Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 7).djvu/54

32 BOWSER, Edward Albert, mathematician, b. in Sackville, New Brunswick, 18 June, 1845. He was graduated in 1868 at Rutgers, and lias been professor of mathematics and engineering in Rut- gers since 1871. In 1869-'70 lie was assistant in office of U. S. coast and geodetic survey, and since 1875 acting assistant U. S. coast and geodetic sur- vey. Lafavette college gave him the degree of LL. D. in 1881. He has published " Analytic Ge- ometry " (New York, 1880) ; " Differential and In- tegral Calculus" (1880); "Analytic Mechanics" <1884); " Hydromechanics " (1885): " Academic Al- gebra " (1888) : " College Algebra " (Boston, 1888) : " Plane and Solid Geometry " (1890) ; " Elements of Trigonometry " ; "Treatise on Trigonometry" (1892); and "Logarithmic Tables ' (1895).

BRADFORD, John, printer, b. in Fauquier county, "a.. in 1749; d. in Fayette county, Ky., in March, 1830. He served in the Revolutionary war, and in 1779 visited Kentucky for the first time. In 1785 he settled with his family in the vicinity of Lexington, and on 11 Aug., 1787, with his brother, Fielding Bradford, he established the "Kentucke Gazette," under which style it was continued until 14 March, 1789, when the spelling was changed to " Kentucky Gazette." This was the first newspaper published west of the Alle- ghanies except the "Pittsburg Gazette," which first appeared about 1 Aug., 1787. The type with which the paper was printed was floated down Ohio river and carried on pack-horses over a wil- derness. Its first issue was published on a sheet of demi-paper, and the second on a half sheet of the same size, but owing to the difficulty of pro- curing paper it was soon afterward reduced to a half sheet foolscap, and was thus published for several months. His large type and illustrations were carved by himself out of dogwood. There was no post-office in the region, and Mr. Bradford employed a post-rider and established a letter-box in his log-cabin office for the liencfit of his neigh- bors. In 1788 he published the "Kentucky Al- manac," and in 1794 he printed books. He was the first public printer of Kentucky, and in 1803 conveyed his establishment to his son. In 1793 he was chairman of the board of trustees of Lex- ington, Ky., and he was for a long time at the head of the Democratic committee. He was also a trustee of Transylvania university, and for many years sheriff of Fayette county, which office he held until his death. On account of his great in- formation he was familiarly known as the "town oracle " or the " old warder."

BRADFORD, Royal Bird, naval officer, b. in Turner, Me., 22 July, 1844. He was graduated at tlie U. .S. naval academy in June, 1865, and pro- moted through several grades from ensign to com- mander. In 1883 he superintended the placing of an electric lighting plant aboard the "Trenton," the first man-of-war of any nation to use electric- ity, lie commanded the IJ. S. steamer " Benning- ton" off the coast of Chili during the threatened war with that country. In October, 1898, he Wiis appointed naval attnche to the United States and Spanish peace commission, and in March, 1899, was advanced to the grade of captain. He is at present head of the bureau of equipment, with the rank of rear-admiral while holding that office.

BRADLEY, Charles Smith, jurist, b. in New- buryport, Mas.s.. 19 Julv, 1819; d. in New York city, 29 Aiiril, 1888. He was graduated at Brown, and, after a brief service as tutor there, studied law at Harvard and with Charles F. Tillinghast, of Providence. In 1841 he was admitted to the Bhode Island bar, and entered into partnership with Mr. Tillinghast. He was elected to the state senate in 1854, and chiefly through his influence the act of amnesty to all who were involved in the Dorr rebellion of 1842 was adopted. He was repeatedly a delegate to national Democratic conventions, and in 1860, when the party was divided, he voted for Stephen A. Douglass. In 1863 he was the nominee of his party for congress, but failed of election. He was chosen in 1866 chief justice of the supreme court of Rhode Island and held that office for two years, when he re- signed to resume his legal practice. For two years he lectured at the Harvard law-school, and in 1876-'9 he held a chair in that institution. In 1866 he was elected a fellow of Brown, which place, by re-elections, he filled until his death, and in 1867 the degree of LL. D. was conferred on hira by that university. Judge Bradley was again the Democratic nominee for congress from his district in 1886, but was defeated. His reputation as an orator led to his being chosen often to speak on public occasions. Among his best-known efforts are "An Address before the Alumni Association of Brown University " in 1855, " Oration on the 250lh Anniversary of the Landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth " in 1870, his remarks on the retirement of President Alexis Caswell from the presidency of Brown university in 1872, his oration before the  P K society of Harvard university in 1879, and his oration on " The Profession of the Law as an Element of Civil Society," pronounced in 1881 at the University of Virginia.

BRADLEY, Lyman, inventor, b. in Cavuga county, N. Y., 7 June, 1807; d. in Buffalo, N. Y., 18 May, 1888. He was educated in his native place, and acquired much of his knowledge by his own efforts. For a time he was in business in Lockport, N. Y., but later he removed to Wiscon- sin, where he engaged unsuccessfully in lumbering and other enterprises. In 1865 he settled in Buf- falo, where he spent the remainder of his life. He formed the acquaintance of a chemist who was experimenting on a process for manufacturing sugar from corn. With very little capital, and in the face of the most discouraging circumstances, he joined in the enterprise, and by his own study and energy completed the process. This was the beginning of the corn-sugar industry. After perfecting and patenting the method he disposed of his interest for a handsome fortune, a greater part of which he devoted to the payment of out- lawed debts. Jlr. Bradley was also the inventor of a process for preserving fruit.

BRADY, John, R. C. bishop, b. in County Cav- an, Ireland, in 1840. He made his ecclesiastical studies at the College of All Hallows, the great missionary college of Ireland, and was ordained in 1874. His first work was at St. Mary's church, in Newburyport. Jlass.. as assistant pastor, until 1868, when he was appointed pastor of St. Joseph's church at Amesbury, where he still continues to perform successful parochial work. To the theo- logian and )mstor he unites a thorough appreci- ation of American citizenship. He was chosen to aid Arehbisliop Williams of Boston in the arduous laboi-s of the e|)iscopate; was appointed auxiliary bishop of Boston, was consecrated at the Boston cathedral in 1891, under the title of bishop of Ala- banda, and still, while discharging the missionary duties of pastor at Amesbury, relieves the arch- bishop of many of the labors of the episcopate.

BRANN, Henry Athanasius, author, b. in Parkstown, County Meatli. Ireland, 15 Aug., 1837. He came to the United States, received his clas- sical education in St. Mary's college, Wilmington,