publications

Bryan and the Russians

During his years in Lincoln, William Jennings Bryan welcomed many foreign visitors to the city and often entertained them at his home, named Fairview. In May of 1907 his guests included two distinguished Russians who were giving public lectures to publicize unfavorable political conditions in their native country. Bryan was particularly interested in Russia, which he had visited several years earlier as part of his European tour undertaken in late 1903. While there, he received an audience with Czar Nicholas II and boldly reminded him of his promise to give a degree of self-government and free speech to his people. While in Russia, Bryan also visited author Leo Tolstoy, whose literary work he greatly admired.

“Two apostles of the society of ‘The Friends of Russian Freedom’ [English and American sympathizers with Russian anti-czarist groups] closed a whirlwind speaking tour of the city yesterday,” said the Nebraska State Journal of Lincoln on May 16, 1907. “They were Alexis Alladin, member of the Russian douma, and Nicholai Tschikowsky, a student and representative of the laboring classes of Russia.

“They arrived in Lincoln in the morning, were immediately taken to the state university, where they delivered addresses at convocation, from there went to Wesleyan university at University Place during the afternoon, where they spoke, took dinner in the evening with William Jennings Bryan at Fairview, and arrived at the church [St. Paul’s Methodist] late in the evening, after the church had been filled with an expectant audience. . . .

“Mr. Bryan then introduced the two gentlemen from the land of the czar, and briefly told of the struggle of the Russian people for freedom. He said he had heard Mr. Alladin speak before the douma in his visit to St. Petersburg, and that Mr. Tschikowsky was a student in the University of St. Petersburg, and a patriot who has given up his future for the cause of his people.” When Tschikowsky was complimented on his excellent English, he revealed that he had lived for several years as a farmer in southern Kansas about thirty years before but had left the U.S. before he could become a naturalized citizen.

The Russian orators were enthusiastically received and were presented at the church with “two large bouquets . . . by the representatives of the Hebrew Relief association of this city. This association has about seventy-five members, was organized November 12, 1905; has in its membership some of the most intelligent Russian Jews, and has for its object the relief and assistance of countrymen in Lincoln. Each bouquet had a card attached, with a message written on one side in Russian and on the other in English. The cards read: ‘The sympathizers of the cause of Russian freedom express their sympathy to the laboring class and to the peasants.'”

Bryan also accompanied the Russian visitors to a noon luncheon attended by Lincoln Mayor F. W. Brown and Nebraska Governor George Sheldon and on a brief visit to Sheldon’s office. From Lincoln the pair went on to Cincinnati.

William Jennings Bryan on the steps of Fairview. NSHS RG3198-30-7

 

Become a Member!

Our members make history happen.

Join Now

Other Publications

The Bachelors’ Protective Union of Kearney

When the Bachelors' Protective Union gave a gala reception for two of its newly married, former members and their brides in March of 1890, the social club for young, ...

U.S. Weather Bureau in 1890s Nebraska

The U.S. Weather Bureau was established by an act of Congress on October 1, 1890. It took over the weather service that had been established in the office of the Chief ...

Canning the Way to Victory

During American participation in World War I the U.S. Food Administration, under the direction of Herbert Hoover, launched a massive campaign to persuade Americans to ...

The Shoemaker’s Ashes

"Edward Kuehl, one of the most peculiar characters that ever lived in Omaha, or anywhere else, was found dead in his bed last night in the back room of his place of ...

Crazy Horse Surrender Ledger Foreward

Red Dog, an Oglala Lakota who lived at the Red Cloud Agency, Nebraska, 1876-77 (Nebraska State Historical Society RG2955.ph).   In the summer of 1876, following the ...

Darryl F. Zanuck

Darryl F. Zanuck Darryl F. Zanuck (1902-1979), a native Nebraskan, produced some of Hollywood's most important and controversial films. He helped found 20th Century Fox ...

The Burlington’s Profitable Pork Special

Nebraska railroads were much concerned with developing an adequate economy in the areas they served. The Burlington, for example, had a long history of caring for the ...

Bungalow Filling Stations

After the giant Standard Oil Company was broken into thirty-four separate companies in 1911, the newly independent Standard Oil of Nebraska dominated the state's market ...

The Bull Fight

This is the perfect time of year for a visit to the old fishin' hole. But a group of fisherfolk from Plainview discovered that this bucolic pastime sometimes has ...

Buffalo Soldiers West

African-American soldiers on the western frontier are the focus of an exhibit at the Nebraska History Museum in Lincoln. Buffalo Soldiers West, on loan from the Colorado ...

Protection for Buffalo

The extermination of the buffalo on the Plains occurred largely between 1870 and 1885. The Nebraska State Journal of Lincoln on February 1, 1874, editorialized in vain ...

Buffalo Hunting

In late October 1877 young Rolf Johnson and three friends left their homes in Phelps County, Nebraska, for a buffalo hunt in northeastern Colorado. The hunt was not very ...

About NSHS

The Nebraska State Historical Society was founded in 1878 by citizens who recognized Nebraska was going through great changes and they sought to record the stories of both indigenous and immigrant peoples. It was designated a state institution and began receiving funds from the legislature in 1883. Legislation in 1994 changed NSHS from a state institution to a state agency. The division is headed by Interim Director Cindy Drake. They are assisted by an administrative staff responsible for financial and personnel functions, museum store services, security, and facilities maintenance for NSHS.

Explore Nebraska

Discover the real places and people of our past at these NSHS sites.

Upcoming Events

View our new and upcoming events to see how you can get involved.

Become a Member

The work we do to discover, preserve, and share Nebraska's history wouldn't be possible without the support of NSHS members.

NSHS Education

Learn more about the educational programs provided at our museums, sites, and online.

Education Digital Learning Resources

Find games, lists, and more to enhance your history education curriculum.

Latest Hall of Fame Inductee

The Nebraska Hall of Fame was established in 1961 to officially recognize prominent Nebraskans.

Listen to our Podcast

Listen to the articles and authors published in the Nebraska History Magazine with our new Nebraska History Podcast!

Nebraska Collections

NSHS's mission is to collect, preserve, and open our shared history to all Nebraskans.

Our YouTube Video Collection

Get a closer look at Nebraska's history through your own eyes, with our extensive video collections.

Additional Research Resources

NSHS's Research and Reference Services help connect you to the material we collect and preserve.

NSHS Services

Digital Resources

Find all of our digital resources, files, videos, and more, all in one easy-to-search page!

Support The Historical Society

Make a cash donation to help us acquire, preserve, and interpret Nebraska’s history. Gifts to the Nebraska State Historical Society help leave a legacy and may help your taxes, too! Support the work of NSHS.

Volunteers are the heroes of NSHS. So much history, so little time! Your work helps us share access to Nebraska’s stories at our museums and sites, the reference room, and online.