George M. Bradford announces retirement

Longtime Texas banker George Bradford is retiring in April, announced CEO Wade Donnell and the board of directors of The National Bank of Texas at Fort Worth.

Born in Jacksonville in 1941, Bradford moved to Fort Worth at the age of six and has lived there since. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from TCU in 1964. 

Bradford’s banking career began in 1972 at The First National Bank of Fort Worth. There, he attended the National Commercial Lending School and became a commercial lending officer. 

In 1982, he joined a community bank in the Mid-Cities area as an executive vice president, becoming president two years later.

Bradford was appointed president/CEO of the National Bank of Texas in 1997 and was elected to the board of directors. His commitment to growth propelled the bank’s success: Total assets grew from $53 million to nearly $400 million and loans from $16 million to nearly $300 million.

He retired as president/CEO in 2001 and was elected chairman of the board, a position he held until 2019 when he became chairman of Horizon Bankshares. He has served on the board of directors of the Texas Bankers Association and is a recipient of the Tarrant County Banker of the Year award. He has also served on American Bankers Association committees.

He continues to be active in civic affairs in Fort Worth and the Mid-Cities as well as with his alma mater, TCU. 

Bradford can be reached at [email protected] for bankers wishing to drop him a congratulatory note.