William J. Bryan

William Jennings Bryan was the 24th President of the United States of America, from 1909-1917. Interestingly, his two Presidential terms were spent as different parties; his first nomination in 1908 was as a Democrat, then in 1912 as a Laborite. He took over from the politically successful Adlai Stevenson, who was praised for his involvement in the 1905 Confederate-Mexican War.

Bryan's first time was spent basking in the glory of President Stevenson, monitoring the situation in the Confederate States and even being the first President of the United States to go to the South. He met with President Oscar Underwood, of whom Bryan viewed as a "man who could be reasoned with" for North-South relations. Bryan himself was horrified with the assassination of President Underwood, and openly endorsed John S. Mosby to take his place.

At home, however, President Bryan saw first hand the economic problems the Democrats left completely untouched. Entering into the 1912 election, he announced his intention to switch parties, and he ran for the Labor Party. The election was close, but President Bryan won.

His second term, now as a Laborite President, was focused on the topic of Europe, and specifically the start of the Great War. President Bryan opted for both the Union and the Confederacy to stay out of the war, and although he believed Mosby could be a respectable leader, still remained wary of a Confederate intervention in the war.

In 1916, President Bryan hoped for a potential victory for Eugene V. Debs, but this was not the case; in 1917, he was officially succeeded by Thomas R. Marshall, his once Vice President in his first term. Bryan still remains a vocal critic of the Democrat Party as it stands, and a beacon of hope for socialists everywhere.