Page:One of a thousand.djvu/88

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74 BRADFORD. BRADLEE. His entry into business life was as assist- ant on the "American Kphemeris and Nau- tical Almanac," under the direction of the navy department, October i, 1850. In 1854 he left to follow the sea, but returned four years later and resumed his connection with the " Nautical Almanac ; " resigned in the spring of 1865 to engage in mining in Colorado, going out as superintendent of a Boston company, taking a party and wagon- train of machinery from the terminus of the railroad in Central Iowa across the plains ; returned to Cambridge in 1868 ; was subsequently employed by the United States Coast Survey to perform the exten- sive astronomical and telegraphic time ISAAC BRADFORD computations of the trans-continental longi- tude campaign of 1869, between Cambridge and San Francisco. He served in the common council of Cam- bridge 1S70, was re-elected, but resigned to accept position as chief-of-police ; was elected mayor of Cambridge 1873, serving four consecutive terms ; was Democratic candidate for Congress 1S78 ; moved to Exeter, N. H., 1879, to take charge of a paper mill ; returned to Cambridge in 1884, where he has since resided. He is at present engaged on the " Nautical Almanac," besides making calculations for the greater part of the almanacs of the country — work he has carried on continuously since 1857, his first almanac being that printed in the Cambridge directory for 1S52. He is also at present chairman of the board of registrars of voters in Cambridge. During the war he sought to serve in the navy, but upon official request of the de- partment, he remained attached to the " Nautical Almanac." He was in charge of the home military organization as cap- tain, and was placed in command of the state arsenai at Cambridge during the draft riot of 1S64. He is an active Mason, and was master of iMt. Olivet Lodge 1871 and '72. This expert mathematician, after leaving the guidance of his revered teacher, Thomas Sherwin (Boston English high school), fortunately enjoyed unusual advantages in pursuing his special work in the higher mathematics, under the distinguished pro- fessor, Benjamin Pierce (Harvard Univer- sity), who had been called to the position of consulting astronomer to the " Nautical Almanac." To him, Mr. Bradford was as- signed as special assistant. At the same time Mr. Bradford was privileged to attend the elective course in mathematics at the University. Mr. Bradford was married in West Med- ford, April 30, 1862, to Jane Ann, daughter of William and Jane Ann (Hutchings) 1 >avis, of Boston. Of this union are two children : Ellen Hutchings and Isaac Bradford. BRADLEE, JOHN WALTER, son of John D. and Catherine C. (Trow) Bradlee, was born in Milton, Norfolk county, March 17, 1841. The public schools and Milton Academy gave him his educational training. Before his majority he started in the nursery business, but at the breaking out of the war of the rebellion, he enlisted in the 38th regiment, Massachusetts volunteers. He has been a deputy sheriff of Norfolk county, auctioneer and real estate agent; chairman of the board of selectmen, asses- sors and overseers of the poor, for ten years. He was for a long time a member of the school board and a trustee of the cemetery. Mr. Bradlee was married in Milton, November 1, 1866, to Nellie Marion, daugh- ter of Leonard and Lydia T. (Blaney) Morse. Of this union are six children : J. Walter, Charles, Nellie Marion, Eva Morse, Leonard Morse and Roger William Bradlee. Mr. Bradlee has held the chairmanship of the Norfolk county Republican com-