Dorothy Bradley

Dorothy Maynard Bradley (born February 24, 1947) is an American former politician from Montana.^[1] She was elected to eight terms in the Montana House of Representatives, serving from 1971 to 1978 and 1985 to 1992.^[2] Bradley now lives in Clyde Park, Montana.

Dorothy Bradley
Member of the Montana House of Representatives
In office January 1985 – January 1993
In office January 1971 – January 1979
Personal details
Born	(1947-02-24) February 24, 1947 (age 77) Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Education	Colorado College (BA) American University (JD)

Early life and education

Born in Madison, Wisconsin in 1947,^[3] she attended law school in Washington DC and worked for the state water court. She also briefly taught at a small rural school next to the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, was the Director of the Montana State University Water Center, and was the District Court Administrator and staff for the Gallatin County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council for seven years. She joined the American Prairie Foundation National Council in 2008.^[4][5]

Career

Bradley was elected to eight terms in the Montana House of Representatives, serving from 1971 to 1978 and 1985 to 1992.^[2] She ran for Congress in 1978, but lost in the primary to Pat Williams.^[6] When incumbent Governor of Montana Stan Stephens declined to seek re-election in 1992, Bradley ran to succeed him. She won a close and competitive Democratic primary against Mike McGrath and Frank B. Morrison, Jr., and advanced to the general election, where she faced State Attorney General Marc Racicot. She was narrowly defeated by Racicot.^[5]

Electoral history

1992

Democratic Party primary results^[7]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Dorothy Bradley	54,453	41.17
	Democratic	Mike McGrath	44,323	33.51
	Democratic	Frank B. Morrison, Jr.	23,883	18.06
	Democratic	Bob Kelleher	4,216	3.19
	Democratic	Martin J. "Red" Beckman	2,773	2.10
	Democratic	Curly Thornton	2,628	1.99
Total votes			132,276	100.00

Montana gubernatorial election, 1992^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Marc Racicot	209,401	51.35%	−0.59%
	Democratic	Dorothy Bradley	198,421	48.65%	+2.52%
Majority			10,980	2.69%	−3.11%
Turnout			407,822
	Republican hold		Swing

References

1. Bradley, Dorothy (2009-09-29). "Dorothy Bradley Interview, September 29, 2009". Bob Brown Oral History Project Oh-396, Archives & Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, University of Montana.
2. "Ex-lawmaker Dorothy Bradley named to NorthWestern boardPosted on April 22".
3. Who's who in Government. Marquis Who's Who. 1977. ISBN 9780837912035.
4. American Prairie Foundation Newsletter Archived September 3, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
5. Our Campaigns Candidate Details
6. Barrett, Evan; Jelinksi, Jane; Wessel, Marilyn; Bradley, Dorothy (2014). "Past is Prologue: Montana's Historic Women's Movement Re-emerges in the Progressive 1970s -- Dorothy Bradley, Marilyn Wessel & Jane Jelinski "In the Crucible of Change"". Digital Commons @ Montana Tech. Highlands College.
7. "Governor and Lieutenant Governor" (PDF). Montana Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 28, 2013. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
8. "Official 1992 General Election Canvass". Montana Secretary of State. Retrieved July 5, 2014.

Party political offices
Preceded by Thomas Judge	Democratic nominee for Governor of Montana 1992	Succeeded by Chet Blaylock Deceased