Third Time's The Charm, Part II

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Apr 28, 2005

William Jennings Bryan, called "The Great Commoner" because he was the champion of the average man, was the youngest man ever to be nominated for president by a major party. He was also the only man to be the runner-up in a presidential election three times. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives for four years, and later as Secretary of State for two years.

Bryan was elected to Congress from Nebraska in 1890. Although a Democrat, he was elected from a district that had been considered safely Republican. In 1892, he was re-elected but by a much smaller margin due to gerrymandering of his district by the Republican-controlled legislature. In 1894, he declined to run for re-election, running instead for the U.S. Senate. In spite of his usual active campaigning, he lost.

Bryan's oratory was impressive during his first campaign for Congress, and got better with each race. By the time of the 1896 Democratic Convention, his oratory and efforts on behalf of free coinage of silver had made him well known. Bryan had become one of the leaders of the movement supporting the free coinage of silver. Silver had been discontinued as a coined metal in 1873. With hard times after the Civil War, including panics and recessions, many farmers and debtors saw the return of silver coinage as a means of increasing the money supply and easing their troubles. One slogan was "16 to 1" referring to the ratio of silver to gold coinage that existed from 1837 until silver coinage was discontinued in 1873.

When the 1896 convention began, the pro-silver forces controlled it. Bryan was selected as one of the silver speakers, and made a memorable speech full of rousing phrases, which stirred the convention. His most famous phrase was his final remarks, "You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns; you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold."

The effect of his speech upon the convention delegates was incredible. The speech had been filled with memorable phrases that thrilled the pro-silver audience. But his final phrases left them overwhelmed. He was almost back in his seat on the convention floor before the silence was broken and the audience went wild with cheers and applause that lasted over half an hour. Bryan was nominated on the fifth ballot.

Bryan was only 36 years old at the time of his nomination, barely over the constitutional age requirement of 35. His youth and inexperience were major points in the Republican campaign against him. Bryan emphasized his youth and energy, traveling more than 18,000 miles and making more than 600 speeches, sometimes making ten or twenty speeches in a single day. His Republican opponent, William McKinley, ran a "front porch" campaign where the candidate remained at home and had groups of supporters come to him.