George Waters

Who was George Waters?

George Waters was a pioneer in the credit card industry who is credited with transforming the American Express Card into a global brand and the flagship product of the American Express Company. Upon his retirement from American Express in 1980, Waters was bestowed with the title, “Father of the American Express Card.”

George Waters graduated from the Indiana University in 1938 and was hired by IBM in its sales and marketing program. During World War II, he joined the Army Air Forces where he served as Deputy Chief of Staff in the Office of Statistical Control. During the war, Waters led a team that used some of the earliest computers to keep track of planes, the weather and results of combat missions. Many noted postwar executives came out of the Office of Statistical Command, including Robert S. McNamara and others who became known as the Whiz Kids.

After the war, Waters served as the President of the Massachusetts Steamship Authority, a ferry service between Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. Waters eventually sold the business to the State of Massachusetts.