Abraham Bradley, Jr. (1767 - 1838) was an American lawyer, judge, and cartographer who served as assistant postmaster general for thirty years. Bradley was responsible for moving the federal post office from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C. and even hosted the national post office in his home for a period. He was employed under five different U.S. postmasters general and drew detailed and innovative maps of postal routes. Bradley, after having established his private law practice in 1788, briefly served as a county judge. There he became acquainted with Timothy Pickering, who was appointed by President Washington as postmaster general in 1791. Bradley served as his clerk, and began compiling information for a complete postal service map. Bradley's extensive knowledge of the department and the routes made him indispensable when Pickering was succeeded in 1795. Bradley is regarded as an influential figure in the early history of the Post Office. His postal routes and schedules were rigidly enforced for thirty years and gave the department a 'rapid and reliable engine for delivering information across vast distances'.



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