William Jennings Bryan was born in Salem, Illinois
in 1860. He attended Illinois College in Jacksonville, and graduated
in 1883 from the Union College of Law, Northwestern University's
Law School. After moving to Nebraska, he was elected to the U.S.
Congress in 1892 and 1894. While running for election to the U.S.
Senate, he became widely identified with the "Free Silver" movement,
which sought to eliminate the gold standard for U.S. currency. Bryan
ran for the office of President of the United States in several
different races, but lost to William McKinley in 1896 and 1900,
and to William Howard Taft in 1908. Bryan was also known as a leader
of the "dry" movement, helping to pass the 18th Amendment on Prohibition.
He also supported the 19th Amendment for women's suffrage. Bryan
is perhaps best known for his role in the Scopes ("Monkey") Trial
in Dayton, Tennessee, where he prosecuted a science teacher for
instructing students in the Theory of Evolution. He lost the case
to Clarence Darrow and died five days later on July 26, 1925.
