Andrew Brimmer
| Andrew Brimmer | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
Andrew Felton Brimmer September 13, 1926 Newellton, Tensas Parish Louisiana, U.S. |
| Died |
October 7, 2012 (aged 86)[1] George Washington University Hospital, Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Residence | Washington, D.C. |
| Alma mater |
Tensas Rosenwald High School |
| Occupation | Civil rights activist |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Doris Millicent Scott Brimmer |
| Children | Esther Brimmer, |
Andrew Felton Brimmer (September 13, 1926 – October 7, 2012) was a noted United States economist, academic, and business leader who was the first African American to have served as a governor of the Federal Reserve System.[1]
Early life and education
Brimmer was born in Newellton in Tensas Parish, Louisiana, to a family of sharecroppers. He attended racially segregated schools and graduated from the former Tensas Rosenwald High School in St. Joseph, the seat of government of Tensas Parish. He was a classmate of Emmitt Douglas, later the long-term president of the Louisiana NAACP. Tensas Rosenwald closed in 1970, when the parish public schools were desegregated. The formerly all-white Newellton High School then function as a desegregated institution from 1970 until its closing because of low enrollment in 2006.
Thereafter, Brimmer served in the United States Army from 1945 to 1946. He then attended the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, where he obtained both his bachelor's and master's degrees. In 1951, Brimmer received a Fulbright scholarship to study in India and then enrolled in 1952 in Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 1957, he received his Ph.D.
Brimmer died on October 7, 2012 at George Washington University Hospital in Washington.
The Federal Reserve and other work
During Brimmer's time at Harvard, he also worked at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York as an economist, and established the central bank of the Sudan. After graduation, Brimmer became assistant secretary of economic affairs in the U.S. Department of Commerce. In 1966, under appointment from U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson, Brimmer began an eight-year term on the board of governors of the Federal Reserve, becoming the first African American in that position. In 1974, Brimmer left the Federal Reserve and taught at Harvard University for two years. Thereafter, he formed his own consulting company, Brimmer & Company. He was a trustee of the Economists for Peace and Security.
Brimmer served on the Tuskegee University board of directors from 1965–2010, and as the board's chairman for the last 28 years on the board, making him the longest serving chairman in the school's history.[2]
Brimmer married the former Doris Millicent Scott. They had a daughter, Esther Dianne Brimmer.
References
- 1 2 "Andrew Brimmer, First Black on Fed Board, Dies at 86". The New York Times. 2012-10-12. Retrieved 2012-10-12.
- ↑ "Andrew Brimmer Retires as Tuskegee University Board Chairman". October 21, 2010. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
External links
- Statements and Speeches of Andrew Brimmer during his tenure at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System