Kentucky. Governor (1895-1899 : Bradley)

William O'Connell Bradley served as Governor of Kentucky from 1895-1899. As the state's first Republican governor, his administration was marked by struggles with a hostile and divided legislature and no significant legislative accomplishments.

Bradley was born in Garrard County, Kentucky in 1847. His admission to the bar in 1865 required a special act of the legislature because Bradley had not yet reached the minimum age requirement. As a Republican in a heavily Democratic area, Bradley suffered many defeats in his early political career. He was elected to the office of County Attorney in 1870, but failed in his attempts to gain a congressional seat. The Democratic-controlled General Assembly rejected his nomination to serve as a United States Senator several times. Still Bradley was recognized as one of the state's leading Republicans and he was chairman of the Republican state convention in 1879. He was also a delegate to several Republican national conventions and he was a member of the Republican National Committee from 1890-1896.

Bradley was the Republican candidate for governor in 1887, but was defeated by Simon Bolivar Buckner. In 1895 he again entered the gubernatorial race. The Democratic Party could not unite behind its candidate, P. Wat Hardin. Bradley gained the support of the American Protective Association, a secret, nativist, anti-Catholic organization, and overcame Democratic warnings of "Negro domination" to win by 9000 votes.

Bradley's administration was marked by a turbulent relationship with the General Assembly. Although the Republicans controlled the House, the Democrats held the Senate. In 1896 when efforts by the General Assembly to choose a United States Senator threatened to erupt into violence, Bradley called in the militia. Order was restored, but no senator was named. The Senate charged Bradley with interference and tried to have him thrown in jail, but Bradley proved strong enough to survive the assault. William J. Deboe was finally elected as the first Republican senator from Kentucky in an 1897 special session of the General Assembly. Bradley's veto of the Goebel Bill was overridden in 1898. This legislation put the fate of contested elections in the hands of a three-man commission.

Outside the political arena, Bradley's administration was plagued by violence. Feuding continued in eastern Kentucky and central Kentuckians waged war over toll roads versus free roads. Problems with the Kentucky troops serving in the Spanish-American War also occupied Bradley's time.

The ever-increasing split in the General Assembly resulted in a lack of successful legislation. Two houses of reform for children were established and a weak compulsary education act was passed. A pure food and drug act was enacted without the governor's signature.

Bradley boycotted the 1899 state Republican convention because the party did not endorse his candidate for governor and he refused to support William S. Taylor. The Negro leaders at the convention threatened to follow Bradley. Bradley finally supported Taylor in the 1899 gubernatorial election and appealed to the black voters. Rumors of possible election-day violence prompted Bradley to order the militia to Louisville, but the election occurred peacefully. After the election, each side charged the other with fraud. Bradley feared violence and asked for federal help.

Bradley was defeated again for a United States Senate seat in 1900. He was finally elected to the United States Senate in 1908. He died in Washington, D.C. in 1914 at the age of 67 before serving a full term. He is buried in Frankfort.