Bryan, William Jennings

Bryan, William Jennings Introduction Bryan, William Jenningsbri ´?n [key], 1860â€"1925, American political leader, b. Salem, Ill. Although the nation consistently rejected him for the presidency, it eventually adopted many of the reforms he urgedâ€"the graduated federal income tax, popular election of senators, woman suffrage, public knowledge of newspaper ownership, prohibition, federally insured bank deposits, regulation of the stock market, pure food and drug laws, and several others. Charles Wayland Bryan William Jennings Bryan's brother, Charles Wayland Bryan, 1867â€"1945, b. Salem, Ill., was for many years W. J. Bryan's political secretary and business agent. He was publisher and associate editor of the Commoner, mayor of Lincoln, Nebr., and governor of Nebraska. Sections in this article: Introduction Later Years and the Scopes Trial Presidential Hopeful Secretary of State Bibliography The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. See more Encyclopedia articles on: U.S. History: Biographies