William Bradford

Who was William Bradford?

William Bradford was a printer, soldier, and leader during the American Revolution from Philadelphia.

Bradford was born in New York City in 1719, and was the grandson of the printer William Bradford. He was apprenticed to his uncle Andrew Bradford in Philadelphia. This relationship ended in 1741. He visited England that year, returning in 1742 with equipment to open his own printing firm as well as a library.

Bradford was the publisher of The Pennsylvania Journal, whose first number appeared on December 2, 1742. In later years each issue had the still-recognized image of the snake chopped into segments with the motto Unite or Die. Variations of this logo were also used by Paul Revere, Benjamin Franklin, and others. In 1754 he also opened the London Coffeehouse in Philadelphia and began to write marine insurance. As a publisher and writer he attacked many policies of the British government, and was especially vocal in his opposition to the Stamp Act in 1765.

The first Continental Congress met in Philadelphia in 1774, and Bradford was named as the official printer for the Congress. In this role he printed the formal resolutions, broadsides, and documents such as the Declaration of Rights, that the Congress issued.