William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American orator and politician from Nebraska, and a dominant force in the populist wing of the
Democratic Party, standing three times as the Party's candidate for President of the United States (1896, 1900 and 1908). He served two terms as a member of the
United States House of Representatives from
Nebraska and was
United States Secretary of State under President
Woodrow Wilson (1913–1915). He resigned because of his pacifist position on World War I. Bryan was a devout
Presbyterian, a strong advocate of
popular democracy, and an enemy of the banks and the
gold standard. He demanded "
Free Silver" because he believed it undermined the evil "Money Power" and put more cash in the hands of the common people. He was a peace advocate, a supporter of
Prohibition, and an opponent of
Darwinism on religious and humanitarian grounds. With his deep, commanding voice and wide travels, he was perhaps the best-known orator and lecturer of the era. Because of his faith in the wisdom of the common people, he was called "The Great Commoner."