any Nebraskans know that Nebraskan William
Jennings Bryan was a serious contender for
president in 1896, 1900, and 1908, but they
probably don't know that adopted Nebraskan Gen.
John J. Pershing also tried for the highest office in the land
in 1920. Like most professional soldiers, Pershing lacked a
permanent residence, but he had lived in Lincoln from 1891
to 1895 and graduated from UNL's law school in 1893. He
also established the Pershing Rifles, a military fraternal
organization for college-level students, in 1894. It is the
oldest continuously operating U.S. college organization
dedicated to military drill.
Pershing's success as supreme commander of the
American Expeditionary Forces in World War I carried
over to political popularity. Thousands of people lined Fifth
Avenue in New York City when he returned to the United
States from Europe and celebrated him as a hero. When
approached with the possibility of running for president,
Pershing consulted long-time friend and Lincoln lawyer (and
future Vice President of the United States) Charles Gates
Dawes before consenting to run.
Dawes and mutual friend, Mark Woods of Lincoln,
established a "Pershing for President" boom in Nebraska.
A Brief History
Pershing for President in 1920
From the Nebraska State Historical Society
M
Lt. John J. Pershing (seated, center) with cadet battalion officers at the University of Nebraska, 1895. Pershing served as a military
instructor at the university from 1891 to 1895. RG2378-18-03
NSHS,
RG2378-18-03
12 NEBRASKAland • APRIL 2016
