WASHINGTON — Alan Greenspan, the longtime United States Federal Reserve (Fed) chief who presided over an unprecedented period of American economic expansion but was later faulted for failing to rein in markets ahead of the 2008 global financial crisis, has died.

A market maestro to some, he was criticized by others—including himself—for having too much faith in self-regulating markets.

During his chairmanship, Greenspan was celebrated as possibly the best central banker in history. But later, his reputation was tarnished by the worst financial crisis since the…

Alan Greenspan, the influential economist who led the US Federal Reserve for almost 19 years and helped steer the world's largest economy through periods of growth and crisis, has…