American politician (1860–1925), three-time presidential candidate, secretary of state under Woodrow Wilson, and one of the attorneys in the 1925 Scopes Trial. Two one-page TLSs, both signed “W. J. Bryan.” First letter measures 8.5 x 5.5, and is dated July 25, 1896, thanking J. V. Cockrell for his support and expressing confidence “that our cause may triumph at the polls”; second letter measures 8.5 x 11, and is dated March 19, 1909, on The Commoner letterhead, written to Cockrell expressing regret he will not be able to travel to Texas for a meeting. In very good condition, with intersecting folds, a single one through each signature, uniform toning to both, and rusty paperclip marks to the smaller letter. The 1896 letter is written days after the delivery of the ‘Cross of Gold’ speech which landed Bryan the Democratic nomination for the 1896 Presidential elections—considered by some to be the most dramatic and complex election in American history. RRAuction COA.
