Allen Alexander Bradford (July 23, 1815 – March 12, 1888) was an American attorney, judge, and politician from Colorado. A Republican, he served as

Associate Judge An associate justice or associate judge (or simply associate) is a judicial panel member who is not the chief justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the Supreme Court of the United States and some st ...

of the

United States District Court The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district. Each district cov ...

for

Colorado Territory The Territory of Colorado was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 28, 1861, until August 1, 1876, when it was admitted to the Union as the 38th State of Colorado. The territory was organized ...

from 1862 to 1865 and Territorial Delegate from Colorado Territory from 1865 to 1867 and 1869 to 1871. A native of

Friendship, Maine Friendship (formerly known as Meduncook) is a town in Knox County, Maine, United States. It is 31 miles (49.9 km) southeast of Augusta. The population was 1,142 at the 2020 census. History Abenaki Native Americans called it Meduncook, ...

, Bradford taught school while studying law, attained

admission to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

and practiced. He served as clerk of the circuit court of

Atchison County, Missouri Atchison County is the northwesternmost county in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 5,305. Its county seat is Rock Port. It was originally known as Allen County when it was detached from Holt ...

, from 1845 to 1851, then moved to

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

, where he was judge of the sixth judicial district from 1852 to 1855. He then moved to

Nebraska Territory The Territory of Nebraska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until March 1, 1867, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Nebraska. The Nebrask ...

, where he served as a member of the territorial house of representatives from 1856 to 1858. In 1860, he moved to

, where he was appointed judge of the territory's supreme court by President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

on June 6, 1862. Bradford was elected territorial delegate in 1864 and served in the

39th Congress The 39th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from March 4, 1865 ...

, March 4, 1865, to March 3, 1867. After his term, he resumed the practice of law in

Pueblo, Colorado Pueblo ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule municipality that is the county seat of and the List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous municipality in Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. The ...

. In 1868, he was again elected as territorial delegate, and he served in the

41st Congress The 41st United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1869, ...

, (March 4, 1869, to March 3, 1871. After leaving Congress, Bradford practiced law in Pueblo. He died in Pueblo on March 12, 1888. He was buried at City Cemetery in Pueblo.

Early life

Allen A. Bradford was born in

, on July 23, 1815, a son of Cornelius Bradford and Hannah (Gay) Bradford. He was raised on his family's farm, attended the local schools, and was a student at several academies in the

Camden, Maine Camden is a town in Knox County, Maine, United States. The population was 5,232 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The population of the town more than triples during the summer months, due to tourists and summer residents. Camden is ...

, area. After completing his education, he taught school while studying law in the

Thomaston, Maine Thomaston, formerly known as Fort St. Georges, Fort Wharf, and Lincoln, is a New England town, town in Knox County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,739 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Noted for its antique architecture, ...

, office of Jonathan Cilley. In 1841, Bradford moved to

, where he continued to teach school and study law. He attained

in 1845 and practiced in Atchison County. From 1845 to 1850, Bradford served as clerk of the Missouri Circuit Court for Atchison County. In 1850, he made a

California Gold Rush The California gold rush (1848–1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California from the rest of the U ...

trip to the West Coast, but decided not to remain, and he returned to Missouri in 1851. Later that year he moved to

Sidney, Iowa Sidney is a city in Fremont County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,070 at the time of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Fremont County and is one of the smallest county seats in the state. History Sidney was laid out in 185 ...

, where he continued to practice law. From 1852 to 1855, he served as judge of Iowa's 6th District Court.

Continued career

In 1855, Bradford moved to

Nebraska City Nebraska City is a city in and the county seat of Otoe County, Nebraska, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 7,222. The Nebraska State Legislature has credited Nebraska City as being the oldest incorporated city in the ...

, where he continued practicing law. He was soon elected to the territorial legislature, and he served in the second, third, and fourth sessions, 1856, 1857, and 1858. In 1860, he moved to Central City,

, where he resumed practicing law. In 1862, he was appointed to the territory's supreme court, and he moved to

Pueblo Pueblo refers to the settlements of the Pueblo peoples, Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, currently in New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas. The permanent communities, including some of the oldest continually occupied settlement ...

. Bradford remained on the bench until 1865, when he resigned to take his seat in Congress. In 1864, Bradford was elected as Colorado's territorial delegate to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

, and he served one term, March 4, 1865, to March 3, 1867. He was not a candidate for reelection in 1866 and resumed practicing law in Pueblo. In 1868, he was again elected to Congress, and he served as Colorado's delegate from March 4, 1869, to March 3, 1871. After completing his second term, Bradford returned to Pueblo to practice law. From 1871 to 1881, he served as county attorney of

Pueblo County Pueblo County ( or ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 168,162. The county seat is Pueblo. The county was named for the historic city of Pueblo which took its name from the Spanish la ...

. Bradford died in Pueblo on March 13, 1888. He was buried at City Cemetery in Pueblo.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bradford, Allen Alexander 1815 births 1888 deaths Delegates to the United States House of Representatives from Colorado Territory Iowa state court judges Missouri state court judges People from Knox County, Maine Colorado lawyers Colorado Republicans Members of the Nebraska Territorial Legislature 19th-century Missouri state court judges 19th-century American lawyers Justices of the Colorado Supreme Court 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives