William Jennings Bryan

1860 – 1925

William Jennings Bryan was an American populist politician who served three times as the Democratic Party's nominee for President of the United States, in 1896, 1900, and 1908, and as Secretary of State under Woodrow Wilson from 1913 to 1915. While progressive on bimetallism and opposition to imperialism in the Philippines, he served as the lead prosecutor in the 1925 Scopes "Monkey" Trial in Dayton, Tennessee, arguing for the conviction of high-school teacher John Scopes for teaching human evolution and helping cement state-level bans on evolution instruction across the American South for decades. He died of an apparent stroke in his sleep at Dayton five days after the trial concluded.

Last checked: May 10, 2026, 1:06 PM