Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
Marshall Cohen—researcher and producer, CNN
Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
BRADLEY, William L. Sr.
BRADLEY, William L., Sr. (OH, September 22, 1833 – March 22, 1908). In 1890 Bradley, once a school teacher, was the moving force behind the formation of the GRAND OPERA HOUSE, INC., the company that constructed the GRAND OPERA HOUSE and later owned the STRAND THEATER, AVON THEATER and had a business interest in the ORPHEUM THEATER. Bradley later bought the interests of his partners and reorganized the company to include his three brothers and one sister.
Bradley also had other real estate interests in Dubuque. On July 21, 1858, he registered Bradley's Subdivision along Southern Avenue and Samuel Street. In 1876 he purchased the LORIMIER HOUSE. Because of his daughter Elizabeth (Dr. Eugene) Lewis’s love for golf, William donated some of the land what would go on to become the DUBUQUE GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB. At the time of his death, William Bradley Sr. was the highest paying taxpayer in the city.
---
Source:
"William L. Bradley, Sr." Linwood Legacies. Online: http://www.linwoodlegacies.org/the-bradley-family.html