Daniel Bryan (Virginia politician)

[14][6] Being an abolitionist, on January 26, 1820, Bryan cast the lone vote in the Virginia Senate against advocating for the admission of Missouri as a slave state.

[4] He delivered a passionate speech, denouncing the institution of slavery in the United States and calling for gradual emancipation.

[4] On April 8, 1821, Bryan was appointed postmaster of Alexandria, Virginia, and began what was a more than three-decade tenure in this job.

[4][5] Postmasters were presidentially appointed at the time, and Bryan's tenure spanned the presidencies of James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, William Henry Harrison, James K. Polk, Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore.

[17][18][19][20] With Bryan not being present at the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond at the start of the new 1821 legislative session, the Senate declared his seat vacant, thus ending his tenure.

[4] Throughout his career as a poet, his style remained consistent, and his works espoused strong nationalism, as well as vocalized support for reform causes such as temperance, the education of women, and the movement to end dueling.

[21] In 1853, Bryan resigned as postmaster in order to take a job in the United States Department of the Treasury's library.

[4] During the American Civil War, he opposed secession, and remained a strong unionist, but continued living in Virginia.