BRADFORD, William (1729-1808)
Senate Years of Service: 1793-1795; 1795-1797
BRADFORD, WILLIAM, a Senator from Rhode Island; born in Plympton, Plymouth County,
Mass., November 4, 1729; studied medicine in Hingham, Mass., and afterwards
practiced in Warren, R.I.; moved to Bristol, R.I.; abandoned the profession of
medicine and studied law; admitted to the Rhode Island bar in 1767 and
commenced practice in Bristol; member, State house of representatives for
several terms between 1761 and 1803, serving as speaker on several occasions;
member of the Rhode Island Committee of Correspondence in 1773; deputy governor
of Rhode Island 1775-1778; elected as a Delegate to the Continental Congress in
1776 but did not attend; elected to the United States Senate and served from
March 4, 1793, until October 1797, when he resigned; served as President pro
tempore of the Senate during the Fifth Congress; retired to his home in
Bristol, R.I., and died there on July 6, 1808; interment in East Burial Ground.
Brown University
Providence, RI
Papers: Miscellaneous items in various
collections.
Massachusetts Historical Society
Boston, MA
Papers: 8 items (1794-1803) in various
collections.
Rhode Island Historical Society
Providence, RI
Papers: 1776-1782. 8 autograph letters.
- No known books or articles.
