Ben Bernanke
Ben Bernanke (bur-NANG'-kee) (b. 1953) is an American economist who is the current Chairman of the Federal Reserve, nominated by President George W. Bush in 2005 to succeed Alan Greenspan. At first, Bernanke was widely perceived as having less power over Wall Street than Greenspan even after Greenspan's retirement, but Bernanke is starting to come into his own and to have more influence. [1]
Background
Dr. Bernanke was born in Augusta, Georgia. He has a BA in economics from Harvard (1975) and a PhD in economics from MIT (1979). He has taught at Stanford, New York University (NYU), and Princeton. Dr. Bernanke joined the Federal Reserve Board of Governors in 2002. Dr. Bernanke and his wife, Anna, have two children.
Political Orientation
Bernanke was appointed to the Federal Reserve Board, and elevated to Chairman, by a Republican President, George W. Bush. However, the Wall Street Journal reported that Dr. Bernanke has endorsed the proposed economic policies of Democrat Barack Obama.[2]
