American Secretaries of State: Rex W. Tillerson

Appointed by President Donald J. Trump, Rex Tillerson served from February 1, 2017 until March 31, 2018. As Secretary of State, he represented the United States at the G20 summit, and visited Mexico to discuss border issues during a period of tension over immigration. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Tillerson had worked for ExxonMobil for more than four decades, retiring in 2017 after a decade as CEO. A former Eagle Scout, Mr. Tillerson also served for two years as president of the Boy Scouts of America. During a panel organized by the American Secretaries of State Project, Mr. Tillerson noted, “Every successful negotiation is defined as both parties leaving with an acceptable outcome. If you ever think about a negotiation as a win/lose, you’re going to have a terrible experience, you’re going to be very dissatisfied, and not very many people are going to want to deal with you.”