Harry R. Biederman; Lockheed Economist, Forecasting Expert

Harry Robert Biederman, chief economist for Lockheed Corp. for 35 years and the founding editor of the Trendlines economic forecasting newsletter, has died. He was 70.

Biederman, who retired in 1987 but continued to serve Lockheed as a consultant, died of heart failure in Tarzana on April 28. He had suffered a severe stroke in 1990.

Often consulted by news media on the global and national economies, Biederman served as a key prognosticator of the impact federal defense spending cuts would have on California’s economy.

“We are looking at a flat market soon. I mean right away,” he told The Times in 1986, predicting a loss of at least 10,000 jobs in the state’s defense industry.

He taught economics at USC and frequently appeared as a guest speaker for public affairs and business conferences and television programs. He also wrote commentary and book reviews on economic subjects for The Times.

Biederman was president of the Los Angeles Chapter of the National Assn. of Business Economists and chaired the economists’ panel of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce Business Outlook Conference.

Born in Athens, Ohio, he grew up in St. Louis and was educated at Washington University, Shrivenham in England, UCLA, Columbia University and Loyola. During World War II, he served in the Army in Europe.

Survivors include his wife, Esther; three children, Danny, Jerry and Debbie; a sister, Dorothy Kaufman, and four grandchildren.

Funeral services are scheduled for noon today at Hillside Memorial Cemetery in Los Angeles.

The family has asked that any memorial contributions be made to the American Diabetes Assn.