Bradley was born in Redmond, Washington to Carl & Dorothea Scharf. He had a cleft palate, but timely surgery and the determined support of his mother permitted Bradley to improve his speaking skills to match his academic achievements, culminating in his giving the Valedictorian speech at his class graduation from Lake Washington High School in 1962.

School was where Bradley excelled, and he was very fortunate to have generous teachers who encouraged his love of history and language. He also met his future wife Ann Skinner during this time, becoming victorious partners on the debate team.

Bradley went on to attend Colorado College where his studies were broadened to include international affairs as well as the German and Russian languages. As busy as he was, he made the time to return home and renew his relationship with Ann, and they were married in 1965.

After graduating from college in 1966 they moved to Palo Alto, California as Bradley entered the doctorate program at Stanford University. There he studied German, Chinese, and Russian history and politics, Marxist philosophy, and other social movements. At this time he ceased his Russian language studies in favor of German language and East German social policy, which was to become the subject of his dissertation.

The couple's first child, Eric, was born in 1968. A year later Bradley embarked on his first trip to Germany where he was to make several valuable academic contacts on both sides of the Berlin Wall. A mentor at Stanford helped Bradley secure a teaching position at the University of Arizona. In early 1971 Ann & Bradley bought their first home in Tucson and their daughter Jessica was born that June.

Bradley taught comparative politics at U of A, finishing his dissertation in 1973 and receiving his Ph.D. from Stanford in 1974. He maintained his contacts in East Germany and even hosted a visiting official when the US established diplomatic relations with the GDR.

After eight years of teaching at Arizona Bradley found a new teaching position at Seattle University in 1979 and the family moved near to Ann's and Bradley's families in Washington. Bradley began at SU by teaching comparative politics, but over time he shifted to courses on social policy such as health care and poverty.

It was important to Bradley that private-university students be exposed to issues and policies that affect people from less fortunate circumstances, and one way he achieved this at Seattle U. was teaching classes for the Matteo Ricci curriculum. His scholarship on East Germany and other nations helped inform these classes.

Bradley extended his mission to their Methodist church, both providing lectures about current events and organizing charity events such as "Shared Breakfast," a Sunday morning meal for the unhoused members of their community that eventually fed over 200 people each week.

His academic research continued and his book Politics and Change in East Germany: An Evaluation of Socialist Democracy was published in 1984. Bradley maintained and expanded his network of contacts in East Germany, returning in 1986 and again in 1994 after German reunification. Ann joined him on the latter trip, meeting Bradley's colleagues and sharing in his appreciation of the remarkable changes that were taking place.

Ann & Bradley would take several trips together in a series of camping trailers, traveling all around the Pacific Northwest and deep into California. Joining them were their beloved Bichons, first Reggie, then Maddie. They also returned to Europe, adding France to their roster of fondly-remembered experiences and acquaintances.

Bradley retired from Seattle University in 2013, and in 2023 he and Ann moved to Florence, Oregon to be closer to Jessica and her husband Scott. There they adopted their third Bichon, Dani.

Bradley is survived by his wife Ann; his daughter Jessica, his son-in-law Scott, his son Eric, his daughter-in-law Nathalie; his grandson Oscar; and the many students he inspired and challenged throughout his life.