Andrew Wechsler, June 12, 2004

Andrew Robert “Drew” Wechsler, 57, an economist who had been an adviser to the U.S. International Trade Commission, died June 12 at his home in Bethesda of cholangiocarcinoma, or cancer of the bile duct.

Since 1991, Mr. Wechsler was managing director of international practices with LECG, a legal and economic consulting firm in Washington. He was a specialist in analyzing international trade, criminal price fixing, mergers, intellectual property and the international “dumping” of goods below their market value.

From 1987 to 1991, he was senior vice president and director of international trade for Economists Inc., a Washington consulting firm. He was senior economic adviser to the International Trade Commission from 1979 to 1987, supervising more than 400 studies of international trade policy.

Mr. Wechsler was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and grew up on Long Island. He graduated from Yale University in 1969 and was one of the leaders of Yale’s antiwar movement during the Vietnam era. He taught high school chemistry and physics in New Haven, Conn., Freeport, N.Y., and Baltimore from 1969 to 1972.

He studied economics for two years at Uppsala University in Sweden and received a master’s degree in economics from Stanford University. At Stanford in the 1970s, he helped lead anti-apartheid demonstrations protesting the university’s investments in South Africa.

Mr. Wechsler was fluent in Swedish and had traveled to more than 60 countries.

After moving to Washington in the late 1970s, he founded the Reed-Cooke Neighborhood Association in Adams Morgan. He lived in Bethesda for the past nine years.

His marriage to Anne Spalding ended in divorce.

Survivors include his wife of 12 years, Christine Wechsler of Bethesda; two children from the second marriage, Joshua and Sarah Kate Wechsler, both of Bethesda; his father, Herbert Wechsler of Greensboro, N.C.; and two brothers.

Published in The Washington Post on June 30, 2004

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