Jeptha Bradley (December 31, 1802 – June 8, 1864) was a mid-1800s

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

political figure who served in several elected and appointed offices, including

Vermont Auditor of Accounts The Vermont State Auditor of Accounts is one of six constitutional officers in Vermont, elected statewide every two years. The Office provides an independent and objective assessment of Vermont's governmental operations. The current Auditor is ...

Early life

Bradley was born in

Fairfield, Vermont Fairfield is a town in Franklin County, Vermont, United States, chartered in 1763. The population was 2,044 at the 2020 census. President Chester A. Arthur was born in Fairfield in 1829, and lived there for the first three years of his life. A ...

on December 31, 1802. He studied law and was admitted to the bar, afterwards establishing a practice in Franklin and Grand Isle Counties. A Whig, from 1835 to 1839 Bradley served as Sheriff of Franklin County.

Start of political career

Bradley later moved to

St. Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major town on the old Roman r ...

and served in local and county offices including Justice of the Peace and

High Bailiff The High Bailiff ( gv, Ard-Vaylee) is a legal position held within the Isle of Man. The High Bailiff is the head stipendiary magistrate. The current High Bailiff is Her Worship Jayne Hughes, who took office on 11 March 2019. The High Bailiff ...

. He was appointed Inspector of Customs for the station in

Alburgh Alburgh is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It lies about four miles (6 km) north-east of Harleston and 16 miles (26 km) south of Norwich. Heritage The earliest evidence of settlement is from the Mesolith ...

in 1845. In 1847, Bradley was named Postmaster in Highgate Springs.

Additional activities

Bradley was active in the Episcopal church, and served as a Delegate to the 1822 and 1850 annual state conventions. In 1844 Bradley received a

patent A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A ...

for an improved air-heating

furnace A furnace is a structure in which heat is produced with the help of combustion. Furnace may also refer to: Appliances Buildings * Furnace (central heating): a furnace , or a heater or boiler , used to generate heat for buildings * Boiler, used t ...

. Bradley was one of the founders of the Horticultural Society for the Valley of Lake Champlain in 1850.

Later political career

In 1849 Bradley was elected county

Probate Judge A probate court (sometimes called a surrogate court) is a court that has competence in a jurisdiction to deal with matters of probate and the administration of estates. In some jurisdictions, such courts may be referred to as Orphans' Courts o ...

, serving until 1850. Bradley served as Register of Probate from 1850 to 1852, and again in 1854. He became a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

when the party was founded in the 1850s. In 1860 he was elected State Auditor by the

Vermont General Assembly The Vermont General Assembly is the legislative body of the state of Vermont, in the United States. The Legislature is formally known as the "General Assembly," but the style of "Legislature" is commonly used, including by the body itself. The G ...

, and served until his death.

Death and burial

Bradley died in St. Albans on June 8, 1864. He was buried at Greenwood Cemetery in St. Albans.Gravestone photos by Barb Destromp
Jeptha Bradley page, Findagrave.com web site, accessed November 23, 2011

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bradley, Jeptha 1802 births 1864 deaths Vermont Whigs 19th-century American politicians Vermont Republicans Vermont sheriffs Vermont state court judges State Auditors of Vermont Vermont lawyers People from Franklin County, Vermont Burials at Greenwood Cemetery (St. Albans, Vermont) United States Customs Service personnel 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers