William Jennings Bryan

William Jennings Bryan
41st United States Secretary of State
In office March 5, 1913 – June 9, 1915
President	Woodrow Wilson
Preceded by	Philander C. Knox
Succeeded by	Robert Lansing
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Nebraska's 1st district
In office March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1895
Preceded by	William James Connell
Succeeded by	Jesse Burr Strode
Personal details
Born	(1860-03-19)March 19, 1860 Salem, Illinois
Died	July 26, 1925(1925-07-26) (aged 65) Dayton, Tennessee
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Mary Baird Bryan
Children	Ruth Bryan Owen, William Jennings Bryan Jr., Grace Bryan
Alma mater	Illinois College, Union College of Law
Profession	Politician, Lawyer
Signature

William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860-July 26, 1925) was an American politician in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He was from the Midwest. He is known for supporting causes such as the silver standard or creationism. In the 1890s, he was a Congressman from Nebraska. He gained fame in 1896 for the "Cross of Gold Speech", a speech about the American economy he gave to the Democratic Party. He ran for President as a Democrat three times, in 1896, 1900, and 1908, but lost each time. During this time, he was the main leader of the Democratic Party. He was one of the first people who gave lots of speeches around the country while running for President, and continued to give speeches even when not running on what was called the "Chatauqua Circuit". He was United States Secretary of State from 1913 to 1915. In his last years, he was one of the lawyers in the Scopes Monkey Trial. He is portrayed in the movie Inherit the Wind by the character Matthew Harrison Brady.

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