Bradford, John, 1749–1830, pioneer printer of Kentucky, b. Virginia. He moved to Kentucky c.1779. Although he had no previous practical experience, he issued at Lexington on Aug. 11, 1787, the first number of the Kentucky Gazette, the first newspaper in the territory, and succeeded, despite many handicaps, in making it a creditable sheet. In 1788 he printed the Kentucke Almanac, the first pamphlet in the W United States. In 1792, Bradford published the acts of the initial session of the Kentucky legislature, the first book to be published in Kentucky. He aided in founding Transylvania Univ. and was the first chairman of the board (1799–1811). In 1826 he began to publish in the Gazette his “Notes of Kentucky,” a valuable historical source, which continued until 1829.
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