Lydia Moss Bradley (1816-1908) was one of the country’s most successful entrepreneurs and philanthropists, who channeled her success by giving back to her community and founding a school that has grown into a university.
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Hello! From Wonder Media Network, I’m Jenny Kaplan. And this is Encyclopedia Womannica.
Today’s local legend was one of the country’s most successful entrepreneurs and philanthropists, who channeled her success by giving back to her community and founding a school that has grown into a university.
We’re talking about Lydia Moss Bradley.
Lydia Moss was born in the small town of Vevay, Indiana on July 31, 1816. Her father, Zeally, was a revolutionary war veteran. Her mother, Jenny, was a recent immigrant to the relatively new country.
As a teenager, Lydia showed early prowess as an entrepreneur. When her father gave her a horse, she traded it for some logging land and sold the timber to a local sawmill. The owner of that sawmill, Tobias Bradley, was impressed by Lydia’s innovative spirit. The two were married on May 11, 1837.
Ten years later, the couple moved to Peoria, Illinois. As an ardent abolitionist, Lydia refused to settle anywhere slavery was legal.
By that point, Tobias had become successful. Lydia also sold some property she owned in Vevay to buy land. Some historians believe Lydia was an agent for the Underground Railroad, through a house on the south side of the city where Lydia and Tobias owned many properties.
Tobias also founded the First National Bank of Peoria. But the couple faced a series of devastating tragedies. They had six children, ranging in age from seven months to 14 years old. All of them passed away. The cause of their deaths is unknown, but it deeply impacted the Bradleys. With their great financial success, the couple considered opening an orphanage in Peoria, though they ultimately decided against it. Still, Lydia and Tobias vowed they’d do something big in honor of their children’s legacy.
Lydia faced even more tragedy after Tobias died in a horse-drawn carriage accident. Just like that, she was alone. And in that time period, her gender was a major barrier. Despite her $500,000 fortune, she didn’t have the right to vote and she faced massive stigma as a woman entrepreneur.
But Lydia refused to give up. Her profound impact on the city of Peoria had just begun.
Lydia inherited stock in the First National Bank of Peoria after Tobias’s death, making her the first woman to serve on the board of a national bank in the state. She subdivided her properties and began managing rentals across the city.
Lydia employed a loyal business manager named W.W. Hammond, and together they expanded her estate to $2 million by 1897. Lydia had a knack for making land more valuable. In one case, she helped drain 100 acres of marsh by ordering and spreading a truckload of fertilizer, increasing the property’s value by a multiple of 14.
Lydia was also very philanthropic. She donated 100 acres to the city to establish Laura Bradley park. She financed the construction of the Bradley Home for Aged Women. When the Home of the Friendless, which offered care and education for children, ran out of money to operate, she gave the organization a rent-free space. She paid off the mortgage of the Bradley Memorial Church and invested money in the arts.
Still, Lydia wanted to do something else significant in honor of her children. After visiting Rose Polytechnic Institute, the idea for Lydia’s dream project started to take shape.
In 1897, Lydia founded Bradley Polytechnic Institute, a secular and coeducational school. This was the project she chose to carry on the legacy of her husband and children -- and she nurtured it accordingly. She created the foundation for what is now Bradley University. Today, Bradley University has over 70,000 alumni.
Lydia Moss Bradley passed away on January 16, 1908. She was 91 years old.
All month, we’re talking about Local Legends. For more on why we’re doing what we’re doing, check out our newsletter, Womannica Weekly. Find us on facebook and instagram @encyclopediawomannica. You can also find me on twitter @ jennymkaplan.
Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator.
Talk to you tomorrow!