Evelyne E. Bradley (March 1, 1925 – May 21, 2013) was an American Navajo judge. She served as a district judge 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, 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. She graduated from North Phoenix High School in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the on ...

, 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.

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

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 ...

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 for Navajo County, Arizona. Her county office was based in Kayenta, Arizona. On January 9, 2007, she administered the oath of office to President of the Navajo Nation, 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 Fort Defiance, Arizona.

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