Rex Tillerson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rex Tillerson
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Official portrait, 2017
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| 69th United States Secretary of State | |
| In office February 1, 2017 – March 31, 2018 |
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| President | Donald Trump |
| Deputy | John Sullivan |
| Preceded by | John Kerry |
| Succeeded by | Mike Pompeo |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Rex Wayne Tillerson
March 23, 1952 Wichita Falls, Texas, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouses |
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| Children | 3 |
| Education | University of Texas at Austin (BS) |
| Awards | Eagle Scout (1965) Order of Friendship (2013) Dewhurst Award (2017) |
| Signature |  |
Rex Wayne Tillerson (born March 23, 1952) is an American businessman. He was the 69th United States Secretary of State from 2017 to 2018. This important job means he was the top diplomat for the U.S. government. Before that, he was the head of ExxonMobil, a very large energy company, from 2006 to 2016.
Tillerson started working as an engineer for Exxon in 1975. He had just finished his engineering degree from the University of Texas at Austin. Over the years, he moved up in the company. By 2006, he became the chairman and CEO of ExxonMobil. He retired from ExxonMobil at the end of 2016.
He has been a volunteer with the Boy Scouts of America for a long time. He even earned the rank of Eagle Scout when he was young. From 2010 to 2012, he was the national president of the Boy Scouts.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Rex Tillerson was born on March 23, 1952, in Wichita Falls, Texas. His parents named him after famous cowboy actors Rex Allen and John Wayne. He grew up in different towns in Texas and Oklahoma. He has two sisters.
His father worked for the Boy Scouts of America. This led to his family moving to Huntsville, Texas. Rex was very active in the Boy Scouts and became an Eagle Scout.
When he was 14, he started working as a busser at Oklahoma State University. Later, he worked as a janitor there.
Tillerson finished Huntsville High School in 1970. He played the kettle drums and snare drum in the school band. He received a scholarship to the University of Texas Longhorn Band. In 1975, he earned a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.
Business Career
Working at Exxon
Tillerson began his career at Exxon Company USA in 1975 as a production engineer. He worked his way up through different roles. By 1989, he was a general manager. In 1995, he became president of Exxon Yemen Inc.
In 1998, he became a vice president for Exxon's work in Russia and the Caspian Sea. He helped Exxon join a big oil project called Sakhalin-I with a Russian company called Rosneft.
When Exxon and Mobil merged in 1999, he became an executive vice president. In 2004, he became president and director of ExxonMobil. On January 1, 2006, Tillerson was chosen to be the chairman and CEO. At that time, ExxonMobil had 80,000 employees and worked in almost 200 countries.
Under Tillerson, ExxonMobil worked closely with countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. In 2009, ExxonMobil bought XTO Energy, a large natural gas company. This was a big deal for Tillerson's time as CEO.
Connections with Russia
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As the head of ExxonMobil, Rex Tillerson had strong connections with Russian President Vladimir Putin. They knew each other from when Tillerson worked on Exxon's projects in Russia. Tillerson helped create a partnership between Exxon and the Russian state oil company Rosneft.
In 2011, Putin attended a ceremony where Tillerson and Rosneft's CEO, Igor Sechin, signed a big agreement. This deal was to drill for oil in the Arctic Ocean. In 2013, Putin gave Tillerson the Order of Friendship award. This was for his help in developing energy cooperation.
Earnings
In 2015, Tillerson's total earnings package was $27.2 million. When he left Exxon, he had about $54 million in Exxon stock. He also had rights to more stock worth about $180 million over the next ten years.
On January 3, 2017, ExxonMobil announced that Tillerson would cut all ties with the company. This was to avoid conflicts of interest for his new job as Secretary of State.
Other Activities
Tillerson is a trustee for the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He is also a member of the American Petroleum Institute.
He has been a volunteer with the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) for many years. From 2010 to 2012, he was their national president. This is the highest non-executive position in the organization. Tillerson has said that his achievements in Scouting were a highlight of his youth.
After his time as BSA president, he stayed on the board. He helped the board decide in 2013 to allow openly gay youth to be members.
In July 2017, Tillerson received the Dewhurst Award. This award recognized his "outstanding contribution to the oil and gas industry" during his 41 years at Exxon Mobil.
Secretary of State (2017–2018)
Becoming Secretary of State
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Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice first suggested Rex Tillerson for the role of Secretary of State to President-elect Donald Trump. On December 9, 2016, officials said Tillerson was the top choice.
On January 20, 2017, President Trump officially sent Tillerson's nomination to the United States Senate. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved his nomination on January 23, 2017.
The full Senate confirmed Tillerson as Secretary of State on February 1, 2017. The vote was 56 to 43. He was sworn in on the same day by Vice President Mike Pence.
| Confirmation process | ||
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| Voting body | Vote date | Vote results |
| Senate Committee on Foreign Relations | January 23, 2017 | 11–10 |
| Full Senate | February 1, 2017 | 56–43 |
His Time in Office
On February 15, 2017, Tillerson made his first trip overseas as Secretary of State. He went to Germany for a meeting with foreign ministers from the G20 countries. He met with officials from Russia, the United Kingdom, Italy, and other nations. Tillerson asked Russia to leave eastern Ukraine. He also said the U.S. would protect South Korea and Japan.
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Tillerson visited Mexico on February 23, 2017. He talked about border security and working together on issues like migration.
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In mid-March 2017, Tillerson traveled to Asia, visiting Japan, South Korea, and China. He said that past efforts to stop North Korea's nuclear program had "failed." He also mentioned that the U.S. might need to take action if North Korea threatened U.S. or South Korean forces.
On March 30, 2017, Tillerson met with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey.
In mid-April 2017, Tillerson visited Russia. He met with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and President Vladimir Putin. He said that relations between Russia and the U.S. were at a "low point."
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In May 2017, Tillerson joined President Trump on his first trip overseas to Saudi Arabia.
Tillerson worked to address the large number of requests for information from the Department of State. He also said that the persecution of Rohingya people in Myanmar was ethnic cleansing.
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By late 2017, many top positions in the Department of State were still empty. Many experienced diplomats had also left.
On March 13, 2018, Tillerson spoke about a nerve gas poisoning in the United Kingdom. He called it a "really egregious act" that clearly "came from Russia."
Being Replaced
On March 13, 2018, President Trump announced that Tillerson would be replaced. Tillerson was on a trip to Africa and returned to the U.S. early. Trump later told reporters that he and Tillerson had different ideas about policy.
John Sullivan, the deputy secretary of state, served as acting secretary until March 31. Trump chose Mike Pompeo to be the new Secretary of State. Tillerson served for 423 days. This made him one of the shortest-serving secretaries of state in history.
Political Views
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In October 2017, Politico reported on Tillerson's main foreign policy views. He wanted the U.S. to stay in the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal. He also supported staying in the Paris climate accord. He believed in talking and negotiating to solve problems with North Korea. He also supported the Iran nuclear deal.
Russia and Saudi Arabia
In 2014, Tillerson said he was against the sanctions against Russia. These sanctions were put in place after Russia took over Crimea. He believed sanctions were not usually effective. However, in 2017, Tillerson said Russia's takeover of Crimea was illegal.
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During his confirmation hearing, Tillerson was asked if he would call Saudi Arabia a "human rights violator." He said he would not, believing it was not the best way to make progress. He supported the military action led by Saudi Arabia in Yemen.
Climate Change and Carbon Tax
In 2009, Tillerson said ExxonMobil supported a carbon tax. He believed it was the best way to show the cost of carbon in all business decisions. He said it would help the market find solutions and be clear.
In 2010, Tillerson said that humans were affecting the climate. But he also said it was not clear "to what extent." In 2012, he stated that there were more urgent problems than climate change. He believed that making fossil fuels more available would save millions of lives. He also said that climate change was "an engineering problem and there will be an engineering solution."
In 2016, Tillerson stated, "The world is going to have to continue using fossil fuels, whether they like it or not."
Support for Trade Deals
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In 2013, Tillerson supported the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). He said it was a promising effort to lower trade barriers. He believed that open markets help all nations grow and progress.
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He also believed in free trade for energy. He said it helps the U.S. get energy by encouraging development and offering many supply options.
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Education
In September 2013, Tillerson wrote an article supporting Common Core. This is a set of educational standards for schools.
Political Donations
Tillerson has given money to Republican political groups and candidates. From 2000 to 2016, he gave over $468,000. He supported campaigns for George W. Bush and Mitt Romney. He did not donate to Donald Trump's campaign in 2016.
Personal Life
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Tillerson has been married twice. He has twin sons from his first marriage. In 1986, he married Renda St. Clair, who had a son from a previous marriage. They also have a son together. His twin sons are engineers.
Tillerson lives in Bartonville, Texas. After becoming Secretary of State, he bought a home in Washington, D.C.
He is a Congregationalist, a type of Christian. He and his wife have donated to their church's magazine.
In 2015, Forbes magazine named Tillerson the 25th-most-powerful person in the world.
In May 2018, Tillerson gave a speech at Virginia Military Institute. He warned about a "growing crisis in ethics and integrity." He said that if leaders hide the truth, people might lose their freedom.
Images for kids
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Tillerson meeting with State Counsellor of Myanmar and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi on November 13, 2017
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See also
In Spanish: Rex Tillerson para niños
- List of secretaries of state of the United States
- List of foreign ministers in 2017
