Littleton Waller Tazewell Bradford

Littleton Waller Tazewell Bradford (July 16, 1848 – July 15, 1918) was a Virginia politician and was a co-founder of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. Early life Bradford was born Littleton Waller Tazewell Bradford in Norfolk, Virginia in 1848. His parents were Anne Elizabeth (née Tazewell) and Edmund Bradford, a veteran and graduate of the United States Military Academy who was originally from Philadelphia. Bradford grew up on his parents' estate in Princess Anne County. On his paternal side, he was a descendant of William Bradford. On his maternal size, he was a descedant of Henry Tazewell. His maternal grandfather was Littleton Waller Tazewell, former Governor of Virginia and former president pro tempore of the United States Senate. Bradford was educated first at Norfolk Academy. He enrolled as a cadet at the Virginia Military Institute (V.M.I.) on February 6, 1865, and was assigned to the class of 1868. At the time, V.M.I.'s cades were headquartered in Richmond, Virginia where they supported the defense of the Confederacy's capital. His cadetship lasted until April 1865, when the corps was disbanded as Federal troops moved on Richmond. The cadets were directed to escape the best way possible; Bradford escaped in a canal boat, taking refuge with relatives further up the James River. After the war, Bradford attended the University of Virginia. He studied medicine and shared 47 West Range with his cousin, Frederick Southgate Taylor. Bradford and Taylor joined four others in founding the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity on March 1, 1868. All six founders had been friends at V.M.I. However, he dropped out of college and entered business in Norfolk.