William Bradford (Rhode Island)

William Bradford
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United States Senator from Rhode Island
In office March 4, 1793 – October 1797
Preceded by	Joseph Stanton, Jr.
Succeeded by	Ray Greene
President pro tempore of the United States Senate
In office July 6, 1797 – October 1797
President	John Adams
Preceded by	William Bingham
Succeeded by	Jacob Read
44th Deputy Governor of Rhode Island
In office November 7, 1775 – May 4, 1778
Governor	Nicholas Cooke
Preceded by	Nicholas Cooke
Succeeded by	Jabez Bowen
Personal details
Born	November 4, 1729 (1729-11-04) Plympton, Massachusetts
Died	Bristol, Rhode Island
Resting place	Juniper Hill Cemetery, Bristol, Rhode Island
Political party	Federalist Pro-Administration
Spouse(s)	Mary LeBaron Bradford
Children	Nancy Ann Bradford DeWolf

William Bradford (November 4, 1729 – July 6, 1808) was a physician, lawyer, and politician, serving as United States Senator from Rhode Island and deputy governor of the state.

Early life and education

William Bradford was born at Plympton, Massachusetts 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. The younger man first studied medicine at Hingham, Massachusetts and then practiced at Warren, Rhode Island.

Career and revolution

Bradford moved to Mount Hope Farm in Bristol, Rhode Island, 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 to the Governor from 1775 to 1778. 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 and from 1773 to 1776 on the Committee of Correspondence for the Rhode Island colony. When the British Navy 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 United States 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 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.

External links

• William Bradford at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Wiliam Bradford entry at The Political Graveyard
• William Bradford at Find a Grave

Political offices
Preceded by Nicholas Cooke	Deputy Governor of Rhode Island 1775–1778	Succeeded by Jabez Bowen
Preceded by William Bingham	President pro tempore of the United States Senate July 6, 1797 – October 1797	Succeeded by Jacob Read
United States Senate
Preceded by Joseph Stanton, Jr.	U.S. Senator (Class 2) from Rhode Island 1793–1797 Served alongside: Theodore Foster	Succeeded by Ray Greene

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