Edson Bradley, Jr. (May 9, 1852 – June 20, 1935) was president of Kentucky whiskey distiller W.A. Gaines and Company of

Frankfort, Kentucky Frankfort is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, United States, and the seat of Franklin County. It is a home rule-class city; the population was 28,602 at the 2020 census. Located along the Kentucky River, Frankfort is the prin ...

. He owned the exclusive rights to the "Old Crow" whisky label.

Biography

Bradley was born on May 9, 1852, in

New Canaan, Connecticut New Canaan () is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 20,622 according to the 2020 census. About an hour from Manhattan by train, the town is considered part of Connecticut's Gold Coast. The town is bounde ...

. His debutante daughter Julia Bradley had her

coming out party ''Coming Out Party'' is a 1934 American Pre-Code drama film directed by John G. Blystone starring Frances Dee, Gene Raymond, Alison Skipworth and Nigel Bruce. It was produced and distributed by the Fox Film Corporation. Synopsis Joy Stanhope, ...

in 1894. She married Bishop Herbert Shipman. Bradley has been known for his properties. In 1923, he dismantled his home and reassembled it in

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ...

. An account stated that it was constructed for his wife and it cost him two million dollars. The house, which included a seven acre lawn and located close to the shore of the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

, earned for its architect, Howard Greenley, an

Architectural League of New York The Architectural League of New York is a non-profit organization "for creative and intellectual work in architecture, urbanism, and related disciplines". The league dates from 1881, when Cass Gilbert organized meetings at the Salmagundi Club for ...

prize. It is currently known as

Carey Mansion Seaview Terrace, also known as the Carey Mansion, is a privately owned mansion located in Newport, Rhode Island. It was designed in the Châteauesque style based on the French chateaux of the 16th century, and completed in 1925. It was the las ...

. Bradley and his wife became active in the social life of

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, after they acquired and made

Gardiner Greene Hubbard Gardiner Greene Hubbard (August 25, 1822 – December 11, 1897) was an American lawyer, financier, and community leader. He was a founder and first president of the National Geographic Society; a founder and the first president of the Bell Telep ...

's house at

Dupont Circle Dupont Circle (or DuPont Circle) is a traffic circle, park, neighborhood and historic district in Northwest Washington, D.C. The Dupont Circle neighborhood is bounded approximately by 16th Street NW to the east, 22nd Street NW ...

their winter home in 1907. Bradley's wife became known for her "American Beauty Ball", which exhausted the city's American Beauty roses market for days since the flowers were used to decorate their house. His wife Julie died shortly after construction was completed in 1929. Edson Bradley died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

on June 20, 1935.

References

1852 births 1935 deaths American drink distillers American art collectors American book and manuscript collectors Deaths from pneumonia in England 19th-century American businesspeople {{US-business-bio-1850s-stub