William jennings bryan biographical information

Contents move to sidebar hide. Page Talk. Read Change Change source View history. Tools Tools. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikidata item. William Jennings Bryan. His father, Silas, was a dedicated Jacksonian Democrat and a successful lawyer who served in various local elected positions and passed on his politics to his son. He was admitted to the Illinois bar and began practicing law in Jacksonville, marrying Mary Elizabeth Baird in ; the couple went on to have three children.

In , Bryan moved to the fast-growing state of Nebraska, where he settled in Lincoln and established a thriving law practice. After running unsuccessfully for the Senate in , Bryan returned to Nebraska and became editor of the Omaha World-Herald. In , Bryan captivated the audience at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago with a passionate oration urging his countrymen to stand up for the common man against big business interests and support free silver.

He campaigned relentlessly, traveling around the country and giving hundreds of speeches to millions of people, while his Republican opponent, Ohio Governor William McKinley , stayed home and gave speeches from his porch.

William jennings bryan biographical information

Now among the most famous politicians in the country, Bryan would run twice more for president, losing again to McKinley in and to William Howard Taft in Declaring U. Bryan asserted that technological innovations such as submarines had altered the nature of international law and made it impossible to protect U. The German practice of unrestricted submarine warfare, which Wilson perceived as a violation of the rights of neutrals, resulted in the sinking of the British passenger liner Lusitania in May and the deaths of U.

Wilson responded by sending the German Government a strongly worded protest note affirming the right of neutrals to transit on the high seas. The introductory passage paints Bryan as a pivotal figure whose life exemplifies the opportunities available to individuals in American society, regardless of their origins, and highlights the broader political context in which he operated.

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