Bradford, Robert H. of Cambridge, died January 9, 2017.

After a long and interesting life, Robert H. Bradford died peacefully in his sleep at his home in Cambridge, MA on January 9, 2017. Born in 1936, he was the oldest son of Massachusetts Governor Robert F. Bradford, (1947-1949) and Rebecca C. Bradford.
Bob grew up in Cambridge, MA where he attended Shady Hill and Buckingham Brown & Nichols Schools before attending and graduating from Phillips Exeter Academy. He graduated from Harvard University in 1958 with a major in English.
Exeter and Harvard were seminal years for him in that he honed his writing skills by writing for the Harvard Lampoon and other publications. An excellent athlete, Bob played junior varsity hockey, tennis and rowed as a Harvard undergraduate.
Upon graduation from Harvard, he served with the United States Navy, attending Officer Candidate School and ultimately achieved the rank of Lieutenant. While in the service he volunteered for, and served on, the elite naval special warfare Underwater Demolition Team (a precursor to today’s SEALs). During his tours he served in both the Mediterranean and in the waters off Cuba during the crisis of the early 1960’s.
After leaving the Navy, he began his professional writing career with the Boston Globe, soon after to be hired by LIFE Magazine in New York City as a photojournalist. In New York he covered his great love of jazz by writing about the extraordinary jazz musicians of the 1950’s and early 1960’s; as a result, Bob accumulated a spectacular recording collection of America’s best known jazz musicians of the period.
In the mid-sixties he was transferred to Chicago with his wife and son, where he eventually became the Bureau Chief for TIME/LIFE. It was during this time that he covered many significant events in American history including, personally accompanying Mayor Richard Hatcher (the first black Mayor of Gary, Indiana) as a member of the press corps and became his good friend during the 1968 riot. There were many other extraordinary writing experiences for him with LIFE Magazine.
Bob then moved on to the Chicago Sun Times newspaper as well as its Sunday Magazine. By then he had two children and lived in Northfield, Illinois. His work showcased his superb writing ability and his expert interviewing skills. These skills would come in handy later in life, when he was writing articles about the Massachusetts liquor industry. He could always get past the secretary or PR person, talk directly to the top executive and speedily develop a trusting relationship so that in many cases they would end up calling him for advice.
From the late ‘70s through the rest of his life, he worked primarily as a freelance writer. He wrote two books, one on Arthur Ashe (not published) and one on Keith Magnuson, the great Chicago Blackhawks hockey player. During this period, Bob wrote for numerous publications authoring articles on such varied subjects as wine, food, tennis, touring and Antarctica.
Bob’s work tended to follow his interests, focusing on sports, food and wine. In all of these many articles he utilized his superlative photographic skills to enhance his work. He also wrote a stunning heartfelt article for the Boston bicentennial in 1976 about his father, Governor Robert F. Bradford.
He returned to Boston in the late ‘90s to settle his parents’ estates and to be closer to his two grown children, Rebecca and Christopher Bradford and eventually married Harriet Hofheinz of Cambridge, MA.
Once back in Massachusetts, Bob exhaustively researched and authored articles for the Massachusetts Beverage Journal and other publications. He also rejoined the Cambridge Boat Club where among other endeavors he developed his signature wine dinners, which over the course of 20 years, entertained club members and guests with elegant wines, food and music.
Since childhood, Bob has been a great lover of nature, writing eloquently about it and sharing his concerns for the future of the environment and wildlife. His life has always been graced by many pets.
His open, gregarious and extraverted personality garnered him many deep and lasting friendships. His story telling ability, humor, intelligence and versatility were well loved and sought after. He will be hugely missed.
Bob leaves his partner, Harriet Hofheinz,; his daughter, Rebecca Bradford Roaf and husband, Ed; his son, Christopher R. Bradford and wife, Suzanne; his brother, Charles E. Bradford and wife Susan; his nephew, Brad Bailey and wife Susan. Additionally, Bob leaves many nieces and nephews, two stepchildren and five step-grandchildren.
A Memorial Service will be held on May 6th at 10:00 AM at Kings Chapel, 58 Tremont Street, Boston, MA. Burial will be private at Mt. Auburn Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, please honor his life by donating to Chocorua Lake Conservancy, PO Box 105, Chocorua, NH 03817 and/or The Loon Preservation Society, PO Box 604, 183 Lee’s Mill Rd. Moultonborough, NH 03254.