Edson Bradley, Jr. (May 9, 1852 – June 20, 1935) was president of Kentucky whiskey distiller W.A. Gaines and Company of

Frankfort, Kentucky Frankfort is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is a list of Kentucky cities, home rule-class city and the county seat, seat of Franklin County, Kentucky, Franklin County in the Upland Sou ...

. He owned the exclusive rights to the "Old Crow" whisky label.

Biography

Bradley was born on May 9, 1852, in

New Canaan, Connecticut New Canaan () is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 20,622 according to the 2020 census. The town is part of the Western Connecticut Planning Region. About an hour from New York City by train, the town ...

. His debutante daughter Julia Bradley had her

coming out party ''Coming Out Party'' is a 1934 American Pre-Code drama film directed by John G. Blystone starring Frances Dee, Gene Raymond, Alison Skipworth and Nigel Bruce. It was produced and distributed by the Fox Film Corporation. Plot Joy Stanhope, a Pa ...

in 1894. She married Bishop

Herbert Shipman Herbert Shipman (August 3, 1869 - March 23, 1930) was an American suffragan bishop in the Episcopal Diocese of New York under William Thomas Manning. His older sister was author Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews. Early life and education Shipman wa ...

. Bradley has been known for his properties. In 1923, he dismantled his home and reassembled it in

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is a seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island, United States. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and nort ...

. An account stated that it was constructed for his wife and it cost him two million dollars. The house, which included a seven acre lawn and located close to the shore of the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

, earned for its architect, Howard Greenley, an

Architectural League of New York The Architectural League of New York is a non-profit organization "for creative and intellectual work in architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construct ...

prize. It is currently known as Carey Mansion. Bradley and his wife became active in the social life of

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, after they acquired and made

Gardiner Greene Hubbard Gardiner Greene Hubbard (August 25, 1822 – December 11, 1897) was an American lawyer, financier, and community leader. He was a founder and first president of the National Geographic Society; a founder and the first president of the Bell Teleph ...

's house at

Dupont Circle Dupont Circle is a historic roundabout park and Neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., neighborhood of Washington, D.C., located in Northwest (Washington, D.C.), Northwest D.C. The Dupont Circle neighborhood is bounded approximately by 16th St ...

their winter home in 1907. Bradley's wife became known for her "American Beauty Ball", which exhausted the city's American Beauty roses market for days since the flowers were used to decorate their house. His wife Julie died shortly after construction was completed in 1929. Edson Bradley died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

on June 20, 1935.

References

1852 births 1935 deaths American drink distillers American art collectors American book and manuscript collectors Deaths from pneumonia in England 19th-century American businesspeople {{US-business-bio-1850s-stub