Silas Bryan

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Silas L. Bryan
Judge Silas Lillard Bryan.jpg
Member of the Illinois Senate
In office
1852–1860
Personal details
Born(1822-11-04)November 4, 1822
Culpeper County, Virginia
DiedMarch 30, 1880(1880-03-30) (aged 57)
Political party Democratic
SpouseMariah Elizabeth Jennings
Children9, including William and Charles
Residence(s)Salem, Illinois
ProfessionPolitician

Silas Lillard Bryan (November 4, 1822 – March 30, 1880) was a judge and member of the Illinois Senate.

Born in Culpeper, Virginia, Silas Lillard Bryan, of Scots-Irish and English descent, [1] was an avid Jacksonian Democrat and supporter of states' rights. [2] Silas won election to the Illinois State Senate in 1852 on a platform on preventing the immigration of Free Negroes into Illinois. [3] He won again in 1856 but was defeated for re-election in 1860 and in 1878. [4] During the American Civil War, he was a Copperhead Democrat.

He did win election as a state circuit judge for the 2nd Judicial Circuit, and moved to a 520-acre (210.4 ha) farm north of Salem in 1866, [5] living in a ten-room house that was the envy of Marion County. [6] He retained his position on the bench through 1873. [7] [8]

Bryan and his wife, Mariah Elizabeth (née Jennings), were the parents of nine children, including William Jennings Bryan and Charles W. Bryan. Also, Ruth Bryan Owen was a granddaughter. [9]

References

  1. ↑ Asked when his family "dropped the 'O'" from his O'Bryan surname, he responded there never had been one. Bryan Memoirs of William Jennings Bryan; Kessinger, p. 22-26. Likewise there never was a "T" in the name.
  2. ↑ Brenda Wineapple, "Keeping the Faith: God, Democracy, and the Trial That Riveted the Nation." (Random House: New York, 2024), p.39.
  3. ↑ Brenda Wineapple, "Keeping the Faith: God, Democracy, and the Trial That Riveted the Nation." (Random House: New York, 2024), p. 39.
  4. ↑ Brenda Wineapple, "Keeping the Faith: God, Democracy, and the Trial That Riveted the Nation." (Random House: New York, 2024), p. 40.
  5. ↑ Paolo E. Colletta, William Jennings Bryan: Colletta: Volume 1, Political Evangelist, 1860-1908 (University of Nebraska: Lincoln, 1964) pp. 3-4.
  6. ↑ Paulo E. Colleta, William Jennings Bryan: Volume 1, Political Evangelist, 1860-1908, p. 5.
  7. ↑ 'S. L. Bryan,' Chicago Tribune, April 1, 1880, pg. 2
  8. ↑ 'Five Minutes With News Of The Day-Hon. Silas Bryan,' The Pantagraph (Bloomington, Illinois), April 1, 1880, pg. 1
  9. ↑ Political Graveyard-Bryan-Jenninggs Family of Illinois
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