Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-05-24

SENATOR BRADLEY.
William O'Connell Bradley, senior SEN
ator from Kentucky, died at his apart
| ments in Falkstone Courts last night at
9:45 o'clock. Senator Bradley was one Of
| the republican leaders of Kentucky Of his
generation and was governor of that state
before he was elected to the Senate.
Senator Bradiey's body will be taken
Monday to Frankfort, KY. where funeral
services will be held Tuesday afternoon
from the home of his daughter, Mrs.
John G. South. The body will be ac-
companied by committees from both
Vice President Marshall and Speaker
Clark.
The senator suffered an attack of acute
indigestion Wednesday. He suffered. too.
from serious kidney trouble His condi-
ton grew rapidly worse and Friday morn
ing it became apparent that he had little
chance of recovery. He constantly grew
weaker yesterday until the end came. At
his bedside were his daughter.s Mrs John
G. South of Franklin, KY, and her hus-
band, DR.. South. who had been sum
moned from their home when Senator
Bradley's condition became alarming.
Last Tuesday Senator Bradley appeared
on the floor of the Senate. He. wore a
large patch of surgeons plaster over one
eye and one of his hands was heavily
bandaged and in sling as the result of
fall when he was trying to board a car
near the Capitol last week. He broke
two fingers and cut his head in the acci-
dent. 1t is believed that his Illness was
aggravated by his fall. May & he made
an address in the Senate in opposition to
| the Panama canal tolls repeal bill.
Arrangements for the funeral of Sem
ator Bradley will be made today.
His First Term in Senate.
Senator Bradley was a resident of
beechmont. suburb of Louisville, KY
He was completing his first term in the
United States Senate. which would have
expired March =. 1915.
Senator Bradley was native Ken
tuckian having been born near Lam
caster, March 49, 1s47. He was educated
at the common schools near his home,
but never attended college. When he
was fourteen years old the civil war
broke out. and he ran away from school
and Joined the Union army His father
took him out of the army because Of
his youth. and again he ran away and
| enlisted, and a second time his father
! procured his discharge.
! In 1861 Senator Bradley was a page
| in the lower house of the Kentucky legiS-
| lature He obtained his first insight into
| politics at that time. Ever since those
| days he has been active in lolitics al
ways as stanch republican, though at
| times in districts which were hopelessly
| democratic.
Licensed Lawyer at 16.
| BY a special act of the legislature he
was licensed to practice law when he
| was only eighteen years old, provided
] that he was found competent by two
| circuit judges. Ever since that time he
was actively engaged in the practice of
| law
| Senator Bradley was married in 1867
| to Margaret Robertson Duncan. He was
| elected county attorney of Garrard coun-
| ty in 1870. and in 1872 and 1876 he was
| republican candidate for Congress in an
| overwhelmingly democratic district
| That for many years he was one of
the leading. if not the leading repub-
| lican OF his state is shown clearly by the
record he has left. He was unanimously
/ elected delegate-at-l large to seven repub-
| lican national conventions In 1889 he
! seconded the nomination of Grant for
President at the national convention. He
| was instrumental in 1884, during the ma
tionai convention, in preventing the cur
| tailment of representation from the
southern states in the republican ma
| tlonal conventions. At the national con-
vention in 1904 he made speech second
| ing the domination of Theodore Roose
welt for President
| Three times Senator Bradley was elect
ed a member of the republican national
committee.
Popular With the People.
| Senator Bradley had a great hold upon
the people of kentucky. In 1887 he ran
for governor of the state upon the re-
publican ticket Though he was defeated
| he cut down the democratic majority
from 1900 TO less than 1900. In 1886
| he again entered the race for the gov
! ernorship. and this time was elected
governor by plurality Of S.9l2. He was
nominated for United States senator and
| was voted for four times prior to 1908
In that year he was elected to the Senate
although the general assembly which
| elected him was democratic by ma
jority of eight.
Senator Bradley was known as a speak
er throughout the country. He was an
expert player of the guitar. When
the late Senator Taylor of Tennes-
! see-"Fidding Bob Taylor-was in
the eSenate Senator Bradley and he
| used to play duets and sing together fol
! entire evenings at a time, regaling theiI
| colleagues with favorite southern melo-
| dies
He is survived by his daughter, Mrs.
John G. South Of Frankfort, Ky.