Rex Tillerson | |
---|---|
69th United States Secretary of State | |
Assumed office February 1, 2017 |
|
President | Donald Trump |
Deputy |
Tom Shannon (Acting) John Sullivan |
Preceded by | John Kerry |
Chairman and CEO of ExxonMobil | |
In office January 1, 2006 – January 1, 2017 |
|
Preceded by | Lee Raymond |
Succeeded by | Darren Woods |
33rd President of the Boy Scouts of America | |
In office May 26, 2010 – April 30, 2012 |
|
Preceded by | John Gottschalk |
Succeeded by | Wayne Perry |
Personal details | |
Born |
Rex Wayne Tillerson March 23, 1952 Wichita Falls, Texas, U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse(s) | Renda St. Clair |
Children | 4 |
Education | University of Texas, Austin (BS) |
Net worth | $245 million (2016) |
Awards |
Eagle Scout (1965) Order of Friendship (Russia) (2013) |
Rex Wayne Tillerson (born March 23, 1952) is an American diplomat, civil engineer, and former energy executive who is the 69th and current United States Secretary of State, serving since February 1, 2017. Tillerson joined ExxonMobil in 1975 and rose to serve as the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the company from 2006 to 2016.
Tillerson began his career as an engineer and holds a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. By 1989 he had become general manager of the Exxon USA central production division. In 1995, he became president of Exxon Yemen Inc. and Esso Exploration and Production Khorat Inc. In 2006, Tillerson was elected chairman and chief executive officer of Exxon, the world's 6th largest company by revenue. Tillerson retired from Exxon effective January 1, 2017, and was succeeded by Darren Woods. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering.
Tillerson is a longtime volunteer with the Boy Scouts of America and earned the rank of Eagle Scout. From 2010 to 2012 he was the national president of the Boy Scouts, its highest non-executive position. He is a longtime contributor to Republican campaigns, although he did not donate to Donald Trump's presidential campaign. In 2014, Tillerson, who had made business deals on behalf of Exxon with Russian President Vladimir Putin, opposed the sanctions against Russia. He has previously been the director of the joint US-Russian oil company Exxon Neftegas.