James W. Bradbury

"Senator Bradbury" redirects here. For other uses, see Senator Bradbury (disambiguation).

James W. Bradbury
United States Senator from Maine
In office March 4, 1847 – March 3, 1853
Preceded by	George Evans
Succeeded by	William P. Fessenden
County Attorney of Kennebec County, Maine
In office January 17, 1834 – March 27, 1838
Preceded by	Robert Goodenow
Succeeded by	Henry W. Paine
Personal details
Born	June 10, 1802 Parsonsfield, Maine
Died	January 6, 1901(1901-01-06) (aged 98) Augusta, Maine
Political party	Democratic
Alma mater	Bowdoin College
Profession	Law
Signature

James Ware Bradbury (June 10, 1802 – January 6, 1901) was a United States Senator from Maine.

Born in Parsonsfield, Maine, he attended the common schools and Gorham Academy. After graduating from Bowdoin College in 1825, he became principal of Hallowell Academy and founder of the first normal school in New Hampshire, at Effingham, New Hampshire, in 1829.

He then studied law, was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Augusta, Maine, in 1830. There he was for a time editor of the Maine Patriot, and was prosecuting attorney for the county from 1834 until 1838. He was a member of the Baltimore convention of 1844, which nominated James K. Polk for the presidency.

He was elected in 1846 as a Democrat to the United States Senate and served from March 4, 1847, until March 3, 1853, when he declined to be a candidate for reelection (returning, at the close of his term, to the practice of his profession). While in the Senate he chaired the U.S. Senate Committee on Printing and the U.S. Senate Committee on Retrenchment. He was chairman of a select committee on French spoliations.

He served as a trustee of Bowdoin College in 1861 and was corresponding secretary of the Maine Historical Society and then president of that body from 1867 to 1887.

See also

• New Hampshire Historical Marker No. 83: First Normal School in New Hampshire

Sources

• United States Congress. "James W. Bradbury (id: B000734)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Wilson, J. G.; Fiske, J., eds. (1891). Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. New York: D. Appleton. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
• Bio of James S. Bradbury: As found in Representative Men of Maine