William Jennings Bryan
“The Great Commoner”
Known for his dynamic presence, Bryan campaigned in Mountain Lake Park for president of the United States.
In the 1896 campaign year, the Democratic convention nominated 36-year-old Bryan for president, making Bryan the youngest major party presidential nominee in U.S. history.
Bryan gained fame as an orator, as he invented the national stumping tour when he reached an audience of 5 million people in 27 states during that campaign year. Although an unsuccessful bid for president, his party nominated him to run again in 1900 and in 1908. Bryan is one of the two individuals who never won a presidential election despite receiving electoral votes in three separate presidential elections held after the ratification of the Twelfth Amendment.
After the Democrats won the presidency in the 1912 election, Woodrow Wilson rewarded Bryan's support with the important cabinet position of Secretary of State. Bryan helped Wilson pass several progressive reforms through Congress. Following his time in office, Bryan devoted himself to Prohibition, religious matters, and anti-evolution activism. Bryan has elicited mixed reactions from various commentators but is acknowledged by historians as one of the most influential figures of the Progressive Era.
William Jennings Bryan [1860 - 1925]