Henry M. Bradley, Jr.

HENRY M. BRADLEY, JR.
STATE SENATOR
HISTORIAN
CIVIC LEADER

It's only fitting that the Derby Hall of Fame feature a man whose love of history prompted the state of Connecticut to make the study of American history a required subject for all high school students in Connecticut. That's just one of the achievements of Henry M. Bradley, Jr. a member of one of Derby's most prominent families and one of its leading citizens throughout his life. His devotion to education was obvious even at the age of 21 when he was elected to the Derby Board of Education. He was later elected as the state senator from the seventeenth district, and served as chairman of its education committee among many other committee assignments. During his time in the senate he authored the legislation making American History  a high school requirement throughout the state.

He was a regular writer on Connecticut history and contributed several local history articles to Leo Malloy's 1935 Tercentenary Pictorial and History of the Lower Naugatuck Valley. A world traveler who visited more than fifty foreign countries, he was a regular lecturer on both his travels and local, state and national history.

He was an incredibly active leader in civic life in Derby holding leadership positions in the Odd Fellows, Derby Lodge of Elks, and the Grange. He served as President of both the Derby-Shelton Rotary Club and the Derby-Shelton Memorial Day Association. He was also a leader in the Derby-Shelton Board of Trade, the Colonial Cemetery, and the Humphreys Home Association.

His biography included memberships in more than forty other fraternal, social, business, political and historical organizations.

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