William R. Bradle

A native of Illinois, William R. Bradle followed his career to the Lone Star State, where he quickly became fascinated with local history, particularly with Texas's war for independence. A financial expert, Bradle boasts a twenty-five-year career in corporate, personal, and international finance and has worked with such companies as The Quaker Oats Company, Alcon Laboratories, LSG Sky Chefs, and Dresser Industries. With the merger of Dresser Industries and the Halliburton Company in 1999, he was named the vice-president and treasurer of Halliburton, but declined the position to explore other business opportunities. He now owns his own investment company, Bradle Investments. Bradle has served as the chief financial officer of the American IronHorse Motorcycle Company, the second-largest manufacturer of motorcycles in the United States. He has also worked as an investment banker, financed warehouses overseas, renovated low-income housing, and published articles in Old News and 356 Registry. He is the webmaster of Ask Uncle Bill, a personal finance Web site for college students. Bradle was born in 1950 and earned a B.A. in modern European history and an M.B.A. in finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He had the unique opportunity to spend a year of his undergraduate studies in Austria at the University of Vienna and returned to school mid-career to attend the prestigious Senior Executive Program at Stanford University. The proud father of two, Bradle lives with his wife, Sue, in Weatherford, Texas. Apart from the history of Texas, his interests include golf, swimming, international travel, Porsche restoration, and volunteering at his local church.