Born and raised in Illinois , Bryan moved to Nebraska in the 1880s . He won election to the House of Representatives in the 1890 elections , serving two terms before making an unsuccessful run for the Senate in 1894 . At the 1896 Democratic National Convention , Bryan delivered his " Cross of Gold speech " which attacked the gold standard and the eastern moneyed interests and crusaded for inflationary policies built around the expanded coinage of silver coins . In a repudiation of incumbent President Grover Cleveland and his conservative Bourbon Democrats , the Democratic convention nominated Bryan for president , making Bryan the youngest major party presidential nominee in U.S. history . Subsequently , Bryan was also nominated for president by the left-wing Populist Party and many Populists would eventually follow Bryan into the Democratic Party . In the intensely fought 1896 presidential election , Republican nominee William McKinley emerged triumphant . Bryan gained fame as an orator , as he invented the national stumping tour when he reached an audience of 5 million people in 27 states in 1896
1896 Democratic National Convention
1896 Democratic National Convention
William Jennings Bryan