William Jennings Bryan was Secretary of State during World War I.
William Jennings Bryan . 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 ) . Woodrow Wilson . Upon the outbreak of World War I in 1914 , Wilson maintained a policy of neutrality , while pursuing a more aggressive policy in dealing with Mexico 's civil war .