| Silas L. Bryan | |
| State Senate: | Illinois |
| State: | Illinois |
| Term Start: | 1852 |
| Term End: | 1860 |
| Birth Date: | 4 November 1822 |
| Birth Place: | Culpeper County, Virginia |
| Spouse: | Mariah Elizabeth Jennings |
| Residence: | Salem, Illinois |
| Profession: | Politician |
| Party: | Democratic |
| Children: | 9, including William and Charles |
Silas Lillard Bryan (November 4, 1822 – March 30, 1880) was a judge and member of the Illinois Senate.
Born in Culpeper, Virginia, Silas Lillard Bryan, of Scots-Irish and English descent,[1] was an avid Jacksonian Democrat and supporter of states' rights.[2] Silas won election to the Illinois State Senate in 1852 on a platform on preventing the immigration of Free Negroes into Illinois.[3] He won again in 1856 but was defeated for re-election in 1860 and in 1878.[4] During the American Civil War, he was a Copperhead Democrat.
He did win election as a state circuit judge for the 2nd Judicial Circuit, and moved to a 5201NaN1 farm north of Salem in 1866,[5] living in a ten-room house that was the envy of Marion County.[6] He retained his position on the bench through 1873.[7] [8]
Bryan and his wife, Mariah Elizabeth (née Jennings), were the parents of nine children, including William Jennings Bryan and Charles W. Bryan. Also, Ruth Bryan Owen was a granddaughter.[9]