Business & Science
Rex Tillerson
Wichita Falls-born civil engineer Rex Tillerson rose from a Texas Exxon production assignment to chairman and CEO of ExxonMobil before serving as the 69th U.S. secretary of state.
- Roster rank
- #170
- Category
- Business & Science
- Subject type
- Person
- Profile source
- Published Texas Icons profile
Texas story
Life and career
Rex Wayne Tillerson was born in Wichita Falls in 1952 and earned a civil-engineering degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1975. He joined Exxon immediately after graduation as a production engineer, beginning near Katy before moving through increasingly senior domestic and international assignments.
Tillerson became ExxonMobil chairman and CEO in 2006 and remained in that role until leaving the company for federal service. He was sworn in as the 69th U.S. secretary of state in February 2017 and served through 2018. His biography is therefore both a Texas engineering/business story and a national diplomatic one.
Defining work
What to know
- UT Austin civil engineering
- ExxonMobil chairman and CEO
- 69th U.S. secretary of state
- National Academy of Engineering
Timeline
Key milestones
- 1952Born in Wichita Falls, Texas.
- 1975Graduates from UT Austin and joins Exxon as a production engineer.
- 2006Becomes chairman and CEO of ExxonMobil.
- 2017Sworn in as the 69th U.S. secretary of state.
- 2018Concludes his tenure as secretary of state.
Texas connections
Places in the story
Wichita Falls
Birthplace.
Austin
University of Texas civil-engineering education.
Katy
Area near Tillerson's early Exxon production assignment.
Legacy
Why the story lasts
Tillerson's career connects Texas engineering education, the state's energy economy and U.S. foreign policy at the highest levels.
His profile should distinguish ExxonMobil corporate leadership from the separate responsibilities and controversies of his later public service.
Sources
Research trail
Cross-linked profiles