American politician
William Bradford
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In office
March 4, 1793 ? October 1797
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Preceded by
| Joseph Stanton, Jr.
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Succeeded by
| Ray Greene
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In office
July 6, 1797 ? October 1797
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Preceded by
| William Bingham
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Succeeded by
| Jacob Read
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In office
November 7, 1775 ? May 4, 1778
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Governor
| Nicholas Cooke
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Preceded by
| Nicholas Cooke
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Succeeded by
| Jabez Bowen
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Born
| November 4, 1729
(
1729-11-04
)
Plympton, Massachusetts
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Died
| July 6, 1808
(1808-07-06)
(aged 78)
Bristol, Rhode Island
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Resting place
| Juniper Hill Cemetery
,
Bristol, Rhode Island
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Political party
| Federalist
Pro-Administration
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Spouse
| Mary LeBaron Bradford
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Children
| Nancy Ann Bradford DeWolf
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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
[
edit
]
William Bradford was born at
Plympton, Massachusetts
, to Lt. Samuel Bradford and Sarah Gray.
[1]
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
[
edit
]
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 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
, 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
[
edit
]
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.
[2]
[3]
They were the great-great-grandparents of artist and publisher
Charles Dana Gibson
.
References
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
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Pro-Administration
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Anti-Administration
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Federalist
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Democratic-Republican
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Jacksonian
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National Republican
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Whig
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Democratic
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Republican
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Independent
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International
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National
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People
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Other
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