Heritage & FamilyDevoted husband and father with a strong connection and service to his Apache Chiricahua Tribe
Family
Early History
Professional Career
Present
Chiricahua Apache
" I decided that as of that moment (the day his daughter was born) forward I would live my life as if every day were the last. I would try to live in such a way that, on my last day on earth, those who knew me would say, "He was a great friend, a better husband, and an even better father." - Bradford
Bradford is married to wife, Amy and has two children Madeleine and Duncan. [top]
William Bradford was born in Lansing, Michigan of Chiricahua Apache, Croatian and Scottish descent. He grew up in Michigan and the South Side of Chicago as well as in an industrial area of Munster, Indiana called "The Region". Bradford lived in a simple house with a father who was a swimming coach and a mother who practiced nursing and a younger sister. Bradford found an escape and enjoyment in academics and sports becoming an honors student, a National Merit Scholar and an high school All-American in swimming.
In 1979, he became the youngest male member of the U.S. Army Pentathlon Olympic Development Team in Texas, but focused on swimming because he was being recruited by top national swim teams. Swimming led him to train with teams in Fort Lauderdale and Miami. In Miami, he trained with world record holders Matt Gribble and Jesse Vassalo. He entered the University of Miami earned All-Conference honors in the 100 butterfly and 200 I.M. Bradford graduated with a degree in English in 1988. [top]
Following the University of Miami, Bradford served in the U.S. Army Reserve while he was pursuing his education at Northwestern University and Harvard Law School. He was a consultant in International Law and took a teaching job at Indiana University School of Law where he received the Best Professor Award by his students. While teaching, he also advised the Miami Tribe of Indians of Indiana. Making a move to Virginia in 2005, Bradford trained students in real estate negotiation, purchase and finance at the College of William of Mary.
For a timeline of professional highlights, resume/cv, please go here.
During his active career, he married his wife Amy. As a devoted husband, that devotion would be tested. Shortly after September 11, 2001, his wife was attacked and hospitalized, and he made the very painful decision to leave government service after nearly a decade in intelligence to be with her during her long and painful recovery. In 2005, during an academic tenure controversy triggered by his refusal to sign a petition in support of Ward Churchill, a rumor was reported in several media outlets that he had served in the Special Forces and earned the Silver Star. A few opponents of his possible tenure at Indiana University seized the opportunity to propagate the rumor on the Internet and blame him for the error. To set the record straight, he served honorably as an intelligence officer, not an Army Special Forces officer, and as the particulars of his government service are classified. Bradford did not, cannot and will not discuss them.
"My husband is a tireless worker, a bold leader, and a compassionate man, but what matters most to him is the proposed epitaph he has posted in front of him at his desk. It reads, "He was a great friend, a better husband, and an even better father." Every day I see him striving to live his life so that these words will be true, and for the last six years I have been humbled and blessed by the extent of his efforts--sometimes at great cost to himself--to do so. I was the victim of a violent crime against my person while Bill was away on duty; he came to my aid and protected me from further harm even though doing so caused him great personal and professional hardship. Despite this, Bill has accomplished more in his lifetime than most people might hope to in several, and I am sure he will go on making a mark on the world even as he continues to protect and nurture his family." - Amy Bradford
Despite some challenges, Bradford shares a joy for life that is only heightened by his children. His first daughter, Madeleine, was born on September 11, 2002. Bradford said the following about the birth of his daughter and his wife:
"My daughter was born on September 11, 2002, and on that day I realized four very important things. First, no matter how difficult life's travails or how cruel the world might ever become, that date, September 11th, had been reclaimed by having this little girl in my life, and so long as she was alive there would always be hope and joy in the world. Second, my life as it had been had ended, and that I had been placed in trusteeship over her with the awesome (and I use this word in the biblical sense) responsibility to nurture and protect her and help her become a loving, productive, happy human being. Third, I realized that I had become bonded with my wife in the most elemental of ways and that our lives were forever linked through our daughter. I had never felt so close to anyone as I did that moment to Amy. Fourth, I pray that my children will be able to forgive my imperfections as a father, just as I hope that God will, and that in doing my best to demonstrate my thanks to God for the precious gift of my children, I will earn their love." - Bradford
Bradford is currently attending the University of Florida's Warrington College of Business to receive his M.B.A. and is a Graduate Assistant to Professor Roy Crum and Dean Selcuk Erengue. He also is a Management Intern for the Office of the Vice President of Finance at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa.
His son Duncan, born in 2006, continues to be a new light to his life. Both of his children have Chiricahua names. His son's means "quick little turtle" and is phonetically, Cho-Shtee-Do-Has-Ah. His daughter's name is Jii-Nah-Yee-Nay, which means "takes back the day." [top]
"My brother Bill is an Inspiration to our Indian youth, he inspires them to be everything they want to be. Bill is a decorated War veteran, Lawyer, Professor and a DEDICATED MEMBER OF THE CHIRICAHUA APACHE TRIBE. BILL ALWAYS GIVES OF TIME AND TALENT. It was my privilege to present Bill with an Eagle Feather from our tribe, HONORINGhis tireless work on our behalf. Bill is a true Apache, an outstanding role model, a great family man as well as a Honored leader of our tribe.Yusen Ya-Kaye- Yeh (may the creator bless him)."Eddie Two MoonsIn 1886 three hundred surviving members of the Chiricahua Apache, suffering from disease, starvation, and the murder of over three thousand of their number, became the last Indian tribe to surrender. [ Donald E. Worcester, The Apaches: Eagles of the Southwest (1979)] The entire tribe that didn't manage to escape was incarcerated for a generation in military prisoner-of-war camps where the population was then reduced to half by disease, hunger and exposure. [ Richard J. Perry, Apache Reservation: Indigenous Peoples and the American State (1993)] Upon their release in 1913, the imprisoned Chiricahua were divided in two and relocated to reservations far from ancestral lands and surrounded by traditional rivals. [Michael Lieder & Jake Page: Wild Justice: The People of Geronimo vs. The United States (1997)] -- Information from Bradford's Ohio State law review article. [top]
Download a brochure about the Chiricahua Apache Tribe here.
Bradford is working with the Chiricahua to reclaim ancestral lands and to reestablish a population presence on those lands. He is able to offer legal knowledge to the efforts and wants to build a bridge between Chiricahuas and various State and federal governments.
"As a patriotic American I feel sadness and some anger at the historical injustices visited upon our ancestors, but I firmly believe, as I wrote in an article not too long ago, that "[d]espite its imperfections, the U.S. is an exceptional nation, and the greatest exponent of liberty the world has ever known." I believe that the U.S. is one of the few nations in which meaningful political transformation and true reconciliation are possible, and I am sure that the best way to win hearts and minds is through direct engagement and respectful dialogue....Indians and non-Indians both can and should live together on this continent in peace and prosperity. In short, I'm a dual citizen--of the U.S., but also of the Chiricahua Nation. I love my mother, and I love my father.” - Bradford
