Daniel Bradley (March 17, 1833 – February 23, 1908) was an American politician from

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Biography

Bradley was born in

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

where he attended a parochial school, later immigrating to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in 1850. He settled in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, and became a

tobacconist A tobacconist, also called a tobacco shop, a tobacconist's shop or a smoke shop, is a retailer of tobacco products in various forms and the related accoutrements, such as pipes, lighters, matches, pipe cleaners, and pipe tampers. More specia ...

, and later a dealer in

stove A stove or range is a device that burns fuel or uses electricity to generate heat inside or on top of the apparatus, to be used for general warming or cooking. It has evolved highly over time, with cast-iron and induction versions being develope ...

s and

tinware Tinware is any item made of prefabricated tinplate. Usually tinware refers to kitchenware made of tinplate, often crafted by tinsmiths. Many cans used for canned food are tinware as well. Something that is tinned after being shaped and fabricated i ...

. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, he was a captain in the 14th Regiment of the New York National Guard. After the war he also engaged in the real estate and insurance business. Bradley was elected to the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

on a combined Democratic and Independent ticket in 1874. Bradley was a ‘Soft Shell,’ against slavery and in the more liberal wing of the Democratic Party. His election opened a rift in the King's County Democratic Party in Brooklyn, and He was placed on one of two rival Democratic committees, with ‘Hard Shell’ John J. Vanderbilt on the other. At the time, the ''

Brooklyn Eagle :''This article covers both the historical newspaper (1841–1955, 1960–1963), as well as an unrelated new Brooklyn Daily Eagle starting 1996 published currently'' The ''Brooklyn Eagle'' (originally joint name ''The Brooklyn Eagle'' and ''King ...

'' commented that “The contrast between the two men could hardly have been more manifest.” Bradley was twice re-elected, and became known as a fighter against graft and corruption. He earned the nickname “Honest Dan” for his personal incorruptibility. In 1893, he was elected to the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

as a “Reform” Democrat, in another contentious election. His opponent, William Van Slooten, was a member of New York's powerful Hugh McLaughlin machine, but was otherwise relatively unknown. Bradley used “Who ''is'' Van Slooten?” as his campaign slogan. He was sworn into the Senate in 1894 as that body's youngest man, although he was then about sixty. One of Bradley's first bills in the Senate was a proposal to establish fixed salaries for Senators. Prior to this, State Senators had taken graft from contractors and other special interest groups. Bradley's bill was designed to stop this. In 1894, Daniel Bradley was active in the investigations of the

Lexow Committee Lexow Committee (1894 to 1895) was a major New York State Senate probe into police corruption in New York City. The Lexow Committee inquiry, which took its name from the committee's chairman, State Senator Clarence Lexow, was the widest-ranging ...

, which heard some 57,666 pages of testimony and served over 3,000 subpoenas. Bradley was a devout Catholic as a member of Church of the Assumption in Brooklyn. He was active in the Catholic Benevolent Legion, helping to establish new branches, and was a member of the Board of Managers of the Catholic Orphan Society. He and his wife, Julia Duane, had three daughters and two sons. Catherine married Thomas E. Murray, an Albany inventor and businessman. They raised eight children in Brooklyn. He died at the home of his son-in-law Thomas E. Murray Jr., at 783 St. Mark's Avenue in Brooklyn, after "suffering with grip for four weeks".

Membership

*Member of the

(Kings Co., 1st District) in

1875 Events January–March * January 1 – The Midland Railway of England abolishes the Second Class passenger category, leaving First Class and Third Class. Other British railway companies follow Midland's lead during the rest of the ...

1876 Events January–March * January 1 ** The Reichsbank opens in Berlin. ** The Bass Brewery Red Triangle becomes the world's first registered trademark symbol. * February 2 – The National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs i ...

and 1877, elected for the sessions of 1875 and 1877 as an Independent Democrat, and for 1876 as a Democrat. *Member of the

(5th District) in 1894 and 1895 *Member of the

of the New York State Senate, which was instrumental in the fall of

Tammany Hall Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York City political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society. It became the main loc ...

Sources

''The New York Red Book''
compiled by Edgar L. Murlin (published by James B. Lyon, Albany NY, 1897; pg. 404 and 496f)
''Life Sketches of Government Officers and Members of the Legislature of the State of New York in 1875''
by W. H. McElroy and Alexander McBride (pg. 143)
Sketches of the members of the Legislature
in ''The Evening Journal Almanac'' (1895; pg. 48)
''EX-SENATOR BRADLEY DIES''
in NYT on February 24, 1908

listing Daniel Bradley as Passenger #197, arriving 15 July 1850 {{DEFAULTSORT:Bradley, Daniel 1833 births 1908 deaths Democratic Party New York (state) state senators Politicians from Brooklyn Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly Politicians from Derry (city) Irish emigrants to the United States (before 1923) Union Army officers 19th-century American politicians