| Name: |
William Jennings Bryan |
| Birth Date: |
|
| Death Date: |
|
| Place of Birth: |
|
| Nationality: |
|
| Gender: |
|
| Occupations: |
|
One of the most influential figures of his time, William Jennings Bryan has been dubbed the "Boy Orator of the Platte," the "Great Commoner," and the standard bearer of "evangelical populism." While his most enduring literary legacy may prove to be the body of speeches he delivered across the nation in support of his reformist and fundamentalist political philosophy, Bryan was a prolific writer of full-length nonfiction texts and essays. Significantly, his career in letters spans a period that is celebrated for its contributions to the genres of autobiography and journalistic writing, his style bearing the influences of both muckraking and heroic traditions in literature. A true believer in the economic importance and moral virtue of the rural United States, Bryan ran for the U.S. presidency, without winning the office, in 1896, 1900, and 1908. Bryan's defense of creationism in the highly publicized trial of Tennessee schoolteacher John T. Scopes for teaching the theory of evolution in 1925 was a memorable closing chapter in a long career, illustrating the tension between traditional moral values and progressive political ideals that characterized much of Bryan's public life.
This is a free page. This page contains 151 words. This
biography contains 5,273 words (approx. 18 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Biography with our William Jennings Bryan Access Pass.
