Who is Ben Bernanke?

File Under: TDI In-Depth

President Bush has named Ben Bernanke to succeed Alan Greenspan as Chairman of the Federal Reserve. But who is he? TDI now takes a look at his biography, his life, to bring you a look at the person, not the policies.

- Bernanke is currently chairman of President Bush's Council of Economic Advisors.
- Taught Economics at Princeton University for 17 years.
- Is a "macroeconomist" with an interest in monetary policy and macroeconomic history.
- Director of the Monetary Economics Program of the National Bureau of Economic Research
- Editor of the American Economic Review.
- Was born on December 13, 1954, in Augusta, Georgia. Has a wife, Anna, and two children.
- Has a B.A. in economics, 1975, from Harvard University. Also has a Ph.D in economics, 1979, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
- Was a member from 2002 to 2005 of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
- Told US News and World Report that he missed alot of classes in his first fall at MIT because he was obsessed with the Boston-Cincinnati World Series. The Red Sox lost, and has brought him sorrow ever since.
- Also described in that article as a "meditative man", and a libertarian republican.
- Won the state spelling bee in the sixth grade. He lost the national championship by adding one too many "i"s to the word "edelweiss".
- Is said to talk simply and plainly, and not "in tongues", as Greenspan is often criticized for doing.
- On wearing suits: "My proposal that Fed governors should signal their commitment to public service by wearing Hawaiian shirts and Bermuda shorts have so far gone unheeded."
- Has been predicted to suceed Greenspan for many years by economic publications. Upon news of Bernanke being named for the post, the stock market's rallied and went up.