Publications

Economist and Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation Trustee Dr. Brian Becker returned to the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library on March 28, 2018, to present a lecture on “Economics and the Presidency.”

Becker is the founder of Precision Economics and has served as an economic expert witness and consultant for 25 years, producing more than 300 economic expert reports for Fortune 500 corporations. Becker holds a Ph.D. from The Wharton School University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. from Johns Hopkins. He is also a visiting professor at the business schools of Johns Hopkins, Marymount University, and Georgetown University. Becker also serves on the Audit Committee of the Mathematical Association of America.

Notably, Brian’s father and former Ford Presidential Foundation Trustee, Benton Becker, served as President Gerald R. Ford’s council during the U.S. Congressional hearings for the Vice Presidency following Vice President Spiro Agnew’s resignation in 1973. He also negotiated the terms of former President Richard Nixon’s pardon by President Gerald R. Ford in 1974.

Becker started the lecture by sharing a handwritten note he wrote when he was 8 years old where he posed a question to President Gerald R. Ford regarding disparities in national gas and meat prices. Becker showed a picture of President Ford’s response letter with details on how economics works which his family later framed. Becker used the letter to illustrate how although some U.S. Presidents had business school backgrounds most do not have a deeper understanding of economics even though it is a big part of the job. Becker noted that President Ford had a very diverse background, which included majoring in economics as an undergraduate.

Becker provided historical background on economic issues faced by several U.S. Presidents including George Washington with the Whiskey Tax, Andrew Jackson with the National Bank, William McKinley with the Gold Standard, Theodore Roosevelt’s battle with big monopolies and trusts, and Franklin Roosevelt with the Great Depression. Becker also showed how the focus on the economy has changed since the first presidency by contrasting the size of the federal budget today against the economy of President Washington. Becker points out that the federal budget today is 500,000 times bigger which he attributes to population growth, productivity, inflation, and government spending.

Becker discussed how one of President Ford’s economic challenges in the 1970s was to address high inflation. Becker described how President Ford focused on increasing government spending and lowering taxes in an attempt to jump-start the nation’s economy through fiscal stimulus. He theorized that the benefits of President Ford’s decisions were not realized until well after his term. Becker stated that President Ford didn’t have enough time in office to receive credit for his economic decisions.

The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum Director Elaine Didier opened the event introducing the speaker and thanking the National Archives, the Ford Presidential Foundation, and members of Friends of Ford. Becker closed the lecture answering questions from the audience.