Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos

William Jennings Bryan: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Born March 19, 1860 • Salem • Illinois
Died July 26, 1925 (aged 65) • Dayton • Tennessee
Political Affiliation Democratic Party
Role In “Cross of Gold” speech • Free Silver Movement • Populist Movement • Scopes Trial • United States presidential election of 1896 • United States presidential election of 1900 • United States presidential election of 1908

Photos and Videos

William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan: presidential campaign poster
William Jennings Bryan: 1908 presidential campaign
William Jennings Bryan, c. 1908
Attorney Clarence Darrow and politician William Jennings Bryan sit at a table in a crowded courtroom during the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial in Dayton, Tennessee.
William Jennings Bryan seated in profile at a desk, holding papers and resting his chin on his hand, with a lamp and additional papers on the desk.
Scopes Trial
Map of the United States showing the results of the 1896 presidential election, with states colored red for William McKinley (Republican) and blue for William Jennings Bryan (Democratic). Most western and southern states are blue for Bryan, while much of the Midwest and Northeast are red for McKinley. Electoral vote counts are labeled on each state, and two states, California and Kentucky, are noted for splitting their electoral votes. A faded American flag serves as the background.
Map of the United States showing the results of the 1900 presidential election by state. States won by McKinley (Republican) are colored red, while states won by Bryan (Democratic) are colored blue. Electoral vote counts are marked on each state, with McKinley receiving 292 electoral votes and Bryan 155. An American flag is faintly visible in the background.
Map of the 1908 United States presidential election results by state, with states colored red for Taft (Republican) and blue for Bryan (Democratic). The map shows Taft winning most northern and western states, while Bryan wins the South. Each state displays its electoral vote count, and a note indicates Maryland split its electoral votes. A legend at the bottom identifies the candidates and their total electoral votes.
Hear William Jennings Bryan deliver his “Cross of Gold” speech at the Democratic National Convention
A human hand and a gorilla's hand both reach for a gavel, against a blue-tinted background image of a courtroom.
See All Videos and Images →
William McKinley
William McKinley
president of United States
Abraham Lincoln portrait
Abraham Lincoln
president of United States
American orator and politician Daniel Webster
Daniel Webster
American orator, politician, and lawyer
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft
president of United States
Hillary Clinton smiling and speaking at a podium with microphones at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, with a blue background behind her.
Hillary Clinton
United States senator, first lady, and secretary of state
Jasmine Crockett
Jasmine Crockett
American politician and attorney
Robert F. Kennedy in 1964, standing at a podium and speaking into a microphone, wearing a suit and tie with a slight smile.
Robert F. Kennedy
American politician and lawyer
Geraldine Ferraro speaks at a podium with a blue and red front panel at the Democratic National Convention in San Francisco, 1984, with part of a U.S. flag visible in the background.
Geraldine Ferraro
American politician
default image
Edmund Muskie
American politician
Hale, John Parker
John Parker Hale
American politician
A. Mitchell Palmer
A. Mitchell Palmer
American lawyer and politician
John W. Davis
John W. Davis
American politician
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
American politician and environmental lawyer
Rudy Giuliani, 2022
Rudy Giuliani
American politician and lawyer
Ted Cruz
Ted Cruz
United States senator
Charles Evans Hughes
Charles Evans Hughes
American jurist and statesman
Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison
president of United States
Patrick Henry
Patrick Henry
American statesman
Oliver Ellsworth
Oliver Ellsworth
chief justice of United States
Cornyn, John
John Cornyn
United States senator

Related Quizzes

A 1912 poster shows Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and William Howard Taft, all working at desks, superimposed on a map of the United States. The three were candidates in the 1912 election.
U.S. Presidential Elections Quiz
Encyclopaedia Britannica thistle graphic to be used with a Mendel/Consumer quiz in place of a photograph.
43 Questions About Politics (Mostly in the United States) Compiled from Britannica’s Quizzes