[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 15]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 20532-20533]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO DR. ROBERT E. KELEHER

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KEVIN BRADY

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 31, 2009

  Mr. BRADY of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to offer a tribute to 
Dr. Robert Keleher of the Joint Economic Committee, who is retiring 
this week from government service. Bob has been a valued member of the 
committee staff since 1996, when he joined our staff as Chief 
Macroeconomist. Bob's keen mind, deep knowledge of economics, and high 
research standards have made him a tremendous asset to the committee 
for many years.
  After receiving his Ph.D. in economics from Indiana University and a 
position as a bank economist, Bob joined the Federal Reserve Bank of 
Atlanta, rising as a research officer and senior economist to become 
Head of Macro and International Economics. In addition to his research 
in monetary economics, Bob also conducted research applying classical 
principles of economics to taxation, emphasizing the importance of 
reducing marginal personal tax rates to create incentives for healthy 
economic growth.

[[Page 20533]]

  Bob also served as the senior Macroeconomist of President Reagan's 
Council of Economic Advisers in 1985 and 1986. He then moved on to 
become a special monetary and economic advisor to Vice Chairman Manuel 
Johnson, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve. Leaving the Federal 
Reserve in 1991, he became Chief Economist of Johnson Smick 
International.
  Bob joined the committee in 1996 under Chairman Jim Saxton and 
continued his research in many areas including international and 
domestic monetary policy. Bob's early and prolific work on inflation 
targeting composes the body of almost all Congressional analysis of 
this policy in the 1997-2006 time period. The significance of Bob's 
research was enhanced even more as the Federal Reserve moved toward a 
policy of more explicit inflation targeting over the last five years. 
Bob's work on international monetary policy contributed to important 
reforms of the International Monetary Fund.
  In addition to his expertise in the field of economics, Bob also 
distinguished himself as a fine person of great integrity and judgment. 
I know I can speak for all of my colleagues on the Joint Economic 
Committee in congratulating Bob upon his retirement and thanking him 
for his service to the United States Congress.

                          ____________________