William O'Connell Bradley

William O'Connell Bradley
32nd Governor of Kentucky
In office December 10, 1895 – December 12, 1899
Lieutenant	William J. Worthington
Preceded by	John Y. Brown
Succeeded by	William S. Taylor
United States Senator from Kentucky
In office March 4, 1909 – May 23, 1914
Preceded by	James B. McCreary
Succeeded by	Johnson N. Camden Jr.
Personal details
Born	March 18, 1847 Garrard County, Kentucky, U.S.
Died	May 23, 1914(1914-05-23) (aged 67) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Resting place	Frankfort Cemetery
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Margaret Robinson Duncan
Relations	Thomas Z. Morrow (brother-in-law) Edwin P. Morrow (nephew)
Profession	Politician lawyer
Signature
Military service
Branch/service	Union Army
Battles/wars	American Civil War

William O'Connell Bradley (March 18, 1847 – May 23, 1914) was an American politician from the state of Kentucky. He served as the 32nd Governor of Kentucky and was later elected by the state legislature as a U.S. senator from that state. The first Republican to serve as governor of Kentucky, Bradley became known as the father of the Republican Party in Kentucky.^[1]

As a Republican in a heavily Democratic state, Bradley found little success early in his political career. He was defeated for a seat in the United States House of Representatives and in the United States Senate twice each. After rising to national prominence as a "Stalwart Republican"^[2] with his speech seconding the presidential nomination of Ulysses S. Grant at the 1880 Republican National Convention, he was nominated for governor in 1887. Although he lost the contest to Simon Bolivar Buckner, he reduced the usual Democratic majority substantially. He was again nominated for governor in 1895. Capitalizing on divisions in the Democratic Party over the issue of free silver, he defeated Parker Watkins Hardin in the general election. His term was marked by political struggles and violence. He was an advocate for African Americans and did much to advance their status in the state, but was unable to enact much of his pro-civil rights agenda due to a hostile Democratic majority in the state legislature.

Republican William S. Taylor was elected to succeed Bradley in the contentious 1899 gubernatorial election. When Democratic nominee William Goebel and his running mate J. C. W. Beckham challenged the election results, Bradley formed part of the legal team for the Republicans. The case was appealed to the Supreme Court, which found in favor of the Democrats. Despite being a member of the state's minority party, Bradley was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1907. Again, divisions within the Democratic Party played a role in his election. Bradley's opposition to Prohibition made him more palatable to some Democrats than their own candidate, outgoing Governor Beckham. Beckham refused to withdraw in favor of a compromise candidate, and after two months of balloting, four Democratic legislators crossed party lines and elected Bradley. Bradley had a largely undistinguished career in the Senate. On the day he announced he would not seek re-election to his Senate seat, he was involved in a streetcar accident. He died from his injuries on May 23, 1914.