It is with great sadness that the Department of Economics announces the death of Professor Joseph J. Cordes on February 26, 2026, following a brief illness. Joe was 76 years old and passed away in Fairfax, Virginia.
Joe was born on April 16, 1949, in San Francisco, California, the son of Joseph J. Cordes Sr. and Elizabeth R. Cordes. He attended St. Brendan Catholic School and St. Ignatius College Prep in San Francisco before earning his undergraduate degree from Stanford University and his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1977. He joined the George Washington University faculty in 1975 and never left. As those who celebrated his fiftieth anniversary here in December 2025 noted, when Joe arrived, Gerald Ford was president and the top marginal tax rate was 70%. Over the next five decades he served as professor of economics, public policy and public administration, and international affairs; co-director of the GW Regulatory Studies Center; and director of the School of Public Policy and Public Administration.
Throughout his career, Joe built an exceptional record of scholarship, public service, and professional engagement. His academic specialization in public economics and policy analysis took him far beyond campus: he was a Brookings Economic Policy Fellow in the Office of Tax Policy at the U.S. Department of the Treasury in 1980–81, served as a senior economist on the Treasury's Tax Reform project in 1984, and from 1989 to 1991 served as deputy assistant director for tax analysis at the Congressional Budget Office. He was a visiting fellow at the Urban Institute in 1998–1999 and an associate scholar in its Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy from 1999 to 2019, and consulted for a wide range of institutions including the RAND Corporation, the Federal Trade Commission, the Internal Revenue Service, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the National Research Council.
Joe's research interests were broad and enduring, spanning the economics of nonprofit organizations, U.S. tax policy, and the application of benefit-cost analysis to policies regulating consumer credit markets, natural hazards and terrorist attacks. He served on the editorial boards of the Eastern Economic Journal and The International Review of Public Administration and was a member of the Policy Council of the Association of Public Policy Analysis and Management. Joe was also a founding member of the Society for Benefit-Cost Analysis and served as its president and on the editorial board of the Journal of Benefit-Cost Analysis.
Joe gave generously of himself in faculty governance and administrative roles throughout his career. He served two consecutive terms as chair of the Department of Economics, as associate dean for faculty affairs in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, and represented CCAS on the Faculty Senate for 20 years. Joe may be best known for his role as co-chair of the Faculty Senate Standing Committee on Fiscal Planning and Budgeting, where his annual Senate presentations on the state of the university budget were considered Master Classes.
In the classroom and among colleagues, Joe was known for his warmth, his curiosity, and his investment in the people around him. In a profession known for being a dismal science, his good cheer, ready smile, and positive outlook were remarkable and appreciated by colleagues and students alike. He had a rare gift for making complex policy analysis feel connected to real decisions happening in the world, and he extended that same generosity to colleagues as readily as to students. As Professor Anthony Yezer, who had been on the recruiting committee that first brought Joe to GW, observed: "Joe consistently took on responsibilities that conferred benefits on others without regard to his own advantage. We have all benefited from his willingness to represent the faculty with diligence and integrity." Dean Paul Wahlbeck of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences echoed that sentiment: "Joe's passing is a tremendous loss. He was a wise and trusted voice on university finance and so many other issues."
Beyond his professional life, Joe was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather, known to his grandchildren simply as Opa, a role he embraced with great joy. He believed strongly in supporting those who needed help. He contributed both his time and resources to organizations serving people with disabilities, those experiencing hunger and homelessness, and those seeking social justice.
Joe is survived by his beloved wife of 51 years, Ann; his son Paul Cordes (Joyce); his daughter Sarah Cordes Cordero (Fernando); and his grandchildren J.J. and Jean Cordes and Maximo, Thomas, and Beatrice Cordero.
The Department of Economics, and the entire GW community, has lost a remarkable scholar, a dedicated public servant, and a profoundly good man. His scholarship is foundational, his service was tireless, and his presence is irreplaceable. We will remember Joe as professor, mentor, colleague, and friend, with admiration and gratitude for many years to come.