1926-
Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board

Eclectic Talents, Diverse Careers.

Born in New York City on 6 March 1926, the son of a stockbroker and a retail salesclerk, Alan Greenspan early displayed impressive mathematical skills. In fact, many considered him something of a mathematical prodigy. After finishing high school, however, Greenspan enrolled in The Juilliard School and played saxophone and clarinet with a touring swing band during the 1940s. In 1945 Greenspan's musical career came to an end when he enrolled in New York University to study economics. He completed a B.A. in 1948, graduating summa cum laude, and earned an M.A. in 1950. He then entered the doctoral program at Columbia University. In the early 1950s Greenspan dropped out of Columbia and went to work for the National Industrial Conference Board (NICB). In 1977 NYU conferred his Ph.D. without requiring Greenspan to complete a dissertation. After leaving...