Alan Greenspan Dies at Age 100

Alan Greenspan died Monday at age 100 at his home. His wife of 29 years, Andrea Mitchell, announced the death and said it resulted from complications of Parkinson’s disease. Greenspan served as the 13th chair of the Federal Reserve from 1987 to 2006.

The Federal Reserve issued a statement on Monday noting with deep sadness the passing of its former chair. The statement said that under Greenspan’s leadership the Federal Reserve achieved a sustained era of price stability that supported economic growth. Greenspan was appointed Fed chair in 1987 by President Reagan and held the position under Presidents George H.W.

Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush. His 18-and-a-half-year term ranks as the second-longest in the central bank’s history. Born in New York City on March 6, 1926, Greenspan studied clarinet at Juilliard before earning bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in economics from New York University.

He led the central bank through the 1987 stock-market crash, the 1997–1998 Asian and Russian financial contagion, the collapse of the dot-com bubble in 2000, and the economic aftermath of the September 11 attacks. Mitchell noted Greenspan’s enthusiasm for baseball, the Washington Commanders, tennis, golf, and jazz.