William Jennings Bryan

William Jennings Bryan (1860 - 1925) was a lawyer and an American, populist and pacifist politician, member of the Democratic party and democratic candidate with the presidential election of 1896, 1900 and 1908. Secretary of State of 1913 with 1915, it was also a solved adversary of the Théorie of the evolution.

William Jennings Bryan was born the March 19th 1860 in Salem, Illinois. Lawyer with Lincoln (Nebraska), it is elected during two mandates with the Chambre of the representatives of the United States.

Populist and religious, this presbytérien has faith in the American values and wants to be the defender of ordinary American.

Candidate with the presidency

In 1896, 36 years old, he is the democratic candidate with the presidential election against the republican William McKinley. He receives the support of the populist party then. Bryan is then a political adversary of the last democratic president, the conservative Grover Cleveland.

It is Arthur Sewall which is then selected to be the democratic candidate with the vice-presidency.

William McKinley gained the election with 51,03% of the voices and 271 votes of Great Electors against 46,70% of the voices and 176 in Bryan.

In 1900, Bryan is again the democratic candidate with Adlai Stevenson like candidate with the vice-presidency. Bryan is again beaten by McKinley with 45,52% of the voices (and 155 Great Electors) against 51,64% with the outgoing president.

In 1908, Bryan is still the democratic candidate with the presidency. John Kern is the democratic candidate with the vice-presidency. Bryan obtains only 43,04% of the votes and 162 Great Electors against 51,57% with the republican William Howard Taft.

A major influence in the American political life

Although not having gained any election since 1892, Bryan kept a very important influence within the Democratic party. He was opposed in particular to the annexation Filipino .

In 1912, extremely of its political capital, it contributes to ensure the nomination of Woodrow Wilson the democratic candidature for the presidential election. In reward, once elected, Wilson makes his Secretary of State of it.

It will sign in other the Traité Bryan-Chamorro with the Nicaragua.

Pacifist and anti-impérialiste, Bryan resigned the June 9th 1915, convinced of the nearest entry of its country in the First World War.

It is established then in Florida where it evolves/moves within many fundamentalist Christian organizations.

In 1920, it is one of the burning critics of the theory of the evolution and one of the partisans of the Prohibition. It gave its support for an constitutional amendment aiming at prohibiting the teaching of the evolution in the schools. Certains States adopted such restrictions following campaigns carried out by Bryan.

Bryan died the July 26th 1925, in full combat against the theories of Darwin and of the evolution, shortly after to have lost the lawsuit, to have said Procès of the monkey, against John Thomas Scopes.

The " Bryan College" in Dayton, Tennessee, was baptized in its honor.

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