Claim: William Jennings Bryan was Secretary of State during World War I.

William Jennings Bryan -LRB- March 19 , 1860 -- July 26 , 1925 -RRB- 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 -LRB- 1896 , 1900 , and 1908 -RRB- . 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 -LRB- 1913 -- 1915 -RRB- . He resigned because of his pacifist position on World War I. Bryan was a devout Presbyterian , a strong advocate of popular democracy , and an enemy of the banks and the gold standard . He demanded `` Free Silver '' because he believed it undermined the evil `` Money Power '' and put more cash in the hands of the common people . He was a peace advocate , a supporter of Prohibition , and an opponent of Darwinism on religious and humanitarian grounds . With his deep , commanding voice and wide travels , he was perhaps the best-known orator and lecturer of the era . Because of his faith in the wisdom of the common people , he was called `` The Great Commoner '' .   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 invented the national stumping tour in an era when other presidential candidates stayed home . In his three presidential bids , he promoted Free Silver in 1896 , anti-imperialism in 1900 , and trust-busting in 1908 , calling on Democrats to fight the trusts -LRB- big corporations -RRB- and big banks , and embrace anti-elitist ideals of republicanism . President Wilson appointed him Secretary of State in 1913 . After the Lusitania was torpedoed in 1915 , Wilson made strong demands on Germany that Bryan disagreed with , resigning in protest as a pacifist . After 1920 , he turned to Christian fundamentalism ; he supported Prohibition and attacked Darwinism and evolution , most famously at the Scopes Trial in 1925 in Tennessee . Five days after the conclusion of the Scopes case , Bryan died in his sleep .