Former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan Dies at 100

Former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan Dies at 100

Alan Greenspan, former chairman of the Federal Reserve, died on June 22, 2026, at his home in Washington. He was 100. His wife, journalist Andrea Mitchell, said the cause was complications of Parkinson’s disease.

Greenspan was born on March 6, 1926, in New York City. He studied music as a young man and briefly worked as a professional musician before turning to economics. He earned degrees in economics from New York University and did additional graduate work at Columbia University. He later founded an economic consulting firm in New York.

In the private sector, Greenspan advised corporations and Republican political figures, including Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. In 1987, President Ronald Reagan nominated him to succeed Paul Volcker as chairman of the Federal Reserve. He took office shortly before the October 1987 stock market crash and supported efforts to provide liquidity to financial markets.

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Greenspan served as Fed chair for nearly 18 years, under Presidents Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush. During his tenure, the central bank oversaw generally low inflation and steady economic growth. He played a prominent role in setting U.S. interest rate policy and was closely watched by financial markets and elected officials.

His record drew significant criticism after the 2007–08 financial crisis. Economists and policymakers faulted the Fed’s earlier low interest rates and its approach to financial regulation during his tenure, arguing they contributed to excessive risk‑taking and the buildup of imbalances in housing and credit markets. Greenspan later told congressional investigators that the crisis had revealed a “flaw” in his assumption that financial institutions would adequately manage their own risks.

After leaving the Fed in 2006, Greenspan worked as a consultant and speaker and wrote several books on economics and policy. He continued to comment on U.S. and global economic developments into his later years.

Greenspan married Andrea Mitchell, a journalist with NBC News, in 1997. Information on other survivors was not immediately available.