Actuary, pension policy force Preston Bassett dies at 91

FORT MEYERS, Fla.—Preston Bassett, who helped shape federal pension policy for several presidential administrations and served as chief actuary of Towers, Perrin, Foster & Crosby, has died of a stroke at age 91.

Mr. Bassett died Sunday in Fort Myers, Fla., and had suffered a stroke a week earlier, according to his daughter.

Mr. Bassett, who joined Towers Perrin in 1950, was a member of the Labor Department’s Pension Committee and the Department’s ERISA Advisory Council. Following his 1980 retirement from Towers Perrin, he was a consultant to then-President Carter’s Commission on Pension Policy.

Mr. Bassett also served as president of the Conference of Actuaries in Public Practice, the Society of Actuaries and the American Academy of Actuaries.