Following college, Radcliffe took the position of principal of the Cambridge Seminary he had attended as a youth. After a stint as a teacher in the
Baltimore City College in 1901 and 1902, Radcliffe was admitted to the bar in 1903 and commenced practice in
Baltimore, Maryland with an interest in banking and farming. During the
First World War, Radcliffe joined the Liquor License Commission in Baltimore, serving from 1916 to 1919, and also served as a member of the Maryland State Council of Defense.
State Government In 1919, Radcliffe was selected as
Secretary of State of Maryland and served until 1920.
Federal Government In 1933 and again in 1934, Radcliffe was chosen regional adviser of the Public Works Administration for Maryland,
Delaware,
Virginia,
West Virginia,
North Carolina,
Tennessee,
Kentucky, and the
District of Columbia.
U.S. Senate In the
election of 1934, Radcliffe was elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate, and was subsequently reelected in the
1940 election. Radcliffe failed to achieve re-nomination for his party in the
election of 1946, losing to fellow Democrat
Herbert R. O'Conor. ==Personal and death==