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Richard Bradley (died 5 November 1732) was an English botanist. His early life is obscure and even his date of birth is uncertain, possibly it was 1688.

He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1712. In 1714 he visited the Netherlands where he took an interest in horticulture. Back in England, he worked at Cannons, Middlesex, the estate of James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos, FRS. Bradley's employer was a very wealthy man until he incurred losses in the South Sea Bubble. Chandos and Bradley shared an interest in exotic plants such as the pineapple. Bradley's responsibilities at Cannons included the hot-house and the "physic garden" (i.e. a botanical garden). He was dismissed for financial mismanagement.

In 1724 he was appointed the first Professor of Botany, Cambridge University. He indicated that he would work to establish a botanical garden in Cambridge, but died in office without the project having made any progress.

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