William Bradford (November 4, 1729 – July 6, 1808) was a physician, lawyer, and politician, serving as

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

Senator from

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but it ...

and deputy governor of the state.

Early life and education

William Bradford was born at

Plympton, Massachusetts Plympton is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 2,930 at the 2020 census. The United States senator William Bradford was born here. History Plympton was first settled in 1662 by Reverend Justin P. Daley ...

to Lt. Samuel Bradford and Sarah Gray. He was a great-great-grandson of the William Bradford who had been Governor of the

Plymouth Colony Plymouth Colony (sometimes Plimouth) was, from 1620 to 1691, the first permanent English colony in New England and the second permanent English colony in North America, after the Jamestown Colony. It was first settled by the passengers on the ...

. The younger man first studied medicine at

Hingham, Massachusetts Hingham ( ) is a town in metropolitan Greater Boston on the South Shore (Massachusetts), South Shore of the U.S. state of Massachusetts in northern Plymouth County, Massachusetts, Plymouth County. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, t ...

and then practiced at Warren, Rhode Island.

Career and revolution

Bradford moved to

Mount Hope Farm Mount Hope Farm (also known as Gov. William Bradford House) is a historic estate on Metacom Avenue in Bristol, Rhode Island, United States. Description and history The farm is located near the Mount Hope Bridge in Bristol, Rhode Island, and the gr ...

Bristol, Rhode Island Bristol is a town in Bristol County, Rhode Island, US as well as the historic county seat. The town is built on the traditional territories of the Pokanoket Wampanoag. It is a deep water seaport named after Bristol, England. The population of ...

, where he was elected to the colonial assembly in 1761. He was elected to additional terms at various times up until 1803, and served as Speaker of the Assembly in several terms. He expanded his abilities with the study of law, was admitted to the bar in 1767, and established a practice at Bristol. He served as Deputy Governor of Rhode Island from November 1775 to May 1778. He served as major general in command of the colony's militia from June–October 1775 until being relieved by Major General Joshua Babcock. He was elected to the Continental Congress in 1776, but did not attend. Bradford served on the ''Committee of Safety'' of

Bristol County, Rhode Island Bristol County is a county located in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. As of the 2020 census, the population was 50,793, making it the least populous county in Rhode Island. In terms of land area, it is the third-smallest county in the United S ...

and from 1773 to 1776 on the ''Committee of Correspondence'' for the

Rhode Island colony The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was one of the original Thirteen Colonies established on the east coast of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean. It was founded by Roger Williams. It was an English colony from 1636 until ...

. When the

British Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...

bombarded Bristol on October 7, 1775, his home was among the buildings destroyed. He afterward went aboard ship to negotiate a cease fire. After the

government was established, Bradford was elected to the United States Senate, taking office on March 4, 1793. He was the President pro tempore of the Senate from July 6, 1797 until he resigned from the Senate in October of that year. He returned to his home in Bristol and died there in 1808. Originally buried in Bristol's East Burying Ground, his grave was later moved to the Juniper Hill Cemetery.

Personal life

He married and had a family, including daughter Nancy Ann Bradford. In 1790, she married

James DeWolf James DeWolf (March 18, 1764December 21, 1837) was a slave trader, a privateer during the War of 1812, and a state and national politician. He served as a state legislator for a total of nearly 25 years, and in the 1820s as a United States senat ...

of Bristol, who was a successful slave trader and belonged to a large and influential family that also went into banking and insurance. He was elected to the US Senate in the 1820s. They were the great-great-grandparents of artist and publisher

Charles Dana Gibson Charles Dana Gibson (September 14, 1867 – December 23, 1944) was an American illustrator. He was best known for his creation of the Gibson Girl, an iconic representation of the beautiful and independent Euro-American woman at the turn of the ...

References

External links

Wiliam Bradford entry
at

The Political Graveyard The Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 277,000 American political figures and political families, along with other information. The name comes from the website's inclusion of burial locations o ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bradford, William 1729 births 1808 deaths Presidents pro tempore of the United States Senate People from Bristol, Rhode Island People from Plympton, Massachusetts People from Warren, Rhode Island Rhode Island Federalists Rhode Island lawyers United States senators from Rhode Island Burials at Juniper Hill Cemetery People of colonial Rhode Island American people of English descent