Background
Bransford was born in Richmond, Missouri.
Bransford was born in Richmond, Missouri.
In Plumas County, California, Bransford was a county assessor from 1886 to 1890 and served three terms as the county sheriff. He was elected to these positions as a Democrat. Bransford moved to Salt Lake City in 1899 and remained there permanently.
In 1900, Bransford was elected the president of the Salt Lake Stock and Mining Exchange.
Bransford became the mayor on August 13, 1907, 11 days after Ezra Thompson resigned due to ill health and accusations of corruption. Bransford was unanimously elected by the city council as the replacement for Thompson.
Bransford served out the remainder of Thompson"s term and was elected mayor in the election of 1907. He was re-elected in 1909, and served until the end of his second elected term in 1911.
After Bransford left office, the American Party collapsed.
He was a delegate from Utah to the 1912 Democratic National Convention and was a member of the Platform and Rules Committee.