Bradley was a Democrat and introduced and advocated the constitutional amendment for biennial sessions of the Legislature, which was accepted.

[1] Bradley enlisted in the New Haven Grays in 1861 for a term of 90 days and became corporal in 1862, lieutenant of Company F Second Regiment Connecticut National Guard in 1863, captain from 1865 to 1867, lieutenant colonel of the Second Regiment in 1868, and colonel of the same from 1869 to 1871.

He traces his ancestry back to William Bradley, an officer in Oliver Cromwell's army who emigrated to this country and settled in New Haven in 1644.

The Civil War called him into service and he enlisted in the New Haven Grays in 1861 for a term of 90 days.

[4][5] Edward E. Bradley died from heart disease at his home in New Haven on January 21, 1917.