William Bradford (Rhode Island)

Infobox Senator
name =William Bradford


imagesize =176px
jr/sr =United States Senator
state =Rhode Island
term_start =March 4, 1793
term_end =October 1797
preceded =Joseph Stanton, Jr.
succeeded =Ray Greene
order2 =8th President pro tempore of the United States Senate
term_start2 =July 6, 1797
term_end2 =October 1797
president2 =John Adams
preceded2 =William Bingham
succeeded2 =Jacob Read
birth_date =November 4, 1729
birth_place =Plympton, Massachusetts
death_date =July 6, 1808
death_place =Bristol, Rhode Island
restingplace =Juniper Hill Cemetery, Bristol, Rhode Island
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party =Federalist
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William Bradford (November 4, 1729 - July 6, 1808) was a physician, lawyer, and United States Senator from Rhode Island. He was born at Plympton, Massachusetts, and was the great-great-grandson of the William Bradford who had been Governor of the Plymouth Colony. He first studied medicine at Hingham, Massachusetts and then practiced at Warren, Rhode Island.

William moved to Mount Hope Farm in Bristol, Rhode Island, and was elected to the colonial assembly in 1761 . (He would be 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 afterwards went aboard ship to negotiate a cease fire.

After the United States government was established, Bradford was elected to the United States Senate and took 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.

He was the great-great-grandfather of Charles Dana Gibson.

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