall not exceed one year; (3) the contracting parties agree that during the in vestigation there shall be no declaration of war or commencement of hostilities; (4) the contracting parties reserve the right to act independently at the conclusion of the in vestigation. It is expected that these in vestigations will reduce war to a remote possibility. After resignation he devoted himself largely to the cause of inter national peace. When the United States de clared war, he supported its policy. He wrote 'The First Battle: a Story of the Campaign of 1896' (1897), which contains some of his speeches and a biographical sketch by his wife; (Under Other Flags' (1904) ; 'The Old World and Its Ways' (1907). Also many articles in magazines and newspapers.