Andrew Brimmer, the first African American to serve on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and a former professor at Harvard Business School, died earlier this month in Washington, D.C. He was 86 years old.
Dr. Brimmer, the son of a sharecropper, was born in Louisiana. After serving in the Army during World War II, he attended the University of Washington under the G.I. Bill. There, he earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in economics. He later earned a Ph.D. at Harvard University.
Brimmer served as an assistant secretary of commerce for economic affairs in the Johnson administration. In 1966, President Johnson appointed him to the Federal Reserve Board. He served for eight years on the board before resigning to take a position on the faculty at Harvard Business School. He also founded the consulting firm, Brimmer & Company.
Dr. Brimmer served on the board of trustees of Tuskegee University in Alabama for 45 years. He chaired the board from 1982 to 2010. The school of business at Tuskegee University is named in his honor.
I would like to express condolence to Doris, his widow. Dr. Brimmer and my lale husband became friends while at Harvard graduate school.
Andy was very dynamic and a brilliant economist.
Sincerely,
Evelyn Lyons