Biographies

William Jennings Bryan

He was the 65-year-old guest attorney assisting the prosecution. He was a three-time candidate for President, former member of Congress, former Secretary of State, and one of the best-known orators of his day. The noted Christian championed a traditional understanding of the Bible and was examined for his beliefs on the next-to-last day of the Trial. He died ﬁve days after the trial ended.

Clarence Darrow

He was a 68-year-old attorney, arguably America’s most prominent defense lawyer, who had made his name as a champion of the underdog. The noted agnostic volunteered to defend John Scopes, to “focus the attention of the country on [Bryan] and the other fundamentalists.” He participated in only a few more trials before his death in 1938.

Arthur Garfield Hays

He was a 44-year-old attorney whose career to this point involved international and corporate law. He was the chief counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union at the trial and architect of the defense’s legal strategy. After the trial, he continued his legal support for society’s underdogs.

Sheriff Robert "Bluch" Harris

He was the 49-year-old Rhea County sheriff, the ofﬁce which he held from 1922 to 1928. He had been a machinist at Dayton Coal and Iron Company until it closed, then became a deputy sheriff in 1912.

Sue K. Hicks

He was a 30-year-old attorney, practicing law with his older brother, Herbert, in Dayton at the time of the Scopes Trial. On behalf of trial organizers, he invited William Jennings Bryan to assist the prosecution. After the trial, he practiced law in Florida for four years before returning to Tennessee. He was elected to the state House of Representatives in 1936 and later served as a circuit court judge.

Nellie Kenyon

She was a 26-year-old reporter for the Chattanooga News who received “Press Pass No. 1” to cover the Scopes Trial. She interviewed most of the principals of the case, including John Scopes, Clarence Darrow, and William Jennings Bryan. She eventually moved to Nashville, where she became one of the most respected reporters of her day.

Dudley Field Malone

He was a 43-year-old divorce lawyer, who represented the American Civil Liberties Union during the Trial. He had served as William Jennings Bryan’s undersecretary of state during the Wilson administration. After retiring from his legal practice in 1932, he became an actor.

Ben McKenzie

He was the 59-year-old former district attorney general who assisted the prosecution. Known for his wit and folksy humor, he and Clarence Darrow struck up a friendship that lasted until Darrow’s death in 1938, three months before his own passing. His son, Gordon, also assisted the prosecution.

Gordon McKenzie

He was a 32-year-old attorney and county judge (today’s title would be county executive) who assisted with the prosecution. He was responsible for securing funds to “spruce up” the courtroom before the trial and issued press passes to reporters covering the event.

Maynard M. Metcalf

At age 57, he was a zoologist from Johns Hopkins University and the only expert witness allowed to testify for the defense. His testimony emphasized the compatibility of evolution with Christianity. Following the Trial, he chaired a group of scientists who raised money to help John Scopes attend graduate school.

John R. Neal

He was the 49-year-old lead defense attorney who, by some accounts, appointed himself to defend John Scopes. He was a former state representative and law professor at the University of Tennessee and operated his own law school for more than 20 years. He was a perennial candidate for governor and the United States Senate, but never won an election.

George Rappleyea

He was the 31-year-old manager of the failing Cumberland Coal & Iron Co., who saw the announcement of the ACLU’s interest in challenging the anti-evolution statute. His efforts laid the groundwork in Dayton for the Scopes Trial. He went on to become involved in the construction and boating industries, including working for Higgins Boat Co., which built landing craft used by U.S. forces in World War II.

John Tate Raulston

He was the 57-year-old judge for the Trial. He was roundly criticized for his conduct in the case, but in later years John Scopes acknowledged that Raulston “was trying to do what he believed was right.” He ran for re-election in 1926 and was defeated.

Frank Earle (F.E.) Robinson

He was the 44-year-old “Hustling Druggist” owner of Robinson’s Drug Store, where the local plans for the Trial were developed. He was chairman of the Rhea County school board, a correspondent for several Tennessee newspapers, and a great promoter of the community. Following the Trial, he led efforts to establish Bryan College and served many years on the college's board of trustees.

Quin Ryan

He was a 27-year-old news and sports reporter for Chicago’s WGN Radio, which had gone on the air in 1921. The station sent Ryan to broadcast from Dayton and leased phone lines at a reported cost of $1,000 per day to make possible this ﬁrst live broadcast of an American court trial. Ryan went on to a distinguished career as a news and sports broadcaster in Chicago.

John Thomas Scopes

At age 24, he was the defendant in the Trial, although his only statement on the record was his declaration at the end that he believed the anti-evolution statute was unjust and he would continue to oppose it. Following the trial, he left teaching and eventually made his career working in the petroleum industry.

Tom Stewart

He was the 33-year-old district attorney general during the trial and earned the respect of the opposing defense lawyers for his legal skills. His predecessor as district attorney, Ben McKenzie, assisted with the prosecution. In 1942, General Stewart was elected to the U.S. Senate.

Walter White

He was the 45-year-old superintendent of schools and the ﬁrst witness to testify at John Scopes’ trial. In the 1930’s and early 1940’s he served as a state representative and later began practicing law. His business cards proclaimed him “Prosecutor of John T. Scopes.”

Biographies and Pictures