Martin Feldstein, a giant in the field of economics and an architect of President Ronald Reagan’s sweeping tax overhaul effort, died of cancer on Tuesday at age 79. Feldstein was well known for his work on tax and spending policy and his three decades as president of the National Bureau of Economic Research. From 1982 to 1984, Feldstein was chair of Reagan’s Council of Economic Advisers, helping write sweeping changes to the U.S. tax code, which passed in 1986. He also mentored students as diverse as Lawrence Lindsey, President George W. Bush’s chief economic adviser, and Larry Summers, President Bill Clinton’s treasury secretary. Tributes poured out on Twitter and on various economic email lists from people who said being one of Feldstein’s research assistants changed the course of their lives.

Source: Washington Post June 12, 2019 00:11 UTC