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  1. Portrait of Clifford Berryman - Click to Enlarge
  2. Clifford Berryman Self Portrait - Click to Enlarge
  3. Drawing the Line in Mississippi - Cartoon featuring Berryman’s iconic teddy bear

“I Got A New Idea”
January 17, 1904

In 1896 and 1900, Bryan ran unsuccessfully as the Democratic nominee for President. In 1904, believing the Democratic Party was unlikely to give him a third chance, Bryan came up with a new idea—to run for the U.S. Senate. Fellow Nebraskan Charles Dietrich planned to vacate his Senate seat, and Bryan hoped to convince the state legislature, who at that time elected senators, to select him. In the cartoon Bryan is telling the American people—represented by Miss Democracy—about his new idea.

U.S. Senate Collection
Center for Legislative Archives

From Berryman’s Recurring Cast of Characters...

Miss Democracy is the personification of the voice or will of the American people. Berryman often used her to symbolize the mood of the United States. See more of Berryman’s Recurring Symbolic Characters