Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1892-01-23
JUSTICE BRADLEY.
Death of a Member of the Suprem
Court-Sketch of His Career.

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Death of a Member of the suprem
Court-sketch of His Career.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 22.-Associate Jus
tice Joseph p. Bradley of the United
States supreme court died in this city a
6:15 o'clock this morning. In accordsnc,
with the wish of Justice Bradley the flu
neral will be private and devoid of any
ostentatious display. Private service will
be held at his late residence Sunday after
noon at o'clock, after which the remains
will be taken to his home at Newark, N.
j., and inferred in the family buryine
ground Monday afternoon.
Joseph P. Bradley was descended from
an old Connecticut family, his father be-
ing Philo Bradley, who migrated to Berne
Albany county, N. Y, from Fairfield,
Conn.,, at the end of the last century.
The future judge of the supreme court of
the United States was born on the 18th of
March, 1918, and worked on the farm until
he was sixteen years old, depending for
his education upon occasional periods of
instruction in the village school and his
fathers library, which was of a size and
trict in those days. He made 60 much
progress that he was appointed o school
teacher, and his evident zeal for study
prompted a neighboring clergyman to offer
to prepare him for college. he seized the
opportunity, finally entered Rutgers, and
was graduated with honors in 1886, dis
tinguishing himself especially in msthemat-
les. His next step was to enter the law
Office of Arthur Clifford at Newark, N. j.,
and in 1889 he was admitted to the bar,
beginning practice in the following year.
From the first his career was successful,
and he was soon engaged in many cases
of great Importance, both in the state and
United States courts. In 1850 he at
tracted general attention by the skill of
his arguments in the New Jersey Bridge
case before the United States supreme
court. For many years he was the coun-
sellor of the New Jersey. Trenton and
Philadelphia and the Camden and
Amboy Railroad companies, and on
more than one occasion he exerted
bis influence to induce his clients
to forego privileges to which they
were legally entitled, but which excited
bitter public opposition. From 1857 to
1858 he was actuary of the Mutual Benefit
association of Newark, and from 1865 to
1869 president of the New Jersey Mutual
Life Insurance company. He was also
director of other financial institutions. In
1859 Lafayette college gave him the degree
of IL D., and in 1870 he delivered the
centennial address at Rutgers. In March
of that year he was created justice of
the supreme court of the United States by
President Grant, and was appointed to the
great southern circuit. Later, on the res
ignation of Mr.. Justice Strong, he WAS
transferred to the third circuit, includ
ing the states of Pennsylvania,
New Jersey and Delaware. At the
time of his appointment, and for
many years after it, the supreme court
was engaged in the trial of cases arising
out of the war, and involving great mag
nitude, novelty and nicely. In the solution
of the legal problems thus presented JUS
tice Bradley exhibited remarkable astute-
ness, rare powers of research, and vast and
varied acquaintance with presidents and
authorities He also acquired special
reputation for his decisions in insurance,
maritime and patent cases. In January,
1877, he was made member of the cleo
toral commission and was one of the ma
jority in the vote of to which gave the
contested southern states to Mr.. Hayes.
In his early life Mr.. Justice Bradley was
a whig, but he ultimately joined the repub-
lican party, of which he was ever after an
ardent and constant supporter. At the
outbreak of the war he was active as a rail
road director in the forwarding of troops
and supplies and often accompanied new
regiments to the field and addressed them
on the issues of the day. In 1862 he re-
accepted the republican nomina-
ton for congress in the Sixth district of
New Jersey, democratic stronghold, and
was defeated. He headed the New Jersey
republican electoral ticket in 1868. In
1874 he married Mary, daughter of Chief
Justice Hornblower of New Jersey, who
bore him two sons and two daughters.