THE U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed Federal Reserve Governor Jerome Powell as the next head of the central bank, succeeding Janet Yellen.

The Republican-controlled Senate voted 84-13 to approve the 64-year-old lawyer to a four-year term as Fed chair beginning early next month.

It was the most lopsided of recent Fed chair votes, signaling both Powell’s bipartisan appeal and the ebbing of some of the tensions raised by the U.S. central bank’s aggressive response to the 2007-2009 financial crisis and recession.

Controversy over those Fed policies led to a narrower 56-26 vote margin when Yellen became chair in 2013, and a 70-30 vote when former chair Ben Bernanke was named to a second term.

Powell will be “central to ensuring a safe and sound financial system while supporting a vibrant, growing economy,” banking committee chairman Mike Crapo said. (SD-Agencies)