John Jewsbury Bradley (April 20, 1869 – May 21, 1948) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

officer and a

Brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

who commanded the Eighth Infantry Division during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

.Davis, Henry Blaine. ''Generals in Khaki''. Raleigh, NC: Pentland Press, 1998. P. 37

Early life

Bradley was born in Lake View, Illinois. He graduated from the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

in 1891 and was commissioned in the Fourteenth Infantry. On September 14, 1893, Bradley married Caroline Sladen, daughter of

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

recipient

Joseph A. Sladen Joseph A. Sladen was an officer in the United States Army. A Union Army veteran of the American Civil War, he received the Medal of Honor for heroism at the 1864 Battle of Resaca. He continued to serve after the Civil War, and took part in severa ...

and sister of

Fred Winchester Sladen Fred Winchester Sladen (November 24, 1867 – July 10, 1945) was career United States Army officer who rose to the rank of major general and became Superintendent of the United States Military Academy. He was a son of English-born Joseph A. ...

. They had three children: Frances Bradley, John J. Bradley Jr., and Joseph S. Bradley.

Military career

Bradley served overseas in the Philippine insurrection, for which he received the

Purple Heart Medal The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, w ...

and a

Silver Star Medal The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an en ...

, as well as in China.Marquis Who's Who, Inc. Who Was Who in American History, the Military. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1975. OCLC 657162692 In 1912, he graduated from the Army School of Line and in the following year he graduated from the Army Staff College. Bradley served on the

War Department General Staff The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army, a ...

in 1917 and 1918 which earned him a

Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in action * Distinguishe ...

. On June 26, 1918, he was promoted to brigadier general. He was sent to France along with the

American Expeditionary Forces The American Expeditionary Forces (A. E. F.) was a formation of the United States Army on the Western Front of World War I. The A. E. F. was established on July 5, 1917, in France under the command of General John J. Pershing. It fought alon ...

and commanded a brigade of the 82nd Infantry Division. In November 1918, Bradley commanded the Eighth Infantry Division.

Awards

Along with his medals from the United States, Bradley would also receive the

Officer of the Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...

from France, the

Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...

from England, and the Commander of the Order of the Crown from Italy.

Death and legacy

Bradley retired as a colonel in 1927 due to disabilities, but went on to practice law in the state of New York. He was advanced to brigadier general on the retired list in 1930. Bradley became a trustee of the Disabled American Veterans Service Foundation. He also belonged to the

Military Order of the World Wars The Military Order of the World War was created in 1919 at the suggestion of General of the Armies John J. Pershing as a fraternity for American military officers coming out of the Great War. Two decades later, when the USA became involved in WWI ...

Guards' Club The Guards Club, established in 1810, was a London Gentlemen's club for officers of the Guards Division, originally defined by the club as being the Coldstream Guards, Grenadier Guards or Scots Guards, traditionally the most socially elite sectio ...

in London, and Army and Navy Club (Washington, D.C.). Bradley died on May 21, 1948 in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

, at the age of seventy-nine. Bradley and his wife Caroline were buried at the

West Point Cemetery West Point Cemetery is a historic cemetery in the eastern United States, on the grounds of the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York. It overlooks the Hudson River, and served as a burial ground for Revolutionary War soldiers and early ...

References

Bibliography

*Davis, Henry Blaine. ''Generals in Khaki''. Raleigh, NC: Pentland Press, 1998. *Marquis Who's Who, Inc. ''Who Was Who in American History, the Military''. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1975.

External links

John Jewsbury Bradley at Find a Grave
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bradley, John Jewsbury 1869 births 1948 deaths Military personnel from Chicago United States Military Academy alumni United States Army Infantry Branch personnel American military personnel of the Philippine–American War Recipients of the Silver Star United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni United States Army generals of World War I United States Army generals New York (state) lawyers Burials at West Point Cemetery