How Bryan Memorial and Lincoln General Hospitals Began

How do two hospitals become one? Before the merger of Lincoln General and Bryan Memorial hospitals in 1997, each institution had its own rich history of service supported by shared values. This foundation dates back to the 1920s, a time when Lincoln, Nebraska, was a still-developing state capital. As the city grew, a few key leaders saw the need for improved health care for the community.

William Jennings Bryan

Bryan was born in Salem, Illinois, on March 19, 1860. Throughout his life, he wore many hats, making him one of the most influential men of his time in both Nebraska and the developing country. He arrived in Lincoln in 1887 as a blossoming lawyer, having earned his law degree from the Union College of Law in Chicago in 1883. Along with his wife, Mary Baird Bryan, who passed the Nebraska Bar to partner with her husband, Bryan established a thriving law practice in Lincoln.

Like his father, Silas, Bryan soon turned to politics. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1890, just when he had turned 30 years old. He made a name for himself by appealing to farmers, shopkeepers and other less wealthy voters, leading to his nickname as “The Great Commoner.” Three separate times, Bryan ran for president as the Democratic nominee, losing twice to William McKinley and once to William Howard Taft. He later served as Secretary of State under President Woodrow Wilson from 1912-1915.

Fairview and the Bryan Family

Mary and the couples’ first of three children, Ruth, joined Bryan in Lincoln in 1888. For their first, decade in Lincoln, they lived at a house on D St. After years of steadily buying land, they broke ground on the Fairview farm, a large family estate that Bryan hoped to establish as the center of his political career. He often referred to it as “the Monticello of the West,” a reference to Thomas Jefferson’s home. He invited politicians and diplomats to visit him there during his career.

The Bryans lived in the Fairview house from 1902-1921, when they moved permanently to their Florida winter home, Villa Serena. Mary Baird Bryan was suffering from an arthritic condition, prompting their move south. The next year, William Jennings Bryan donated the family home and its surrounding farmland to the Lincoln Methodist Association for purposes of building a new hospital.

Lincoln General Origins

While the Bryans were finishing their time in Nebraska, city leaders were hatching plans for a modern, civic hospital. In 1920, the members Lincoln Rotary Club #14 conceived of Lincoln General Hospital. The nine rotarians were Ralph Tyler, Keo Soukup, Edward Walt, Burton George, Nathan Lieberman, Walter Ludwig, Fred Putney, Walter Kirkbride and James Allen.

The group spearheaded a campaign to raise $100,000 for the hospital to match City of Lincoln funds and a donation from the estate of Robert Emmett (R.E.) Moore, who shared a bit in common with Bryan. Like Bryan, Moore was a successful businessman in Lincoln as an attorney, banker, real estate broker and benefactor. He, too, moved to Lincoln – although in the 1870s – to establish a law practice and was soon elected as a police judge. Moore and two of his brothers created the Security Investment Co. in 1877, dealing in real estate, farm loans and investments. Throughout his career, he also served as mayor of Lincoln, Nebraska state senator and lieutenant governor.

Moore died a year after the rotary club first conceived of LGH, leaving $100,000 to the Lincoln Hospital Association. His generous donation, along with the rotarians’ vision, funded the construction of LGH.

Two Hospitals are Built

After funds and land were procured for both hospitals, a few years passed before the original buildings opened. Lincoln General Hospital was the first to open in 1925. That same year, on July 26, William Jennings Bryan died suddenly at the age of 65 following the famous “Scopes monkey” trial.

Before his death, the hospital built on the grounds of Fairview was to be named “Fairview Methodist Hospital.” Upon his passing, the hospital’s Board of Trustees said that “because of his outstanding contribution and his universally recognized religious character and standing, and as a testimony to his great service to humanity… the name of the Fairview Methodist Hospital should be changed to Bryan Memorial Hospital” to remember “our chief benefactor.” Bryan Memorial officially opened in the summer of 1926.

100 years later, the grounds of both original buildings are still dedicated to exceptional patient care. But now, they operate under one name: Bryan Medical Center

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