Padelford was born in
Taunton, Massachusetts. He worked as a grocer, as well as serving on the City Council of
Providence, Rhode Island, the Providence School Committee and in the
Rhode Island House of Representatives. Padelford was a
Unitarian and an ardent
abolitionist with ties to the
New England Emigrant Aid Company, which armed and organized settlers who took part in the "
Bleeding Kansas" conflict. In 1860, he was nominated as the
Republican Party candidate for Governor of Rhode Island. Anti-war Republicans and textile interests joined
Democrats to back the young
William Sprague IV, the nephew of former Rhode Island Governor and Senator
William Sprague III. Sprague, running as a "Conservative" against Padelford's "Radical" candidacy, won the election by a margin of 12,278 to 10,740 votes, with twice the customary turnout at the polls. After the
American Civil War began in 1861, Padelford won two consecutive elections for Lieutenant Governor, serving from 1863 to 1865. He was elected Governor in 1869, serving four terms before stepping down. Padelford died in 1878 in Providence, and is buried in
Swan Point Cemetery. ==Family==