George A. Didden, Jr. · 1984 Honoree

Born in a house near Lincoln Park early in this century, a descendant of German immigrants, George A. Didden, Jr., has been a part of Capitol Hill for his entire lifetime. Both his father and grandfather were architects who designed many of the sturdy and spacious townhomes which remain today, an important feature of our Capitol Hill neighborhood. His maternal grandfather, Albert Carry, owned a brewery at 13th and E Streets, SE. With the advent of prohibition, the National Capitol Brewing Company became the Carry Ice Cream Company.

George Didden was educated in the public school system at the Wallach Elementary, the Hine Junior High and the Eastern High Schools. Later he attended The Catholic University of America and graduated from its School of Law.

He served as General Counsel for the national Capital Bank of which he was elected president in 1943. In the forty years since that time, the National Capital Bank has been a symbol of integrity and stability in the Capitol Hill community. Mr. Didden’s conservative leadership has kept Capitol Hill as focus of the Bank’s interest. A recent community reinvestment study reveals that his bank continues to receive high marks for putting money back into the community. In terms of capital adequacy and risk assets, the Bank has recently been recognized as one of the 100 strongest banks in the nation.

With the aid of his four sons, Didden is still active in the administration of the “Hill’s” only main office commercial bank. A respected Hill resident once called the National Capital Bank one of the last vestiges of family participation and community involvement in our all too impersonal urban society.

We honor George Didden for countless contributions to the commercial and residential community of Capitol Hill made through his stewardship at the Bank, for 50 years as a member of the DC Bar Association and for a fruitful lifetime in continuous contact with our community.