Dorothy Bradley

Dorothy Bradley has spent most of her life working for the people of Montana.  She was elected to the Montana Legislature in 1971, at the age of 23, as the only woman in the House of Representatives, and served 16 years.  In the House, she worked to build coalitions to tackle difficult and controversial issues such as tax reform, natural resources policy, health care and economic development.  Bradley ran for Montana’s governorship in 1992, riding her horse across the state.  After winning the Democratic primary, she lost the November election by a small margin.  In 1993 she was hired as director of the University System Water Center at Montana State University, a post she held for seven years.  Bradley also worked with the MSU earth sciences department to establish a scholarship in her father’s name (Charles Bradley, MSU professor and dean) to support earth sciences student travel, frequently abroad, for field work.  She has been recognized as the Business Woman of the Year by the Bozeman Chamber of Commerce and MSU Alumni Association, and Montana Woman of Achievement by the Montana Business and Professional Women.

As a citizen legislator and community leader, Dorothy Bradley has spent most of her life working for the people of Montana.  At age 23 she was elected as the only woman in the Montana House of Representatives and has proven herself to be an independent leader who is not afraid to address hard problems.