Frederick Hamilton Bradley (1873-1947): Dentist, Soldier and Mayor of Sherbrooke
Asection of a Sherbrooke street, opened as Durham in 1940, was renamed Bradley between 1948 and 1953, after the 41st mayor of Sherbrooke. Frederick Hamilton Bradley was born in Sherbrooke in 1873 of Irish immigrants who came to Quebec between 1848 an 1850. He was the eldest son of Jane Isabella Hyndman (1849-1922) and of William Robert Bradley (1839-1911). The couple had been married in 1867 in Trinity Methodist Church on Court Street. A Catholic, William converted to his wife’s faith. He was first a building contactor, however, from the middle of the 1880s he was an undertaker on Frontenac Street and later, on Dufferin Street.
Frederick studied dentistry at Mcgill University, and for 50 years, from 1894 until 1944, he was a Sherbrooke dentist, at first in parternship (Hyndman & Bradley) and then on his own beginning in 1921. In 1901 and 1902, he was an officer (captain) with the Sherbrooke Regiment. In 1910, he married Sarah Mabel Maud Barker (1879-1961) in the Dudswell Anglican church. They had five children, all born in Sherbrooke between 1911 and 1919 : William Barker, Eleanor Moira, Margaret Alice, Fredericka Isabel and Douglas Hamilton. Frederick Bradley was a captain in 1915 in the Canadian Army Dental Corps and lieutenant-colonel in 1916. He served until 1920 at the Valcartier military camp and in the Sainte-anne-de-bellevue military hospital. He went in to municipal politics in 1926, first as a North Ward alderman untill 1933. He served as president of the Parks and Property Committee from 1926 to 1930. He was also instrumental in the building of a new municipal incenerator (closed down in 1954) on Bromptonville Road. He was eventually mayor of Sherbrooke from 1934 to 1936. In order to alliviate the economic crisis of the time, Town Council undertook public works. The layout of several parks was improved and new parks were opened including Sainte-jeanne-d’arc, Boudreau and Jacques-cartier Parks. In 1934, in partnership with the Société Saint-jean-baptiste, the City erected a cross on Mena’sen Island in the Saint-françois River and committed to keep in lit in perpuity. In 1929, Frederick Bradley was vice-president of the Sherbrooke Board of Protestant School Commissioners. In 1934, he was vice-president of the Union musicale de Sherbrooke. His wife was awarded the Légion d’honneur by France, in 1936, for having founded the local branch of the Alliance française. The couple had a cottage in North Hatley. Frederick died in 1947 in his home on Wolfe Street (now 270 Belvédère Nord). He was buried with his wife in Elmwood Cemetary. Doctor Bradley’s widow continued living in the home until her death. Built in 1898, the house is still occupied in 2018.