Charles Bradley was raised in Madison, Wisconsin, the son of University of Wisconsin Professor Harold C. Bradley and Mary Josephine Crane. His childhood provided many rich experiences, including trips to China with his grandfather who was an ambassador, plenty of time outdoors, sailing, hiking and skiing, and a year on a Montana ranch.
In 1935 he received a Bachelors degree in Geology from the University of Wisconsin. He then attended the the White School of Photography in New York City.
During World War II he served at the North Pacific Combat School in the Aleutian Islands. When the war ended, he resumed studies at the University of Wisconsin, receiving his M.S. in Geology in 1947, followed by a Ph.D. in 1950. His research included snow and avalanches and groundwater studies. He became interested in changes in the environment and advocated for conservation. He also founded the Montana Wilderness Association.
In 1976 he left teaching and became a full-time environmental researcher at the Leopold Memorial Reserve in Baraboo Wisconsin. He also wrote articles, mostly about ecology and environment. In 1994 he published his first book, Aleutian Echoes, a memoir of his experiences during World War II.
