Charles Smith Bradley (July 19, 1819 – April 29, 1888) was a lawyer and legal scholar. He served as chief justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court between 1866 and 1868.

Biography

Born on July 19, 1819, in

Newburyport, Massachusetts Newburyport is a coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, northeast of Boston. The population was 18,289 at the 2020 census. A historic seaport with vibrant tourism industry, Newburyport includes part of Plum Island. The mo ...

. Bradley attended

Boston Latin School The Boston Latin School is a public exam school in Boston, Massachusetts. It was established on April 23, 1635, making it both the oldest public school in the British America and the oldest existing school in the United States. Its curriculum f ...

and went on to

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

at 15. He graduated in 1838 with the highest honors of his class. Choosing the legal profession, he attended

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

, and formed a business co-partnership with Charles Foster Tillinghast, Sr. on his being admitted to the bar in 1841. Their law firm, Tillinghast & Bradley, became one of the most prominent

law firm A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to r ...

s in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th century. In 1854 Bradley was elected by North Providence to the Senate of the State, where he was influential in securing the Act of Amnesty to all who were involved in the Dorr Rebellion of 1842. In February 1866, he was elected Chief-Justice of the

Supreme Court of Rhode Island The Rhode Island Supreme Court is the Supreme court, court of last resort in the U.S. State of Rhode Island. The Court consists of a Chief Justice and four Associate Justices, all selected by the Governor of Rhode Island from candidates vetted by ...

, and for over two years, he held that high position. He resigned to resume professional practice and give that attention to business affairs that the exacting nature of judicial duties precluded. Bradley was chosen Bussey Professor of Law at

and filled the chair until 1879. He married Sarah Manton on April 28, 1842, and they had three sons. She died on December 12, 1854. He remarried to Charlotte Augusta Saunders on August 4, 1858, and they had one son. She died in May 1864, and he married a third time to Emma Pendleton Chambers in May 1866. She died on February 28, 1875.

Death and legacy

Charles S. Bradley died on April 29, 1888, in New York City. Bradley's Providence house and properties were purchased by

Providence College Providence College is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic university in Providence, Rhode Island. Founded in 1917 by the Dominican Order and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, local diocese, it offers 47 undergradua ...

in 1926, and later renamed Martin Hall. The home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

References

1819 births 1888 deaths Lawyers from Boston Brown University alumni Harvard Law School alumni Harvard Law School faculty People from Newburyport, Massachusetts Chief Justices of the Rhode Island Supreme Court Rhode Island lawyers Members of the Rhode Island General Assembly 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers {{RhodeIsland-state-judge-stub