William Jennings Bryan was an American politician.
United States presidential election, 1900 . The election was a re-match of the 1896 race between Republican candidate and incumbent President William McKinley and his Democratic challenger , William Jennings Bryan . 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 nominee 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 ) . In the intensely fought 1896 and 1900 elections , he was defeated by William McKinley but retained control of the Democratic Party .