William Jennings Bryan outside Youngstown’s Tod Hotel in 1908

William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was a leading American politician from the 1890s until his death. He was a dominant force in the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, standing three times as its candidate for President of the United States (1896, 1900 and 1908). He served in Congress briefly as a Representative from Nebraska and was the 41st 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. With over 500 speeches in 1896, Bryan is said to have invented the national stumping tour, in an era when other presidential candidates stayed home.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt makes a wartime visit to Youngstown – West Federal Street

 

John F. Kennedy on Central Square, Downtown Youngstown in 1960.

 

From the Business & Media Archives:

Ronald Reagan

 

and George H. W. Bush