
Rex Wayne Tillerson (23 March 1952-) was the US Secretary of State from 1 February 2017 to 31 March 2018, succeeding John Kerry and preceding Mike Pompeo. He previously served as CEO of ExxonMobil from 2006 to 2017, and his tenure as Secretary of State was both brief and disastrous.
Biography[]
Rex Wayne Tillerson was born on 23 March 1952 in Wichita Falls, Texas, and he graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1975 with a degree in engineering. That year, he joined ExxonMobil as a production engineer, and he became president of the company's Yemen branch in 1995. In 1998, Tillerson became responsible for the company's interests in Russia and on the Caspian Sea, beginning a long and friendly relationship with the Russian government. President Vladimir Putin would award Tillerson the Order of Friendship, the highest award that could be given to foreigners. In 2006, Tilllerson rose to become CEO of ExxonMobil, and he also served as President of the Boys Scouts of America from 2010 to 2012. In December 2016, it was announced that Tillerson was President-elect Donald Trump's first choice for the title of US Secretary of State, saying that he had a global view; both Democratic Party and Republican Party politicians opposed Tillerson's nomination, as he had no experience in foreign policy or politics. However, he was ultimately confirmed, serving as Secretary of State from February 2017 to March 2018. He later got into arguments with President Trump, as he had a disastrous tenure; 60% of diplomats resigned, and applications to the Foreign Service fell. In March 2018, he resigned, and Mike Pompeo succeeded him.