Evelyne E. Bradley (March 1, 1925 – May 21, 2013) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

Navajo The Navajo (; British English: Navaho; nv, Diné or ') are a Native American people of the Southwestern United States. With more than 399,494 enrolled tribal members , the Navajo Nation is the largest federally recognized tribe in the United ...

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

. She served as a district

for the

Navajo Nation The Navajo Nation ( nv, Naabeehó Bináhásdzo), also known as Navajoland, is a Native American reservation in the United States. It occupies portions of northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and southeastern Utah; at roughly , the ...

from 1984 until her retirement in 1995. Bradley was one of the first women to become a judge within the Navajo Nation.

Early life

Bradley was born in a hospital in

Fort Defiance, Arizona Fort Defiance ( nv, ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Apache County, Arizona, United States. It is also located within the Navajo Nation. The population was 3,624 at the 2010 census. History The land on which Fort Defiance was eventu ...

, on March 1, 1925. Her Navajo clan was the Bitter Water born for Towering House. Her paternal grandparents' clan was Red House People, while her maternal grandparents' clan was Cliff Dwellers People. She was raised in Cross Canyon, located near the town of

Ganado, Arizona Ganado ( nv, ) is a chapter of the Navajo Nation and census-designated place (CDP) in Apache County, Arizona, United States. The population was 1,210 at the 2010 census. Ganado is part of the Fort Defiance Agency, of the Bureau of Indian A ...

. She graduated from North Phoenix High School in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

, and the Haskell Institute, now called

Haskell Indian Nations University Haskell Indian Nations University is a public tribal land-grant university in Lawrence, Kansas, United States. Founded in 1884 as a residential boarding school for American Indian children, the school has developed into a university operated by t ...

, in

Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence is the county seat of Douglas County, Kansas, Douglas County, Kansas, United States, and the sixth-largest city in the state. It is in the northeastern sector of the state, astride Interstate 70, between the Kansas River, Kansas and Waka ...

Career

Bradley held a variety of positions with the U.S. and Navajo governments earlier in her career. She previously worked for the

Bureau of Indian Affairs The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States federal agency within the Department of the Interior. It is responsible for implementing federal laws and policies related to American Indians and A ...

, the Office of Navajo Economic Opportunity, and the Navajo Housing Authority. She also worked as a

court reporter A court reporter, court stenographer, or shorthand reporter is a person whose occupation is to capture the live testimony in proceedings using a stenographic machine, thereby transforming the proceedings into an official certified transcript b ...

before becoming a judge. She became a Navajo Nation district judge from 1984 until her retirement from the bench in 1995. As a district judge, she served within the

Ramah Navajo Indian Reservation The Ramah Navajo Indian Reservation ( nv, Tł'ohchiní}) is a non-contiguous section of the Navajo Nation lying in parts of west-central Cibola and southern McKinley counties in New Mexico, United States, just east and southeast of the Zuni India ...

Tuba City Tuba City ( nv, ) is an unincorporated town in Coconino County, Arizona, on the Navajo Nation, United States. It is the second-largest community in Coconino County. The population of the census-designated place (CDP) was 8,611 at the 2010 cen ...

and

Kayenta, Arizona Kayenta ( nv, ) is a U.S. town which is part of the Navajo Nation and is in Navajo County, Arizona, United States. Established November 13, 1986, the Kayenta Township is the only "township" existing under the laws of the Navajo Nation, making it u ...

judicial district A judicial district or legal district denotes the territorial area for which a legal court (usually a district court) has jurisdiction. By region Europe Austria In texts concerning Austria, "judicial district" (german: Gerichtsbezirk) refers ...

s on the Navajo Nation. After retiring as a Navajo Nation judge, Bradley was elected as a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

for

Navajo County, Arizona Navajo County is in the northern part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, its population was 106,717. The county seat is Holbrook. Navajo County comprises the Show Low, Arizona Micropolitan Statistical Area. Navajo County co ...

. Her county office was based in Kayenta, Arizona. On January 9, 2007, she administered the oath of office to

President of the Navajo Nation The President of the Navajo Nation is the head of state of the Navajo Nation. The office was created in 1991 following restructuring of the national government. The President and Vice President are elected every four years. The Navajo Nation Pres ...

, Joe Shirley, Jr., for his second term.

Death

Evelyne Bradley died on May 21, 2013, at the age of 88. She was survived by four children, 15 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren. Her funeral was held at the Good Shepherd Mission in

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bradley, Evelyne 1925 births 2013 deaths Navajo judges People from Navajo County, Arizona Haskell Indian Nations University alumni People from Fort Defiance, Arizona People from Ganado, Arizona North High School (Phoenix, Arizona) alumni 20th-century American judges 20th-century Native American women 20th-century Native Americans 21st-century Native American women 21st-century Native Americans Native American people from Arizona 20th-century American women judges

Early life

Career

Death

See also

References