Princeton University economist Alan Krueger, who served as chairman of President Barack Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers and was one of the profession’s top experts on the labor market, died over the weekend. He was 58.
The New Jersey school announced his death in a statement on its website Monday, without giving a cause. The university didn’t immediately respond to a request for additional information.
Krueger, who had been a professor at Princeton since 1987, served in Obama’s White House from 2011 to 2013 after a stint as the Treasury Department’s assistant secretary for economic policy. As a researcher, he was known in recent years for studies exploring the link between opioids and lower labor-force participation, along with how the “gig economy” was affecting the labor market.
“Alan Krueger taught me about economic policy for more than two decades,” Harvard University professor Jason Furman, who succeeded Krueger as head of the CEA, said on Twitter. “His convincing empirical research on the most important questions is a lasting legacy. A devastating loss.”
Krueger was also well known for work on economic benefits of education and the impact of the minimum wage on employment. In addition, he served as chief economist at the Labor Department for a year during President Bill Clinton’s administration.
Princeton said on its website that Krueger “was recognized as a true leader in his field, known and admired for both his research and teaching.”
