 robert fiske bradford (december 15, 1902 &ndash; march 18, 1983) was an american politician who served one term as the 57th governor of massachusetts, from 1947 to 1949. ==biography== bradford was born in boston, massachusetts. the scion of an old traditional new england yankee brahmin family, his father was a successful physician and dean of harvard medical school. he graduated from the elite browne and nichols school, and from harvard university in 1923. a republican, mr. bradford entered politics by serving as executive secretary to governor joseph ely, and later worked on the gubernatorial and senatorial campaigns of leverett saltonstall. in 1938, he was elected district attorney of middlesex county, and served in that position from 1939 to 1945, when he became lieutenant governor under democratic governor maurice j. tobin. in 1946, bradford challenged and defeated tobin, and served as governor from 1947 to 1949. as governor, bradford governed in the fashion of his mentor, leverett saltonstall, with an emphasis on fiscal conservatism and social liberalism. during his administration, he advanced balanced budgets and intervened to prevent protracted strikes, which would be deleterious to the interests of business and the broader public. his administration worked to promote public housing for veterans and prevent alcoholism through treatment and prevention programs. in 1947, he chaired the "silent guest" program in which americans were encouraged to donate the cash equivalent of one setting of thanksgiving dinner to the starving poor in post-war europe. bradford was defeated in his bid for re-election in 1948 by former massachusetts attorney general paul a. dever. after his loss, bradford returned to the private practice of law, and later in life served as president of planned parenthood of massachusetts. 
1902_births 1983_deaths District_attorneys_in_Middlesex_County,_Massachusetts Governors_of_Massachusetts Harvard_Law_School_alumni Lieutenant_Governors_of_Massachusetts Massachusetts_Republicans People_from_Boston,_Massachusetts Republican_Party_state_governors_of_the_United_States