Charles Page Bryan

Biography Bryan was born in Chicago, Illinois, on October 2, 1855. He was the son of Thomas Barbour Bryan. Through his father, he was a member of the esteemed Barbour family. His mother had also been related, by marriage, to the prominent Page and Lee families of Virginia.

Bryan received his preparatory education there, subsequently becoming a student at the University of Virginia and later taking his degree in law at Columbian University (now George Washington University), Washington, D.C. From 1879 to 1883 he practiced his profession in Colorado and also took an active part in politics, being elected and serving as a Republican in the Colorado House of Representatives in 1880. In 1883 he returned to his former home, Chicago, where he soon became a leader in State politics. He served as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives from 1888 to 1897,

His diplomatic career really began in 1897, when he was appointed on November 10, 1897 to be minister to China by President William McKinley. He took the oath of office in a recess appointment, but did not officially take office, and his nomination was withdrawn January 5, 1898 before the U.S. Senate acted upon it.

On January 19, he was appointed as envoy to Brazil. He presented his credentials on November 22, 1911, and left office October 1, 1912. A lifelong bachelor, Bryan had never married. He was buried at the city's Oak Hill Cemetery.