Taul Bradford

Summary


Taul Bradford (January 20, 1835 – October 28, 1883) was an attorney and politician from Talladega, Alabama, who served both in the State House and one term as U.S. Representative following the American Civil War. During the war, he served as an officer in the Confederate States Army, commissioned in his second regiment as a lieutenant colonel.[1]

Taul Bradford
Taul Bradford
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Alabama's 3rd district
In office
March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1877
Preceded byCharles Pelham
Succeeded byJeremiah N. Williams
Member of the Alabama House of Representatives
In office
1871-1872
Personal details
Born
Taul Bradford

(1835-01-20)January 20, 1835
Talladega, Alabama
DiedOctober 28, 1883(1883-10-28) (aged 48)
Poulan, Georgia
Resting placeTalladega, Alabama
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseMary Hardie Bradford
Alma materUniversity of Alabama at Tuscaloosa
ProfessionLawyer
Military service
AllegianceConfederate States of America Confederate States of America
Branch/serviceConfederate States Army
Years of service1861–1865
RankLieutenant Colonel
Unit10th Alabama Infantry
30th Alabama Infantry
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War

Early life edit

Taul Bradford was born in 1835 in Talladega, Alabama, the county seat, to Jacob Tipton Bradford (1807-1866) and Louisiana (née Taul) Bradford (1808-1863). His given name is that of his mother's birth family. His maternal grandfather Micah Taul had moved with his family from Tennessee to Alabama in 1846, where he bought and operated a cotton plantation near Mardisville. Bradford attended the local school for his basic education.[1]

He later graduated from the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa in 1854, studying law. After being admitted to the bar in 1855, he started a practice in Talladega.[1]

Military service edit

When the American Civil War broke out, Bradford was commissioned in the Confederate States Army as a major of the Tenth Regiment, Alabama Infantry. He later resigned; his dates with the regiment are not known. It had suffered casualties of more than one-third by the time the regiment furled its colors at Appomattox.[2] He entered the war again, serving as a lieutenant colonel of the Thirtieth Regiment, Alabama Infantry. He resigned this post before the end of the war, although his dates are not known for sure.[1][3]

Political career edit

After the war, in the later years of the Reconstruction era, Bradford entered politics. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected to the State House of Representatives, serving in 1871 and 1872.

Bradford ran for Congress, and was elected in 1874 as a Democrat to the Forty-fourth Congress from Alabama, serving March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1877. He did not stand for renomination in 1876.[1]

Later life edit

Bradford continued the practice of law in Talladega, until his death on October 28, 1883. He was interred in the town's Oak Hill Cemetery.[1]

Notes edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f
    • United States Congress. "Taul Bradford (id: B000738)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
  2. ^ "10th Alabama Infantry Regiment". Alabama Department of Archives and History. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  3. ^ "30th Alabama Infantry Regiment". Alabama Department of Archives and History. Retrieved 5 October 2017.

External links edit

  • "Taul Bradford". Find A Grave. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  • "Bradford, Taul, (1835 - 1883)". United States Congress. Retrieved 5 October 2017.

External links edit

  This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Alabama's 3rd congressional district

March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1877
Succeeded by