Master Surname Index



William Jennings Bryan

Ancestry of
William Jennings Bryan

41st U.S. Secretary of State


Who was William Jennings Bryan?

William Jennings Bryan was an American politician and lawyer born in Salem, Illinois, in 1860. He served as the U.S. Secretary of State under President Woodrow Wilson from 1913 to 1915.

Bryan was a prominent figure in the Democratic Party and a passionate advocate for progressive causes, including the regulation of trusts, women's suffrage, and labor rights. He is perhaps best known for his fiery speeches on the issue of free silver, which helped secure him the Democratic nomination for president in 1896, 1900, and 1908, although he was ultimately unsuccessful in winning the presidency.

During his tenure as Secretary of State, Bryan worked to establish a number of important international agreements, including the Treaty of Paris, which ended the Spanish-American War, and the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty, which helped to establish the U.S.'s dominance in the Caribbean. However, his tenure was cut short when he resigned from the position in 1915, due to his opposition to Wilson's handling of World War I.

Bryan continued to be an influential figure in American politics throughout his life, although he was never able to achieve the level of success he had hoped for as a presidential candidate. He died in 1925, leaving behind a legacy as a committed progressive and a powerful orator.


Some of the most recently added connections of famous kin for William Jennings Bryan

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George W. Bush

43rd U.S. President

9th cousin 2 times removed
via Robert Bodfish

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Jonathan Bush

Co-founder and CEO of athenahealth

9th cousin 2 times removed
via Robert Bodfish

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Jeb Bush

43rd Governor of Florida

9th cousin 2 times removed
via Robert Bodfish

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James Sherman

27th U.S. Vice-President

7th cousin 2 times removed
via Robert Bodfish

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Linda Hamilton

TV and Movie Actress

9th cousin 3 times removed
via John Doane

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Linda Hamilton

TV and Movie Actress

9th cousin 3 times removed
via Edward Bangs

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Wild Bill Hickok

Gunfighter and Lawman

6th cousin 3 times removed
via Robert Bodfish

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Billy Bush

TV Personality and Host

9th cousin 2 times removed
via Robert Bodfish

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George H. W. Bush

41st U.S. President

9th cousin 1 time removed
via Robert Bodfish

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William Egan

1st Governor of Alaska

10th cousin
via William Brewster

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Taylor Lautner

TV and Movie Actor

10th cousin 3 times removed
via William Brewster

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Taylor Lautner

TV and Movie Actor

7th cousin 4 times removed
via Jonathan Crocker

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Levi Parsons Morton

22nd U.S. Vice-President

5th cousin 3 times removed
via John Howland Jr.

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Diane Brewster

TV and Movie Actress

10th cousin
via William Brewster

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Parker Stevenson

TV and Movie Actor

10th cousin
via William Brewster

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Lyman Spitzer

Astronomer and Theoretical Physicist

10th cousin 1 time removed
via William Brewster

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Parker Stevenson

TV and Movie Actor

9th cousin 2 times removed
via John Howland

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Chord Overstreet

Musician, TV and Movie Actor

9th cousin 4 times removed
via John Howland

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Ray Stanton Avery

Founder, Avery Dennison Corp.

10th cousin
via Robert Fuller

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Ray Stanton Avery

Founder, Avery Dennison Corp.

8th cousin 2 times removed
via William Brewster

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Nat Faxon

Actor, Comedian, Director and Screenwriter

9th cousin 4 times removed
via John Howland

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William Henry Moore

Co-Founder, U.S. Steel and Nabisco

8th cousin 1 time removed
via John Doane

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Ali Wentworth

TV Actress and Comedienne

9th cousin 3 times removed
via Edmund Freeman

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George Herbert

8th Earl of Carnarvon
Owner, Highclere Castle (aka Downton Abbey)

9th cousin 3 times removed
via John Doane

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Ann B. Davis

TV Actress

9th cousin
via John Howland

View entire list of famous kin for William Jennings Bryan

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