By Jim Harmon

Unless something unexpected happens, two of the oldest men ever will likely run for US president this fall. Joe Biden is 81 and Donald Trump is 78 years old.

We have to go back to Teddy Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy to find presidents in their early forties (42 and 43 respectively).

However, those looking for real youth must go back to the late 19th century, when the candidates of the Democrats and the People's Party (Populists) were one and the same person: William Jennings Bryan, an extremely popular 33-year-old man from Nebraska.

Among other things, the Populist Party advocated “nationalization of the railways, a progressive income tax and greater direct participation of citizens in government.”

In the Treasure State, miners favored the Populist Party and William Jennings Bryan, especially when the silver market collapsed in 1893.

William Jennings Bryan's “Cross of Gold” speech contradicted Republican support for the gold standard. The people of Montana loved it!

During his campaign in Missoula, the young candidate was greeted “with the roar of cannons and blazing bonfires, the rousing music of a band, and the cheers of enthusiastic supporters … at the site of the original Missoula Courthouse, 435 North Third Street West on the north side of Missoula.”

The building had been converted into a boarding house by Ethel Buckhouse, which hosted Bryan that summer day in 1896.

Judge Sloane presided over the meeting and told the crowd, “Our goal is to conduct a bipartisan confirmation of the nominations of William Jennings Bryan and Arthur Sewall.”

“You were nominated on a platform that resonates with the overwhelming majority of Montana voters. We want to show that this is the case.”

Sloane then introduced FC Webster, a prominent Republican, who admitted, “This is the first time I have had an opportunity to attend a political meeting under the auspices of this party. Crises create parties and lead to changes in party relations. We believe that such a crisis is now at hand.”

“We in Montana believe that the Chicago Convention platform serves the interests not only of Montana, but of the entire country.

“For us, who have different standards, it is not the most pleasant thing in the world to work shoulder to shoulder with those who were our opponents. We went to St. Louis hoping to win, but we did not. Your candidates are now our candidates and your program is our program.”

JM Quinn of Butte told the crowd, “On one side is organized greed and on the other side is organized humanity. I don't think you can defeat William Jennings Bryan by ridicule. They say he lacks dignity, but I say he possesses the dignity of reason and intelligence.”

“You say he is too young. I ask, since when is it a crime for a young man to have intelligence and intellectual ability?”

“The weather was perfect for an outdoor gathering,” wrote a reporter for the Anaconda Standard newspaper. “The platform beside the courthouse was richly decorated with flags, and electric lights hung between the trees, making for a charming setting.”

The reporter concluded, “Tonight’s demonstration was great and one of the greatest in Missoula’s political history.”

On November 3, 1896, the state's voters overwhelmingly voted for Bryan, 80% of the time, but he still lost to William McKinley.

So is age a plus or a minus in political elections? Traditionally, we assume that age brings experience and wisdom.

After last week's televised presidential debate, the question seems to be hanging in the balance.

Jim Harmon is a longtime Missoula news anchor, now retired, who writes a weekly history column for the Missoula Current. You can contact Jim at [email protected]. His best-selling book, The Sneakin'est Man That Ever Was, a collection of 46 vignettes of Western Montana history, is available at harmonshistories.com.