William Bradford served as U.S. attorney general from 1794 to 1795 under President George Washington. Bradford, a Revolutionary War hero and a distinguished attorney and judge, was the second person to hold the post of attorney general. His tenure was cut short by his untimely death.
Bradford was born on September 14, 1755, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Princeton University with a bachelor of arts degree in 1772 and a master of arts degree in 1775. With the outbreak of the American Revolution, Bradford volunteered as a private in 1776 and moved steadily up the ranks during the course of the war. He attained the ranks of lieutenant colonel, deputy quartermaster general, deputy muster-master general and colonel in the Continental Army between 1776 and 1779. Bradford fought in numerous battles, including Valley Forge. During the war Bradford came to the attention of General George Washington.
After leaving the army in 1779, Bradford returned to Philadelphia, where he apprenticed in the law office of Edward Shippen. Bradford's course of "reading the law" was the most common way a man became a lawyer during this era. There were few schools offering degrees in law and it was thought that working in a law office gave prospective lawyers a grounding in the regular practice of law.
In Bradford's case, the apprenticeship was relatively short. He was admitted to the Pennsylvania bar in September of 1779. Bradford was appointed attorney general of Pennsylvania the following year, attesting to his extraordinary legal abilities and his political connections. For the next 11 years Bradford represented the state as attorney general. In 1782, he argued Pennsylvania's case against Connecticut before a congressional commission on land titles.
In 1791, Bradford was appointed a justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Within a year, Bradford had become interested in the administration of the state courts. He led a drive to revise Pennsylvania's criminal laws so as to make them more uniform. At this time, most states had not collected and codified their criminal laws, making it difficult to know the scope and jurisdiction of state criminal courts.
In 1794, George Washington appointed Bradford U.S. attorney general. Bradford met Washington's criteria for selection, namely that he was a Federalist who believed in a strong national government and the U.S Constitution. In addition, Bradford's distinguished war record and his favorable reputation contributed to Washington's decision. Finally, Washington was acquainted with Bradford. All of these factors assumed more importance during the first years of the Republic, when political and geographical divisions threatened the future of the new government.
During the early years of the Republic, the office of attorney general was not part of the president's cabinet, nor was it a full-time position. Officeholders expected to continue their private practice of law while serving as attorney general, as the compensation for the office was quite small. Bradford, like many of his successors, was reluctant to give up his seat on the state supreme court. Nevertheless, he bowed to Washington's request.
Bradford's time in office was brief. He died unexpectedly on August 23, 1795, in Burlington, New Jersey.
This is the complete article, containing 508 words
(approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page).
View More Summaries on William Bradford (Plymouth governor)
