Silas Bryan

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

Silas L. Bryan
Member of the Illinois Senate
from the district
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 partyDemocratic
SpouseMariah Elizabeth Jennings
Children9, including William and Charles
Residence(s)Salem, Illinois
ProfessionPolitician

Silas Lillard Bryan, of Scots-Irish and English descent,[1] was an avid Jacksonian Democrat. Silas won election to the Illinois State Senate in 1852 and again in 1856 but was defeated for re-election in 1860. 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,[2] living in a ten-room house that was the envy of Marion County.[3] He retained his position on the bench through 1873.[4][5]

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.[6]

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. Paolo E. Colletta, William Jennings Bryan: Colletta: Volume 1, Political Evangelist, 1860-1908 (University of Nebraska: Lincoln, 1964) pp. 3-4.
  3. Paulo E. Colleta, William Jennings Bryan: Volume 1, Political Evangelist, 1860-1908, p. 5.
  4. 'S. L. Bryan,' Chicago Tribune, April 1, 1880, pg. 2
  5. 'Five Minutes With News Of The Day-Hon. Silas Bryan,' The Pantagraph (Bloomington, Illinois), April 1, 1880, pg. 1
  6. Political Graveyard-Bryan-Jenninggs Family of Illinois
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