Frederick Van Ness Bradley (April 12, 1898 – May 24, 1947) was an American politician who served as the

U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

for

Michigan's 11th congressional district Michigan's 11th congressional district is a United States congressional district northwest of Detroit, comprising portions of northwestern Wayne and southwestern Oakland counties. Until 1993, the district covered the state's Upper Peninsula a ...

from 1939 until his death in 1947. He was a member of the Republican Party.

Early life and career

Bradley was born in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

and moved to

Rogers City, Michigan Rogers City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,827 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Presque Isle County. The city is adjacent to Rogers Township, but is politically independent. Rogers City is located on L ...

, in 1910 where he attended the public schools and graduated from Rogers City High School. He attended Montclair Academy in

Montclair, New Jersey Montclair () is a township in Essex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated on the cliffs of the Watchung Mountains, Montclair is a wealthy and diverse commuter town and suburb of New York City within the New York metropolitan area. ...

and in 1918 joined the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

for

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 ...

. Bradley served in the Student Army Training Corps at

Plattsburgh Barracks The "Old Stone Barracks" is the last remaining structure of a proposed quadrangle (architecture), quadrangle of early U.S. Army barracks built at Plattsburgh, New York (state), New York in 1838. Of the four main buildings initially planned for ...

, New York. He graduated from

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...

in 1921. His father was president of the Michigan Limestone and Chemical Company, and Bradley worked for the company as a salesman in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

from 1921 to 1923. He was a purchasing agent with Bradley Transportation Company in Rogers City, Michigan from 1924 to 1938.

Congress

In 1938, Bradley was the successful

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 ...

nominee to represent

, defeating incumbent

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

John Luecke. He was reelected four times and served from January 3, 1939 until his death. He was chairman of the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries in the

80th Congress The 80th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 194 ...

. With his longtime interest in Great Lakes shipping, Bradley was the legislative sponsor behind the construction of the

Round Island Passage Light Round Island Passage Light is an automated, unmanned lighthouse located in the Round Island Channel in the Straits of Mackinac, Michigan. The channel is a branch of Lake Huron. History The Round Island Lighthouse was constructed in 1895 to m ...

. Bradley died in

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports for several decade ...

on May 24, 1947 while there to attend a meeting of the

United States Coast Guard Academy The United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA) is a service academy of the United States Coast Guard in New London, Connecticut. Founded in 1876, it is the smallest of the five U.S. service academies and provides education to future Coast G ...

board of visitors. He was interred at Rogers City Memorial Park.

Family

In 1922, Bradley married Marcia Marie Hillidge of

Front Royal, Virginia Front Royal is the only incorporated town in Warren County, Virginia, United States. The population was 15,011 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Warren County. History The entire Shenandoah Valley including the area to become F ...

. They were the parents of a son, Carl, who died in 1938 at the age of two.

References

The Political Graveyard
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bradley, Frederick Van Ness 1898 births 1947 deaths Cornell University alumni Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan 20th-century American politicians

Early life and career

Congress

Family

See also

References