Rex Tillerson
USA- Early Life and Education
- Business Career
- Connections with Russia
- Political Involvement
- Secretary of State
- Personal Life
Early Life and Education
Rex Wayne Tillerson was born on March 23, 1952, in Wichita Falls, Texas, to Patty Sue Patton and Bobby Joe Tillerson. An active Boy Scout throughout much of his life, he achieved the rank of Eagle Scout in 1965. Tillerson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from the University of Texas at Austin in 1975.
Business Career
In 1975, Tillerson joined Exxon as a production engineer. By 1989, he had become the general manager of Exxon USA's central region. In 1995, Tillerson became president of Exxon Yemen Inc., Esso Exploration, and Production Khorat Inc. In 1998, he assumed the position of vice president of Exxon Ventures and president of Exxon Neftegas Limited, overseeing Exxon's holdings in Russia and the Caspian region. Post-Exxon-Mobil merger in 1999, Tillerson was named an executive vice president of ExxonMobil. He became president and director of ExxonMobil in 2004.
On January 1, 2006, Tillerson was elected chairman and chief executive officer of ExxonMobil, succeeding Lee Raymond. He was re-elected to both positions at the annual shareholders' meeting on May 28, 2008. A non-binding resolution to strip Tillerson of these roles was sponsored by the Rockefeller family, who sought to encourage a system of checks and balances and wanted ExxonMobil to invest more in alternative energy. However, the resolution was defeated.
In 2009, ExxonMobil acquired XTO Energy, a major natural gas producer, for $31 billion.
Connections with Russia
Tillerson has had extensive business dealings with Vladimir Putin, dating back to the presidency of Boris Yeltsin when he was working to advance Exxon's interests in Russia. John Hamre, president and chief executive officer of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, where Tillerson is a board member, has stated that Tillerson "probably spends more time with Vladimir Putin than any other American except for maybe Dr. Henry Kissinger."
Tillerson is an associate of Igor Sechin, a former deputy chief of staff of the Russian Federation Presidential Administration. Referred to as the "enforcer of the Kremlin" by Russian and Western press, Sechin has also been described as the "second most powerful man in Russia."
In 2011, Tillerson, on behalf of ExxonMobil, signed a $300 billion deal with Russia to drill in the Arctic. Drilling began in the Kara Sea in the summer of 2014; a round of sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine crisis in September 2014 led to operations being halted mid-September. However, the window of time allowed for a major discovery—an estimated 750 million barrels of new oil—for Russia.
In 2013, Tillerson was awarded the Order of Friendship by President Putin for his contributions to cooperation in the energy sector. As of January 2017, Tillerson had investments in Russia, including over $15,000 in stock in the technology company Yandex.
Political Involvement
Tillerson has been a long-time supporter of Republican political campaigns. According to Federal Election Commission records, he has donated $442,284 to Republican causes since 2003. Tillerson has contributed to the campaigns of George W. Bush, Mitt Romney, and Mitch McConnell. He did not donate to the campaign of Donald Trump, instead endorsing Jeb Bush during the 2016 Republican primary.
Tillerson serves on the board of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Secretary of State
Tillerson was first reported to be under consideration for the position of U.S. Secretary of State by Donald Trump in December 2016. The decision was supported by former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. Tillerson was considered the top choice for the job over other contenders such as Mitt Romney and David Petraeus.
However, the nomination was reportedly opposed by Republican Marco Rubio. Combined with Democratic votes on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, a single Republican vote was necessary to block Tillerson's nomination from being recommended to the full Senate for confirmation.
Personal Life
Rex Tillerson is married to Renda St. Clair. The couple has four children. He resides in Irving, Texas.
Tillerson is a Congregationalist, affiliated with the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches, an arm of the Reformed denomination. He and his wife contributed between $5,000 and $10,000 to their church in 2012.
On February 20, 2014, news outlets reported that Tillerson and Renda were among opponents of a proposed water tower that could result in a fracking site near his home. Other complainants included Republican lobbyist Dick Armey and his wife. Tillerson and Renda withdrew from the lawsuit after a judge dismissed their complaint in November 2014.
Tillerson has acknowledged that humans are contributing to climate change through the release of greenhouse gases, but he has also emphasized the importance of engineering solutions to address the effects of climate change and has noted that "the world is going to continue to use hydrocarbons whether we like it or not."
