William Jennings Bryan American politician and statesman Date of Birth: 19.03.1860 Country: USA

Biography of William Jennings Bryan

William Jennings Bryan was an American politician and statesman. He was born in the town of Salem in southern Illinois to Silas Bryan, a lawyer and politician, and Mary Ann Bryan. In 1866, the family moved to a 520-acre farm north of Salem, where William Bryan spent his childhood. His parents were deeply religious, with his father belonging to the Baptist church and his mother to the Methodist church. Until the age of 10, William Bryan was homeschooled. In 1874, he was sent to Whipple Academy in Jacksonville for further education. After graduating from school, he attended the University of Illinois, where he studied classics and graduated as the top student in 1881. During his time at the university, he was a member of the literary society Sigma Pi. Following his college graduation, he went to Chicago to study law. In 1884, he married Mary Baird. From 1883 to 1887, Bryan practiced law in Jacksonville before moving to the newly established town of Lincoln, Nebraska. In 1890, Bryan was elected to the United States Congress as a member of the Democratic Party. In 1896, Bryan ran for the presidency of the United States. At the time, he was only 36 years old and was the youngest presidential candidate in history. During his campaign, Bryan advocated against the gold standard, supporting bimetallism and the widespread use of silver money, which gained him popularity among farmers and the middle class. In addition to the Democratic Party, he was supported by the Populist Party and the Silver Republican Party (a faction of the Republican Party that broke away in support of silver money). However, Bryan lost the election to Republican candidate William McKinley with a ratio of 176 to 271 electoral votes. Bryan supported the war against Spain but opposed the annexation of the Philippines after its conclusion. In 1900 and 1908, Bryan again ran unsuccessfully for the presidency of the United States. As a skilled orator, Bryan made extensive trips across America during the elections, speaking for several hours each day in front of the people for many weeks. Throughout his life, Bryan delivered thousands of speeches.