American attorney Joseph P. Bradley (1813-1892) rose from his rural roots to become one of the most respected Supreme Court justices of the post-Civil War era. Appointed by President Grant following the end of the civil war, Bradley favored a conservative interpretation of the Constitution, particularly with respect to the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments passed by Congress to end slavery and extend citizenship to African Americans.

As an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court during the late nineteenth century, Joseph P. Bradley was a loyal member of the Republican party who supported the federal government's role in interstate commerce but opposed federal intervention in civil matters. His decision-making role on the Supreme Court was somewhat eclipsed in the historical record by his position--as a member of a special electoral commission--as the man casting the deciding vote that certified the disputed election of Rutherford B. Hayes as...