Biographies of the Secretaries of State: Rex W. Tillerson (1952–)

Introduction

Rex W. Tillerson was sworn in as the 69th U.S. Secretary of State on February 1, 2017, and served until March 31, 2018.

Rex W. Tillerson, 69th Secretary of State

A native of Wichita Falls, Texas, Secretary Tillerson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering at the University of Texas at Austin before joining Exxon Company, U.S.A., in 1975 as a production engineer. Secretary Tillerson rose through the ranks to become president of the corporation and a member of the board of directors in 2004, and served as ExxonMobil’s chairman and chief executive officer from 2006 to 2016.

Secretary Tillerson has a longstanding involvement with the Boy Scouts of America, earning its highest rank of Distinguished Eagle Scout in his youth. He is a former member of the Boy Scouts of America’s Executive Committee and served as the National President of the Boy Scouts from 2010 to 2012.

Secretary Tillerson is a former member of the American Petroleum Institute and the National Petroleum Council, and was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2013. He formerly served as a trustee of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He was also a member of the Business Roundtable and the Business Council, as well as an honorary trustee of the Business Council for International Understanding, and a member of the Emergency Committee for American Trade. He is a former director of the United Negro College Fund and a former vice-chairman of the Ford’s Theatre Society.

Sources

This text was adapted from Secretary Tillerson’s official biography (accessed March 17, 2021).