Bradford Knapp was born in Vinton, Iowa, on December 24, 1870, to Seaman A. Knapp.^[1] In 1899, he attended Iowa State College and graduated with a B.A. in chemistry from Vanderbilt University in 1892. In 1894, he attended Georgetown University and received a B.L. from the University of Michigan in 1896.^[1] In 1909, he worked as an assistant for his father in the Bureau of Plant Industry of the United States Department of Agriculture.^[1] From 1911 to 1915, he took up his father's position as Chief of Farm Demonstration Work.^[1] In 1915, he became Chief of Southern Extension Work for the States Relations Service of the USDA.^[1]

In 1920, he became Dean of the College of Agriculture at the University of Arkansas.^[1] From 1923 to 1928, he served as President of the Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College, now known as Oklahoma State University.^[1] He also served as the President of the Alabama Polytechnic Institute, now known as Auburn University from 1928 to 1933. From 1933 to 1938, he served as the president of Texas Technological College, now known as Texas Tech University.^[1]

He served on the National Council of Boy Scouts of America, the Federal Farm Board, and the National Economic League.^[1] He wrote for the Progressive Farmer.^[1]

• Works by or about Bradford Knapp at Internet Archive
• Papers, 1891-1940 and undated, in the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library at Texas Tech University
• Papers, 1856-1931, of his father Seaman Knapp in the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library at Texas Tech University