Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan dies at 100

Alan Greenspan, the former U.S. Federal Reserve chairman, died Monday at age 100, according to statements relayed by his wife Andrea Mitchell. Mitchell, an NBC News correspondent, said he died from complications of Parkinson’s disease. Greenspan led the Fed for 18½ years, presiding over what the article describes as a long era of American growth and prosperity that began in March 1991 and was marked by sustained price stability. The Federal Reserve said in a statement that he brought rigorous analytical discipline and helped establish credibility for the institution. Despite his reputation, the article notes that his legacy took a major hit after he left the Fed in 2006, as the U.S. housing market collapsed, helping trigger the 2008 global financial crisis and the worst U.S. recession since the 1930s. Critics blamed his “easy-money” approach and a perceived overreliance on lightly supervised financial markets.