Rex Tillerson

Tillerson was born on March 23, 1952, in Wichita Falls, Texas,{{cite web |url=https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V6S5-GLP|title=Texas Birth Index, 1903–1997|work=FamilySearch Database|date=December 5, 2014|access-date=December 15, 2016}}{{cn|date=April 2025|reason=FamilySearch.org source violates WP:BLPPRIMARY (birthdate). See FamilySearch.org row in WP:RSP.}} the son of Patty Sue (née Patton) and Bobby Joe Tillerson,{{cite news|accessdate=4 April 2025 |url=https://www.timesrecordnews.com/story/news/local/2018/02/28/secretary-state-father-dies/383643002/ |title=

Secretary of State father dies

|newspaper=Times Record News |location=Wichita Falls, TX |date=28 February 2018 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180301052406/http://www.timesrecordnews.com/story/news/local/2018/02/28/secretary-state-father-dies/383643002/?from=new-cookie

|archive-date=1 March 2018}} and named after Rex Allen and John Wayne, two Hollywood actors famous for playing cowboys.{{cite magazine|last1=Filkins|first1=Dexter|author-link=Dexter Filkins|title=Rex Tillerson at the Breaking Point|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/10/16/rex-tillerson-at-the-breaking-point|access-date=November 23, 2017|magazine=The New Yorker|date=October 16, 2017}} He was raised in Vernon, Texas; Stillwater, Oklahoma; and Huntsville, Texas.{{cite news|first=Nahal |last=Toosi |author-link=Nahal Toosi |title=Who is Rex Tillerson?|url=http://www.politico.com/story/2017/01/who-is-rex-tillerson-233362|access-date=April 1, 2017|work=Politico |date=January 11, 2017}}{{cite book|title=The Alcalde|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0-MDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA47|access-date=April 2, 2017|date=November 2007|publisher=Emmis Communications|page=47}} He has two sisters,{{cite news|first=Debbie|last=Lord|title=Read Rex Tillerson's opening statement during the Senate confirmation hearing|url=http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/national/read-rex-tillerson-opening-statement-during-the-senate-confirmation-hearing/brvmU4tnpdHSjTHEmxvAWP/|access-date=April 1, 2017|work=Palm Beach Post|date=January 11, 2017|archive-date=August 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812125021/http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/national/read-rex-tillerson-opening-statement-during-the-senate-confirmation-hearing/brvmU4tnpdHSjTHEmxvAWP/}} Rae Ann Hamilton, a physician who resides in Abilene, Texas,{{cite news|title=Tillerson's sister says he would do 'an incredible job' |url=http://www.reporternews.com/story/news/local/texas/2016/12/13/tillersons-sister-says-he-would-do-incredible-job/95396250/|first=Brian |last=Bethel |access-date=April 1, 2017|work=Abilene Reporter News|date=December 13, 2016}} and Jo Lynn Peters, a high school educator. Tillerson's father was an executive of the Boy Scouts of America organization, and this led to his family's move to Huntsville. Tillerson himself has been active in the Boy Scouts for most of his life, and in his youth he earned the rank of Eagle Scout.{{cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/2007/09/04/mazzuca-ceos-leaders-lead-citizen-cx_mk_0904scouts.html|title=Teaching Leadership: Scouts Honor|access-date=September 5, 2007|date=September 4, 2007|work=Forbes|first=Matthew|last=Kirdahy}}{{cite news|access-date=February 12, 2017|url=https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2016/12/13/distinguished-eagle-scout-rex-tillerson-nominated-as-secretary-of-state/ |work=Scouting Magazine |title=Eagle Scout Rex Tillerson named secretary of state |first=Bryan |last=Wendell |date=December 13, 2016}}

At age 14, while living in Stillwater, Oklahoma, he became a busser in the student union building at Oklahoma State University{{cite news|first=Glenn |last=Hunter|title=Why Rex Tillerson, Down-to-Earth Texan, Might Make a Good Secretary of State|url=https://www.dmagazine.com/business-economy/2016/12/why-rex-tillerson-down-to-earth-texan-might-make-a-good-secretary-of-state/|access-date=April 1, 2017|work=D Magazine|date=December 11, 2016}} and began picking cotton for work on weekends. In 1968, two years afterward, he became a janitor of one of the university's engineering buildings.

Tillerson graduated from Huntsville High School{{cite news|first=Cody |last=Stark|title=Huntsville High School graduate Rex Tillerson: 'An All-American kid'|url=http://www.itemonline.com/news/local_news/huntsville-high-school-graduate-rex-tillerson-an-all-american-kid/article_24eb750c-973b-59d8-a70c-e5c23d9c7fc3.html|access-date=April 2, 2017|work=The Huntsville Item|date=December 23, 2016}} in 1970. He was leader for the percussion section of his high school band, in which he played the kettle drums and snare drum, and he earned spots in the all-district and all-region bands during his senior year. Tillerson received a college scholarship from the University of Texas Longhorn Band. He received a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from the University of Texas at Austin in 1975.{{cite web|url=http://www.engr.utexas.edu/alumni/distinguished-alumni/deg/2006|title=2006 Distinguished Engineering Graduate: Rex W. Tillerson, B.S.C.E. 1975, Chairman and CEO, ExxonMobil Corporation|work=Cockrell School of Engineering, University of Texas}} During his time at UT Austin, he was involved with the Tejas Club (an all-male secret society){{cite web|last=Barnhill|first=Ted|title=Distinguishing Features: The Distinguished Alumni of 2007|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0-MDAAAAMBAJ|work=The Alcalde|publisher=Texas Exes|access-date=January 22, 2012|date=November 2007}} and the marching band.

File:Vice President Cheney Talks with Rex Tillerson of Exxon Mobil Corporation in His West Wing Office.jpg Dick Cheney and Tillerson, 2007]]

Tillerson joined Exxon Company USA in 1975 as a production engineer. In 1989, Tillerson became general manager of the central production division of Exxon USA. In 1995, he became president of Exxon Yemen Inc. and Esso Exploration and Production Khorat Inc.

In 1998, he became a vice president of Exxon Ventures (CIS) and president of Exxon Neftegas Limited with responsibility for Exxon's holdings in Russia and the Caspian Sea. He then entered Exxon into the Sakhalin-I consortium with Rosneft.{{cite news|last1=Rogin|first1=Josh|title=Inside Rex Tillerson's long romance with Russia|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/josh-rogin/wp/2016/12/13/inside-rex-tillersons-long-romance-with-russia/|access-date=November 26, 2017|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=December 13, 2016}}

In 1999, with the merger of Exxon and Mobil, he was named executive vice president of ExxonMobil Development Company. In 2004, he became president and director of ExxonMobil.{{cite magazine|first=Steve |last=Coll |title=Rex Tillerson, from a Corporate Oil Sovereign to the State Department |url=http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/rex-tillerson-from-a-corporate-oil-sovereign-to-the-state-department|access-date=April 1, 2017|magazine=The New Yorker|date=December 11, 2016}} Upon this appointment Tillerson's replacement of Lee Raymond as CEO of Exxon Mobil was implied.{{cite news|first1=David |last1=Koenig|title=Exxon Mobil Names Heir Apparent for CEO|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13105-2004Feb27.html|access-date=April 2, 2017|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=February 27, 2004}} His major competitor was Ed Galante, another Exxon executive.{{cite news|first1=Carola |last1=Hoyos|first2=Dan |last2=Roberts|title=Seamless transition to the top for the new 'Mr Exxon'|url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4f9832f0-05d7-11da-883e-00000e2511c8.html?ft_site=falcon&desktop=true#axzz4d4yuPiYo|access-date=April 2, 2017|work=Financial Times|date=August 5, 2005}}{{dead link|date=September 2020}} On January 1, 2006, Tillerson was elected chairman and CEO, following the retirement of Lee Raymond. At the time, ExxonMobil had 80,000 employees, did business in nearly 200 countries, and had an annual revenue of nearly $400{{spaces}}billion.

Under Tillerson's leadership, ExxonMobil cooperated closely with Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter and a longtime U.S. ally, as well as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates."{{cite web |url=http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/en/originals/2016/12/rex-tillerson-secretary-state-middle-east-trump.html |title=What Exxon's Rex Tillerson might mean as secretary of state |work=Al-Monitor |first=Laura |last=Rozen |date=December 13, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202054431/http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/en/originals/2016/12/rex-tillerson-secretary-state-middle-east-trump.html |archive-date=February 2, 2017 |df=mdy-all }} From 2003 to 2005, a European subsidiary of ExxonMobil, Infineum, operated in the Middle East providing sales to Iran, Sudan and Syria. ExxonMobil leaders said they followed all legal frameworks, and that such sales were minuscule compared to their annual revenue of $371{{spaces}}billion at the time.{{cite news|last1=Dorell|first1=Oren|title=ExxonMobil and Iran did business under secretary of State nominee Tillerson|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2017/01/09/exxonmobil-and-iran-did-business-under-secretary-state-nominee-tillerson/96359776/|work=USA TODAY|date=January 9, 2017}} In 2009, ExxonMobil acquired XTO Energy, a major natural gas producer, for $31{{spaces}}billion in stock. Michael Corkery of The Wall Street Journal wrote that "Tillerson's legacy rides on the XTO deal."{{cite news|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/deals/2009/12/14/rexs-legacy-rides-on-xto-deal/tab/article/|title=King Rex Tillerson's Legacy Rides on the XTO Deal|access-date=January 26, 2010|date=December 14, 2009|work=The Wall Street Journal|first=Michael|last=Corkery}} Tillerson approved Exxon negotiating a multibillion-dollar deal with the government of Iraqi Kurdistan, despite opposition from President Barack Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, both of whom argued it would increase regional instability.

Tillerson lobbied against Rule 1504 of the Dodd–Frank reform and protections, which would have required Exxon to disclose payments to foreign governments. In 2017, Congress voted to overturn Rule 1504 one hour before Tillerson was confirmed as secretary of state.

On January 4, 2017, The Financial Times reported that Tillerson would cut his ExxonMobil ties if he became secretary of state.{{cite news|url=https://www.ft.com/content/98038198-d23f-11e6-9341-7393bb2e1b51|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221211181234/https://www.ft.com/content/98038198-d23f-11e6-9341-7393bb2e1b51|archive-date=December 11, 2022|url-access=subscription|url-status=live|title=Tillerson set for $180m payout if confirmed as secretary of state|work=Financial Times|date=January 4, 2017|first=Ed|last=Crooks|access-date=February 2, 2017}} Walter Shaub, the director of the United States Office of Government Ethics, said he was proud of the ethics agreement developed for Tillerson, who was now "free of financial conflicts of interest. His ethics agreement serves as a sterling model for what we'd like to see with other nominees."{{cite web|url=https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/20170111_oge_shaub_remarks.pdf |author = Shaub, Walter M. Jr |title=Remarks of Walter M. Shaub, Jr., Director, U.S. Office of Government Ethics, as prepared for delivery at 4:00 p.m. on January 11, 2017, at the Brookings Institution|location =The Brookings Institution|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170112055350/https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/20170111_oge_shaub_remarks.pdf| date=January 11, 2017 |access-date = June 9, 2022 |archive-date= January 12, 2017 }}

In September 2023, The Wall Street Journal reviewed previously unreported internal ExxonMobil documents that showed that after the company issued its first press statement acknowledging that burning fossil fuels contributes to climate change in 2006, Tillerson and other company executives sought to diminish public concern about climate change by casting doubt on the severity of climate change impacts.{{cite news|last1=Matthews|first1=Christopher M.|last2=Eaton|first2=Collin|date=September 14, 2023|title=Inside Exxon's Strategy to Downplay Climate Change|work=The Wall Street Journal|publisher=News Corp|url=https://www.wsj.com/business/energy-oil/exxon-climate-change-documents-e2e9e6af|access-date=September 14, 2023}}

File:Igor Sechin, Vladimir Putin, Rex Tillerson (2012-06-15) 02.jpg and Igor Sechin, the CEO of state-controlled energy giant Rosneft, in Tuapse, 2012]]

As the CEO of ExxonMobil, Tillerson has ties with President Vladimir Putin of Russia.{{cite web |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/deals-with-vladimir-putin-helped-fuel-rise-of-secretary-of-state-nominee-rex-tillerson-1481626925 |title=Global Deals That Made Exxon's CEO Now Pose Big Test |first1=Justin |last1=Scheck |first2=James |last2=Marson |first3=Russell |last3=Gold |work=The Wall Street Journal|date=December 13, 2015|access-date=December 13, 2016}} They have been associates since Tillerson represented Exxon's interests in Russia, the world's largest producer of crude oil, during Russian president Boris Yeltsin's tenure.{{cite news|first=Bradley |last=Olson |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/donald-trump-candidate-for-state-has-close-ties-to-vladimir-putin-1481033938 |title=Rex Tillerson, a Candidate for Secretary of State, Has Ties to Vladimir Putin |work=The Wall Street Journal|date=December 6, 2016}} Tillerson was responsible for the development of a partnership between Exxon and state-owned oil company Rosneft and the ultimately unsuccessful attempt to acquire a stake in Yukos, owned by Mikhail Khodorkovsky, before the firm was nationalized after Khodorkovsky's arrest.{{Cite news |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/01/tillerson-confirmation-senate-mccain-graham-exxonmobil-russia-putin/512750/|title=A Brief Guide to Rex Tillerson's Controversial Foreign Ties|last=Mahanta|first=Siddhartha|work=The Atlantic|access-date=July 2, 2017|language=en-US}} John Hamre, the president and CEO of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, of which Tillerson is a board member, says Tillerson "has had more interactive time with Vladimir Putin than probably any other American, with the exception of Henry Kissinger".

Tillerson was a friend of Igor Sechin,{{cite news|last1=Ioffe|first1=Julia|title=What It Really Means to Be a 'Friend of Putin'|url=http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/12/rex-tillerson-exxon-putin-russia-ties-friend-214515|access-date=December 11, 2016|work=Politico Magazine|date=December 10, 2016}}{{Cite news |last=Kashin |first=Oleg |date=2016-12-22 |title=Opinion {{!}} Rex Tillerson's Special Friend in the Kremlin |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/22/opinion/rex-tillersons-special-friend-in-the-kremlin.html |access-date=2023-07-31 |issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite news |last=Rogin |first=Josh |date=2021-10-28 |title=Inside Rex Tillerson's long romance with Russia |language=en-US |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/josh-rogin/wp/2016/12/13/inside-rex-tillersons-long-romance-with-russia/ |access-date=2023-07-31 |issn=0190-8286}} the executive chairman of Rosneft, the Russian state oil company, and leader of the Kremlin's Siloviki (security/military) faction,{{cite web|last1=Hahn|first1=Gordon|author-link1=Gordon M. Hahn|title=The Siloviki Downgraded. In Russia's New Configuration of Power |url=http://www.russiaotherpointsofview.com/2008/07/the-siloviki-do.html |access-date=December 11, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101231105525/http://www.russiaotherpointsofview.com/2008/07/the-siloviki-do.html |archive-date=December 31, 2010 |date=July 21, 2008}}{{better source needed|opinion piece on blog|date=December 2022}} who has been described as "Russia's second-most powerful person" after Putin.{{cite news|last1=Peleschuk|first1=Dan|title=Think it's just Putin who runs Russia? Guess again|url=https://www.cnbc.com/id/102294358|access-date=December 11, 2016|publisher=CNBC|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141225012706/http://www.cnbc.com/id/102294358|archive-date=December 25, 2014}} Exxon owns a dacha next door to Sechin's, and Tillerson would often visit there. Tillerson led Sechin on a tour of New York City, dining on caviar with him and Putin at Per Se restaurant. In 2006, Exxon avoided making any government concessions in its Sakhalin-I oil field after Royal Dutch Shell was forced to sell half of its ownership in Sakhalin-II by the Russian government.

In August 2011, Putin attended a ceremony in Sochi where Tillerson and Sechin signed an agreement between ExxonMobil and Rosneft to drill the East-Prinovozemelsky field in the Arctic Ocean valued at up to $300{{spaces}}billion.{{cite news |last1=Parfitt|first1=Tom|last2=Rushe|first2=Dominic|title=ExxonMobil clinches Arctic oil deal with Rosneft |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2011/aug/30/exxon-rosneft-oil-arctic|access-date=November 26, 2017 |work=The Guardian|date=August 30, 2011}}{{cite news |last=Trefgarne|first=George|title=Vladimir Putin plays for high stakes in the oil game |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/energy/oil/8733104/Vladimir-Putin-plays-for-high-stakes-in-the-oil-game.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141024195933/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/energy/oil/8733104/Vladimir-Putin-plays-for-high-stakes-in-the-oil-game.html |archive-date=October 24, 2014|date=August 31, 2011|access-date=December 10, 2016}} The Rosneft deal also gave the state-owned oil company a 30% stake in Exxon owned assets in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, Canada, and West Texas. The company began drilling in the Kara Sea in the summer of 2014, and a round of sanctions against Russia introduced in September that year due to the Russo-Ukrainian War was to have brought the project to a halt in mid-September.{{cite news|last1=Reed|first1=Stanley |first2=Clifford |last2=Krauss|date=September 12, 2014 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/13/business/energy-environment/new-sanctions-to-stall-exxons-arctic-oil-plans.html |title=New Sanctions to Stall Exxon's Arctic Oil Plans |work=The New York Times |access-date=December 10, 2016}}{{cite news|last=Williams |first=Cara |date=September 19, 2014 |url=http://www.latimes.com/world/europe/la-fg-russia-sanctions-exxonmobil-20140919-story.html

|title=ExxonMobil said to halt drilling in $700-million project in Russia |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=December 10, 2016}} Nevertheless, the company was granted a reprieve that stretched the window to work until October 10, which enabled it to discover a major field with about 750 million barrels of new oil for Russia.{{cite news|title=Rex Tillerson's Company, Exxon, Has Billions at Stake Over Sanctions on Russia|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/12/world/europe/rex-tillersons-company-exxon-has-billions-at-stake-over-russia-sanctions.html|date=December 12, 2016|access-date=December 12, 2016|first1=Andrew E. |last1=Kramer |first2=Clifford |last2=Krauss}} In July 2017, the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control fined ExxonMobil $2{{spaces}}million for violating sanctions in its dealings with Sechin, leading the company to sue the government.{{cite news |last1=Paletta|first1=Damian|last2=Morello|first2=Carol|title=The strange legal battle that is pitting Trump's secretaries of the Treasury and State against each other |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/07/20/u-s-says-exxonmobil-violated-russia-sanctions-while-tillerson-was-ceo/|access-date=July 21, 2017|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=July 21, 2017|page=A1}}{{cite press release|title=The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control Assesses a Civil Monetary Penalty Against ExxonMobil Corporation|url=https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/OFAC-Enforcement/Pages/20170720.aspx|access-date=July 21, 2017|work=treasury.gov|date=July 20, 2017|language=en-us}}

In 2013, Tillerson was awarded the Order of Friendship by Putin for his contribution to developing cooperation in the energy sector.{{cite web |url=http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/18382|title=Meeting with energy company heads|date=June 21, 2013|work=Kremlin}}{{cite news|title=Rex Tillerson – the wild card diplomat|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38281954|access-date=March 29, 2017|work=BBC News |date=February 1, 2017}}{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2017/mar/02/donald-trump-russia-campaign-moscow|title=Trump associates' links with Russia: what we know so far |first1=Paul |last1=Torpey |first2=Cath |last2=Levett |first3=Paul|last3=Torpey |first4=Cath|last4=Levett |access-date=November 1, 2017|website=Theguardian.com|date=May 8, 2017 }}

In June 2017, Tillerson said Trump had asked him to "stabilize the relationship (with Russia) and build trust".{{Cite magazine|url=http://time.com/4806809/rex-tillerson-donald-trump-russia/|title=Tillerson Says Trump Asked Him to Re-Engage Russia|first=Nick|last=Perry|magazine=Time|access-date=July 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170628063435/http://time.com/4806809/rex-tillerson-donald-trump-russia/|archive-date=June 28, 2017|df=mdy-all}}

In 2012, Tillerson's compensation package was $40.5{{spaces}}million.{{cite news|first=Robert |last=Creamer|title=The Blog: Jamie Dimon's Big Pay Raise – and the Minimum Wage|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-creamer/jamie-dimons-big-pay-rais_b_4722678.html|work=HuffPost|date=February 4, 2014|access-date=February 11, 2014}} It was $28.1{{spaces}}million in 2013, $33.1{{spaces}}million in 2014, and $27.2{{spaces}}million in 2015.{{cite news|title=Profits are down at ExxonMobil, but don't cry for CEO Rex Tillerson|first=Steve|last=Mufson|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/profits-are-down-at-exxonmobil-but-dont-cry-for-ceo-rex-tillerson/2016/04/29/d6401e0c-0d60-11e6-a6b6-2e6de3695b0e_story.html|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=April 29, 2016|access-date=December 11, 2016}} In late 2016, Tillerson held $54{{spaces}}million of Exxon stock, and had a right to deferred stock worth approximately $180{{spaces}}million over the next ten years.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/dec/18/donald-trump-senate-backlash-cabinet-of-billionaires|title=Donald Trump faces Senate backlash over 'cabinet of billionaires'|first=Rupert|last=Neate|date=December 17, 2016|newspaper=The Guardian}} Tillerson is estimated to be worth at least $300{{spaces}}million. When he left Exxon, Tillerson was four months away from retirement, at which time he would have been entitled to a $180{{spaces}}million retirement package. He owns two ranches in Texas, where his wife, Renda, raises cutting horses.

On January 3, 2017, ExxonMobil announced they had reached an agreement with Tillerson "to sever all ties with the company to comply with conflict-of-interest requirements associated with his nomination as secretary of state".{{cite press release|url=http://news.exxonmobil.com/press-release/exxonmobil-tillerson-reach-agreement-comply-conflict-interest-requirements|date= January 3, 2017|title=ExxonMobil, Tillerson Reach Agreement to Comply with Conflict of Interest Requirements|publisher=Exxon Mobil}}

While CEO of ExxonMobil, Tillerson used an alias email address "Wayne Tracker" for eight years and sent thousands of messages.{{cite news|last1=Scheyder|first1=Ernest|title=Tillerson's email alias was prompted by business needs, Exxon says|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-tillerson-email-idUSKBN16L2QD|access-date=March 20, 2017|work=Reuters|date=March 14, 2017}} In response to a subpoena issued from the New York State Attorney General's office (part of a state investigation into whether Exxon had misled investors and the public about climate change), Exxon produced about 60 emails associated with the "Wayne Tracker" account, but did not inform investigators that they were Tillerson's."[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39274174 Rex Tillerson 'used email alias' at Exxon to talk climate change]", BBC News (March 15, 2017). ExxonMobil said the account was "used for everyday business" needs such as "secure and expedited communications" between Tillerson and top company executives.

Tillerson's use of the alias became publicly known in March 2017, after New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman wrote in a letter to a judge that Tillerson had used the "Wayne Tracker" email for at least seven years. Later that month, Exxon revealed that emails from the alias account from September 2014 to September 2015 were missing; a further search recovered some emails, but none between September 5, 2014, and November 28, 2014. An attorney for Exxon said a "unique issue" limited to that account led to emails being automatically deleted.{{cite web|title=In the Matter of the Application of the People of the State of New York, by Eric T. Schneiderman, Index No. 451962/2016|url=https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nyscef/ViewDocument?docIndex=4DzZGoEJQiW/RZR4m4RXbQ== |date=March 21, 2017 |first1=Theodore V. Jr. |last1=Wells |publisher=New York State Unified Court System|access-date=March 23, 2017}}{{cite web|last1=Berke|first1=Jeremy|title=Exxon admits it lost up to a year's worth of Rex Tillerson's 'Wayne Tracker' emails|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/rex-tillerson-exxon-email-climate-change-schneiderman-2017-3 |date=Mar 23, 2017 |website=Business Insider|access-date= March 23, 2017}}

Tillerson is a trustee of the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the American Petroleum Institute.{{cite web|url=https://www.csis.org/people/rex-w-tillerson|title=Rex W. Tillerson |work=Center for Strategic and International Studies|access-date=December 11, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161217180439/https://www.csis.org/people/rex-w-tillerson |archive-date= Dec 17, 2016 }} He is also a member of the Business Roundtable. In 2013, he became a member of the National Academy of Engineering. He was a member of the executive committee of The Business Council for 2011 and 2012.{{cite web|url=http://www.thebusinesscouncil.org/about/excommittee.aspx |title= Executive Committee 2011–2012 |work=The Business Council |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120722222304/http://www.thebusinesscouncil.org/about/excommittee.aspx |archive-date=July 22, 2012 }}

Tillerson is a long-time volunteer with the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), and from 2010 to 2012 was their national president, its highest non-executive position.{{cite web|title=CEO of Exxon Mobil Named National Boy Scouts of America President|url=http://www.scoutingnews.org/rex-tillerson/|publisher=Scouting News |access-date=December 13, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161217180054/http://www.scoutingnews.org/rex-tillerson/ |archive-date= Dec 17, 2016 }}{{cite news|last=James|first=Osbourne|title=Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson an Eagle Scout to the core|url=http://www.dallasnews.com/business/business/2014/09/06/exxon-mobil-ceo-rex-tillerson-an-eagle-scout-to-the-core|work=Dallas News|date=September 1, 2014}} Tillerson is a Distinguished Eagle Scout, and his father was a BSA executive. Tillerson is a long-time supporter of the BSA and has said, "I think the highlight of my youth and adolescent years were my achievements in Scouting." In 2009, Tillerson was inducted into the Eagle Scout Hall of Fame of the Greater New York Councils.{{cite press release |author=Boy Scouts of America |title=Boy Scouts Inducts Rex Tillerson, Chairman and CEO of ExxonMobil, Into Eagle Scout Hall of Fame |url=http://www.scoutingnewsroom.org/press-releases/boy-scouts-inducts-rex-tillerson-chairman-and-ceo-of-exxonmobil-into-eagle-scout-hall-of-fame/ |work=Boy Scouts of America |date=October 28, 2009 |access-date=December 13, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161216154116/http://www.scoutingnewsroom.org/press-releases/boy-scouts-inducts-rex-tillerson-chairman-and-ceo-of-exxonmobil-into-eagle-scout-hall-of-fame/ |archive-date=December 16, 2016 |df=mdy-all }} Ray L. Hunt, a close friend and the chairman of Hunt Consolidated, told the Dallas Morning News, "To understand Rex Tillerson, you need to understand Scouting."

After the end of his term as BSA president, he remained on the organization's National Executive Board. There he played a significant role in the board's 2013 decision to rescind the long-standing ban on openly gay youth as members. According to Center for Strategic and International Studies president John Hamre, Tillerson was instrumental in the change and "a key leader in helping the group come to a consensus".{{cite news|last1=Krauss|first1=Clifford|title=Rex Tillerson, an Aggressive Dealmaker Whose Ties With Russia May Prompt Scrutiny|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/11/business/rex-tillerson-secretary-of-state-russia.html|work=The New York Times|date=December 11, 2016}}

On July 9, 2017, Tillerson received the Dewhurst Award from the World Petroleum Council in recognition for "outstanding contribution to the oil and gas industry" during his 41 years at Exxon Mobil.{{cite web|title=Rex Tillerson to receive WPC Dewhurst Award|url=http://www.world-petroleum.org/resources/press-releases/367-rex-tillerson-to-receive-wpc-dewhurst-award|website=World Petroleum Council|access-date=July 10, 2017}}

{{Main|Foreign policy of the first Donald Trump administration}}

File:Rex Tillerson confirmation hearing.jpg

File:Tillerson sworn in.jpg

File:Secretary Tillerson Delivers Welcome Remarks to State Department Employees on his First Day (31827201164).jpg

Tillerson was first recommended to president-elect Trump for the secretary of state role by former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, during her meeting with Trump in late November 2016. Rice's recommendation of Tillerson to Trump was backed up by former secretary of defense Robert Gates, three days later.[http://www.politico.com/blogs/donald-trump-administration/2016/12/rex-tillerson-exxonmobil-secretary-state-232455 "ExxonMobil CEO Tillerson emerging as frontrunner for secretary of state"]. Henry C. Jackson, Josh Dawsey and Eliana Johnson, Politico. December 9, 2016. Media speculation that he was being considered for the position began on December 5, 2016.{{cite news|title=Exxon CEO Now a Contender for Donald Trump's Secretary of State|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/exxon-ceo-now-a-contender-for-donald-trumps-secretary-of-state-1480878402|date=December 5, 2016|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal}} On December 9, transition officials reported that Tillerson was the top candidate for the position, surpassing contenders such as Mitt Romney and David Petraeus.{{cite news|title=Exxon's Rex Tillerson Is Top Candidate for Secretary of State|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/exxons-rex-tillerson-is-top-candidate-for-secretary-of-state-1481318464|date=December 9, 2016 |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal}} His nomination was reportedly advocated by Steve Bannon and Jared Kushner.Sanger, David E., Maggie Haberman & Clifford Krauss, [https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/10/us/politics/rex-tillerson-secretary-of-state-trump.html "Rex Tillerson, Exxon Chief, Is Expected to Be Pick for Secretary of State"], The New York Times, December 10, 2016.

On January 20, 2017, shortly after being sworn in as president of the United States, Trump formally sent his nomination of Tillerson as secretary of state to the United States Senate.{{cite web|title=Nominations Sent to the Senate|url=https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2017/01/20/nominations-sent-senate|date=January 20, 2017|via=National Archives|work=whitehouse.gov|access-date=February 22, 2017}} The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved Tillerson's nomination with a strict party-line vote of 11–10 on January 23, 2017.{{cite web |url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/23/politics/senate-committee-approves-tillerson-for-secretary-of-state/index.html|title=Senate committee approves Tillerson for secretary of state|first=Nicole|last=Gaouette|work=CNN|date=January 23, 2017}}

The Senate confirmed Tillerson as secretary of state on February 1, 2017. The Senate voted 56 to 43, with all 52 Republicans in support of his nomination, as well as three Democrats and one independent.{{cite web|url=https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=115&session=1&vote=00036|title=PN25 Roll call confirmation vote|date=February 1, 2017|website=United States Senate|access-date=February 1, 2017}} He was sworn in on the same day by Vice President Mike Pence.{{cite web|url=https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2017/02/01/remarks-president-trump-and-vice-president-pence-swearing-ceremony|work=whitehouse.gov|title=Remarks by President Trump and Vice President Pence at Swearing-In Ceremony for Secretary of State Rex Tillerson|via=National Archives|date=February 1, 2017}}

The number of votes against Tillerson's confirmation was unusual for a secretary of state, as the previous record for votes against a nominee for secretary of state had been fourteen.{{cite web|title=Rex Tillerson Is Confirmed as Secretary of State Amid Record Opposition|date=February 1, 2018|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/01/us/politics/rex-tillerson-secretary-of-state-confirmed.html|work=The New York Times|last=Harris|first=Gardiner |access-date=March 18, 2018}}

{{See also|List of international trips made by Rex Tillerson as United States Secretary of State}}

On February 15, 2017, Tillerson embarked on his first overseas trip as secretary of state, to Bonn, Germany, for a meeting with foreign ministers from the G20.{{cite news|last=Morello|first=Carol|title=Tillerson in Germany on his first trip abroad as U.S. secretary of state |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/tillerson-in-germany-on-his-first-overseas-trip/2017/02/15/61f728ba-f2fc-11e6-9fb1-2d8f3fc9c0ed_story.html|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=February 15, 2017|access-date=February 25, 2017}}{{cite news|title=Tillerson and Mattis in guarded approach to Russia|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38988639|work=BBC News|date=February 16, 2017|access-date=February 25, 2017}} In Bonn, Tillerson had meetings with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov of Russia and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom,{{cite web|title=Rex Tillerson Meets Russian Counterpart in First Trip as Top U.S. Diplomat|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/16/world/europe/rex-tillerson-russia.html|work=The New York Times |date=February 16, 2017|access-date=February 25, 2017|last=Harris|first=Cardiner}} as well as his counterparts from Italy, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates.{{cite news|title=Tillerson arrives in Bonn amid questions over U.S. foreign policy|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-g20-tillerson-idUSKBN15U24J|work=Reuters|date=February 15, 2017|access-date=February 25, 2017}}{{cite web|title=Meeting on Yemen |url=https://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2017/02/267661.htm|publisher=U.S. Department of State|date=February 16, 2017|access-date=February 25, 2017}} Tillerson urged Russia to withdraw from eastern Ukraine, saying "the United States will consider working with Russia when we can find areas of practical cooperation that will benefit the American people. Where we do not see eye to eye, the United States will stand up for the interests and values of America and her allies. As we search for new common ground, we expect Russia to honor its commitment to the Minsk agreements and work to de-escalate the violence in Ukraine." Tillerson also reaffirmed U.S. commitment to defending South Korea and Japan.{{cite news|last=Morello|first=Carol|title=Tillerson, in diplomatic debut, urges Russia to pull back in eastern Ukraine|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/tillerson-and-lavrov-meet-for-first-time-in-bonn/2017/02/16/256d571a-f2fd-11e6-9fb1-2d8f3fc9c0ed_story.html|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=February 16, 2017|access-date=February 25, 2017}}

File:Secretary Tillerson Meets with Turkish President Erdogan in Ankara (32921677663).jpg at the Presidential Complex in Ankara on March 30, 2017]]

Tillerson made his first visit to Mexico on February 23, 2017, traveling with Secretary of Homeland Security John F. Kelly. When meeting with Secretary of Foreign Affairs Luis Videgaray Caso of Mexico, Tillerson acknowledged differences between the U.S. and Mexico on views of border security, but also acknowledged the need for cooperation in addressing migration, as well as arms trafficking.{{cite web|title=As Kelly and Tillerson Visit Mexico, Their Reassurances Differ From Trump's Stance|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/23/world/americas/john-kelly-rex-tillerson-mexico.html|work=The New York Times|date=February 23, 2017|access-date=February 25, 2017}}{{cite web|title=Mexican officials tell US: We don't agree|url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/23/politics/tillerson-kelly-mexico-statements/|publisher=CNN|date=February 23, 2017|access-date=February 25, 2017}} Tillerson recused himself from TransCanada's application for a presidential permit for the proposed Keystone XL pipeline.{{cite web |url=https://oge.app.box.com/v/TillersonRecusal|title=State Dept Response to Greenpeace 9 March 2017.pdf|website=oge.app.box.com|language=en-US|access-date=March 10, 2017}}

Before the inauguration, Tillerson selected Elliott Abrams to be the U.S. deputy secretary of state. In February 2017, they interviewed President Trump in the Oval Office. There, Tillerson contradicted the president's criticism of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, advising Trump of Exxon's success in refusing a bribe demand by Yemen's oil minister. The next day, Fox News criticized Abrams, and Tillerson soon told Abrams he would not be nominated.

File:Secretary Tillerson Meets With Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu (32063904794).jpg]]

In mid-March 2017, Tillerson made his first trip to Asia, traveling to Japan, South Korea, and China.{{cite web|title=Secretary of State Tillerson To Travel to Tokyo, Seoul, and Beijing|url=https://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2017/03/268282.htm|publisher=U.S. Department of State|date=March 7, 2017|access-date=March 17, 2017}}{{cite web|title=Tillerson's quiet trip to Asia|url=http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/rex-tillerson-asia-china-236059 |publisher=Politico|first=Michael|last=Crowley|date=March 15, 2017|access-date=March 17, 2017}} Tillerson remarked that diplomatic efforts in the past twenty years to stop North Korea's nuclear development had "failed". Tillerson also stated the United States may need to take preemptive action, remarking, "Certainly, we do not want things to get to a military conflict{{spaces}}... but obviously, if North Korea takes actions that threatens the South Korean forces or our own forces, then that would be met with an appropriate response. If they elevate the threat of their weapons program to a level that we believe that requires action, that option is on the table."{{cite web|title=Rex Tillerson Rejects Talks With North Korea on Nuclear Program |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/17/world/asia/rex-tillerson-north-korea-nuclear.html|work=The New York Times|date=March 17, 2017|access-date=September 4, 2020|last=Sanger|first=David}}{{cite web|title=Tillerson on North Korea: Military action is 'an option'

|first1=James |last1=Griffiths |first2=Paula |last2=Hancocks |first3=Alexandra |last3=Field

|url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/17/politics/tillerson-south-korea-dmz/|publisher=CNN|date=March 17, 2017|access-date=March 17, 2017}}

On March 30, 2017, Tillerson met with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey. Turkey has criticized the United States over its support for Syrian Kurds.{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-turkey-usa-idUSKBN1710WD

|title=Tillerson tells frustrated Turks: U.S. faces tough choices in Syria

|first1=Lesley |last1=Wroughton|first2=Ece |last2=Toksabay |work=Reuters|date=March 30, 2017}} In May, protestors and Erdoğan's bodyguards clashed outside of the Turkish ambassador's residence in Washington, D.C. Tillerson said the incident was "outrageous" and that the Trump administration has expressed "dismay" over it. He said the administration would await the outcome of an investigation before taking further action.{{Cite news|title=Tillerson waits on Turkey embassy brawl; McCain says 'look at the clip' |url=http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/05/21/tillerson-waits-on-turkey-embassy-brawl-mccain-says-look-at-clip.html|date=May 21, 2017|publisher=Fox News |access-date=May 22, 2017}}

In mid-April 2017, Tillerson made his first trip to Russia as secretary of state, meeting with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and President Vladimir Putin. At a news conference, Tillerson remarked that Russian–U.S. relations were at a "low point".{{cite web|title=Putin meets with Tillerson in Russia as Syria rift deepens |url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/12/politics/russia-syria-tillerson/|publisher=CNN|date=April 12, 2017|access-date=April 17, 2017}}{{cite web |title=Tillerson says 'US-Russia relations at a low point' after meeting with Putin|url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/Tillerson-meets-with-Putin-amid-tensions-over-Syria/story?id=46738628|publisher=ABC News|date=April 12, 2017 |access-date=April 17, 2017|first=Conor|last=Finnegan}} Tillerson also warned Russia of the risk of "becoming irrelevant in the Middle East" by continuing to support Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.{{cite web |title=Tillerson Warns Russia on Syria, Saying Assad Era Is 'Coming to an End'|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/11/world/europe/russia-syria-rex-tillerson.html|work=The New York Times|date=April 11, 2017|access-date=April 17, 2017|last=Harris|first=Gardiner}}

File:Secretary Tillerson Shakes Hands With Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov Before Their Meeting in Washington (33731169674).jpg shake hands before their bilateral meeting at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on May 10, 2017]]

In May 2017, Tillerson joined Trump on the president's first overseas trip, to Saudi Arabia.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-gets-elaborate-welcome-in-saudi-arabia-embarking-on-first-foreign-trip/2017/05/20/679f2766-3d1d-11e7-a058-ddbb23c75d82_story.html|title=Trump signs 'tremendous' deals with Saudi Arabia on his first day overseas|first1=Philip|last1=Rucker|first2=Karen|last2=DeYoung|date=May 20, 2017|access-date=November 1, 2017|newspaper=The Washington Post}}

In June 2017, Tillerson excluded Myanmar, Iraq, and Afghanistan from the list of countries that employ child soldiers in that year's Trafficking in Persons Report, rejecting the unanimous recommendations of staff.{{cite news|last1=Baumgaertner|first1=Emily|title=Tillerson Accused of Violating Federal Law on Child Soldiers|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/21/us/politics/tillerson-child-soldiers.html|access-date=November 23, 2017|work=The New York Times|date=November 22, 2017|page=A11}} Staff then circulated a memo in their Dissent Channel alleging that Tillerson's decision was in violation of the Child Soldiers Prevention Act.{{cite news|last1=Szep|first1=Jason|last2=Spetalnick|first2=Matt|title=U.S. diplomats accuse Tillerson of breaking child soldiers law|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-tillerson-childsoldiers/u-s-diplomats-accuse-tillerson-of-breaking-child-soldiers-law-idUSKBN1DL0EA|access-date=November 23, 2017|work=Reuters|date=2017}} In late November 2017, the topic garnered national attention when the Department of State defended Tillerson's actions in the wake of an anonymous complaint by an official to the department's inspector general and the distribution of supporting documents to the inspector general and to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.[https://www.cbsnews.com/videos/did-secretary-of-state-tillerson-violate-child-soldiers-law/ "Did Secretary of State Tillerson violate child soldiers law?"], November 22, 2017, CBS News, retrieved November 23, 2017[https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/state-department-employees-split-with-tillerson-on-child-soldiers-list/2017/11/21/ea906b8b-6d72-4e88-bb57-197a38baf164_story.html State Department employees split with Tillerson on child-soldiers list], November 21, 2017, The Washington Post, retrieved November 23, 2017[http://www.newsweek.com/does-rex-tillerson-support-using-child-soldiers-sec-state-accused-violating-718039 "Does Rex Tillerson Support Using Child Soldiers?"], November 21, 2017, Newsweek, retrieved November 23, 2017.

File:Secretary Tillerson Poses for a Photo With Argentine President Macri (40098814991).jpg in Buenos Aires, February 2018]]

President Trump's 2018 United States federal budget sought to reduce the Department of State's budget by 31%. Tillerson froze most hiring and sought to remove 2,000 career diplomats by offering them $25,000 buyouts. In June 2017, Tillerson told graduates of the Rangel and the Pickering foreign affairs fellowships that their offers to join the United States Foreign Service were rescinded, and that they needed to repay the $85,000 scholarships or agree to work in temporary positions. Tillerson reversed that decision and allowed the graduates to become full Foreign Service Officers after being asked to do so by 31 members of Congress.{{cite news|last1=Harris|first1=Gardiner|title=State Dept. Restores Job Offers to Students After Diplomat Outcry|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/30/us/politics/state-department-students-foreign-service.html|access-date=November 23, 2017|work=The New York Times|date=July 1, 2017|page=A11}} Applications to take the Foreign Service entrance exam dropped fifty percent that year.

Tillerson and his staff fired career ambassadors Patrick F. Kennedy and Kristie Kenney, and attempted to remove Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who then retired.{{cite news|last1=Harris|first1=Gardiner|title=Diplomats Sound the Alarm as They Are Pushed Out in Droves|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/24/us/politics/state-department-tillerson.html|access-date=November 26, 2017|work=The New York Times|date=November 25, 2017|page=A1}}

Tillerson selected Margaret Peterlin to be his chief of staff.{{cite web |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/biog/title/as/171315.htm|publisher=U.S. Department of State|title=Chief of Staff: Margaret Peterlin|access-date=April 14, 2017}}{{cite news |title=Tillerson's Enigmatic Chief of Staff Wields Power, Not the Spotlight |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-05-31/tillerson-s-enigmatic-chief-of-staff-wields-power-not-spotlight |first=Nick |last=Wadhams |date=May 31, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170531154920/https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-05-31/tillerson-s-enigmatic-chief-of-staff-wields-power-not-spotlight |archive-date=May 31, 2017 |publisher=Bloomberg News}} Tillerson is reported to have relied heavily on Peterlin, as well as his chief of policy, Brian Hook.{{cite news|last1=Johnson|first1=Eliana|last2=Crowley|first2=Michael|title=The bottleneck in Rex Tillerson's State Department|url=http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/04/rex-tillerson-state-department-bottleneck-239107|access-date=June 4, 2017 |work=Politico|date=June 4, 2017}}{{cite news |title=Diplomats Question Tactics of Tillerson, the Executive Turned Secretary of State |newspaper=The New York Times |date=August 7, 2017|page=A1 |first=Gardiner |last=Harris |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/06/us/politics/rex-tillerson-state-department.html}} Tillerson attempted to centralize much decision making under the Policy Planning Staff.{{cite news|last1=Gramer|first1=Robbie|last2=De Luce|first2=Dan|last3=Lynch|first3=Colum|title=How the Trump Administration Broke the State Department|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2017/07/31/how-the-trump-administration-broke-the-state-department/|access-date=November 23, 2017|work=Foreign Policy|date=July 31, 2017}}

Tillerson initiated the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review, focusing on the Department of State's organizational structure.{{cite news|last1=Wadhams|first1=Nick|title=How Rex Tillerson Is Remaking the State Department|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-10-26/how-rex-tillerson-is-remaking-the-state-department|access-date=November 23, 2017|work=Bloomberg Businessweek|date=October 26, 2017}} He contracted for management consulting from Deloitte and hired Insigniam to conduct a "listening tour" survey for $1{{spaces}}million.{{cite news|last1=Tracy|first1=Abigail|title=The State Department Is "Being Destroyed from Within"|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/08/rex-tillerson-state-department-reorganization|access-date=November 23, 2017|work=Vanity Fair|date=August 20, 2017|language=en}} Tillerson attempted to reduce inefficiencies within the Department of State, though it was described as a "botched reorganization" that created a hollowed-out and dysfunctional department, reportedly leading to micromanagement and poor morale among career diplomats,{{cite news|title=Rex Tillerson's agonies|url=https://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21730055-some-friction-between-president-and-secretary-state-normal-not-rex|newspaper=The Economist|date=October 5, 2017}}{{cite magazine |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2017/08/04/why-has-rex-tillerson-belly-flopped-as-secretary-of-state/ |magazine=Foreign Policy |title=Why Has Rex Tillerson Belly-Flopped as Secretary of State? |date=August 4, 2017 |access-date=August 7, 2017 |first=Derek |last=Chollet}} yet Tillerson was also praised by one writer for setting the right tone for diplomats.{{cite web|url=https://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/the-administration/318098-secretary-of-state-rex-tillerson-sets-the-right-tone/|title=Secretary of State Rex Tillerson sets the right tone for US diplomats|first=Kelsey|last=Rupp|date=February 6, 2017|website=The Hill|access-date=November 1, 2017}}

File:Secretary Tillerson Meets With Indian Prime Minister Modi in Washington (35421314671).jpg, June 26, 2017]]

File:Secretary Tillerson Greets Saudi King Salman Following the Saudi Arabia-Iraq Coordination Committee Meeting (37853939191).jpg, Riyadh, October 22, 2017]]

In November 2017, Tillerson said that recent Rohingya persecution in Myanmar was ethnic cleansing.{{cite news|last1=Landler|first1=Mark|title=Myanmar's Crackdown on Rohingya Is Ethnic Cleansing, Tillerson Says|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/22/us/politics/tillerson-myanmar-rohingya-ethnic-cleansing.html|access-date=November 23, 2017|work=The New York Times|date=November 23, 2017|page=A13}}

Tillerson made a concerted effort to respond to the Department of State's backlog of Freedom of Information Act requests that reached into Secretary Hillary Clinton's tenure, assigning midlevel diplomats from every bureau to perform document review beside unpaid interns.

By the end of November 2017, just 10 of the top 44 political positions in the Department of State had been filled. A large number of Senior Foreign Service officers had resigned under Tillerson, with the number of career ambassadors and ministers dropping more than 50%, from 39 to 19, and the number of minister-counselors dropping 18% to 369.

On March 13, 2018, Tillerson commented on the nerve gas poisoning in the United Kingdom of a former Russian spy and his daughter, calling it a "really egregious act" that clearly "came from Russia".{{cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/tillerson-says-u-k-spy-poisoning-clearly-came-russia-n856056|title=Tillerson says U.K. spy poisoning 'clearly' came from Russia|last1=Williams|first1=Abigail|last2=Elbaum|first2=Rachel|date=March 13, 2018|work=NBC News|access-date=March 13, 2018}}{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rex-tillerson-nerve-agent-used-poison-ex-spy-clearly-came-from-russia/|title=Tillerson: Nerve agent used to poison ex-spy "clearly came from Russia"|date=March 12, 2018|work=CBS News|access-date=March 13, 2018}}

In October 2017, news reports surfaced regarding a deteriorating relationship between Tillerson and Trump. According to reports,{{Cite news |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-wanted-dramatic-increase-nuclear-arsenal-meeting-military-leaders-n809701|title=Trump wanted dramatic increase in nuclear arsenal in military meeting|work=NBC News|access-date=October 14, 2017|language=en}} in a July 20 meeting, Trump allegedly suggested a tenfold increase in the U.S. nuclear arsenal, which would cost trillions and take centuries—reports that were denied by White House officials and by Trump{{Cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/11/politics/tillerson-moron-comment/index.html |title=Tense and difficult meeting preceded Tillerson's 'moron' comment |author1=Kevin Liptak |author2=Dan Merica |author3=Jeff Zeleny |author4=Elise Labott |work=CNN|access-date=October 14, 2017}}—after which individuals familiar with the meeting told journalists that Tillerson either called Trump a "moron"{{Cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/tillerson-s-fury-trump-required-intervention-pence-n806451|title=Tillerson's fury at Trump required an intervention from VP Pence|work=NBC News|access-date=October 14, 2017|language=en}} or a "fucking moron."{{Cite news |url=http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/war_stories/2017/10/now_we_know_why_rex_tillerson_called_donald_trump_a_moron.html|title=Trump's Nuclear Meltdown|last=Kaplan|first=Fred|date=October 11, 2017|work=Slate|access-date=October 14, 2017|language=en-US|issn=1091-2339}} Additionally, there were well-sourced reports of Tillerson offering to resign his office as secretary of state, only to be discouraged from doing so by Vice President Mike Pence; however, these were officially denied both by Tillerson and by the White House.{{cite news|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/10/rex-tillerson-donald-trump-state-department|first=Abigail|last=Tracy|title=Is 'Rexit' Looming?: Tillerson Is Throwing Off Trump's Shackles|magazine=Vanity Fair|date=October 3, 2017|access-date=November 27, 2017}} Furthermore, on October 1, Trump directly contradicted, via Twitter, Tillerson's policy of negotiation with North Korea;{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/914497877543735296|title=I told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful Secretary of State, that he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man ...|last=Trump|first=Donald J.|date=October 1, 2017|website=@realDonaldTrump|language=en|access-date=October 14, 2017}}{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/914497947517227008|title= ... Save your energy Rex, we'll do what has to be done!|last=Trump|first=Donald J.|date=October 1, 2017|website=@realDonaldTrump|language=en|access-date=October 14, 2017}}{{primary source inline|date=September 2019}} this move was widely panned by experts, who thought such a public undermining of America's chief diplomat would weaken his ability to negotiate.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/save-your-energy-rex-trump-tweet-undermines-sec-state-tillerson-n806381|title='Save your energy, Rex': Trump tweet undermines Tillerson on N. Korea talks|work=NBC News|access-date=October 14, 2017|language=en}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/01/us/politics/trump-tillerson-north-korea.html|title=Trump Says Tillerson Is 'Wasting His Time' on North Korea|last1=Baker|first1=Peter|date=October 1, 2017|work=The New York Times|access-date=October 14, 2017|last2=Sanger|first2=David E.|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}} On October 10, after Tillerson's alleged "moron" comment was reported in the media, Trump challenged Tillerson to "IQ tests";{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/10/10/trump-proposes-iq-tests-face-off-with-tillerson-after-secretary-of-state-calls-him-a-moron/|title=Trump proposes 'IQ tests' faceoff with Tillerson after secretary of state calls him a 'moron'|last=Rucker|first=Philip|date=October 10, 2017 |newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=October 14, 2017|language=en-US|issn=0190-8286}} three days later Senator Bob Corker from Tennessee, the chair of the influential Senate Foreign Relations Committee who had become a vocal Trump critic around that time, remarked that Trump was "publicly castrating" Tillerson.{{Cite news|url=http://www.politico.com/story/2017/10/13/bob-corker-rex-tillerson-castrate-trump-243771|title=Corker unloads on Trump for trying to 'castrate' Tillerson|work=Politico|access-date=October 14, 2017}}

Tillerson was reportedly angered by the political speech President Trump delivered at the 2017 National Scout Jamboree.

After leaving the Trump administration, Tillerson spoke to Bob Schieffer about his tenure: "It was challenging for me coming from the disciplined, highly process-oriented Exxon Mobil corporation{{spaces}}. . . to go to work for a man who is pretty undisciplined, doesn't like to read, doesn't read briefing reports, doesn't like to get into the details of a lot of things, but rather just kind of says, 'This is what I believe.{{'"}}Blake, Aaron. "[https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2018/12/07/rex-tillerson-trump-undisciplined-doesnt-like-read-tries-do-illegal-things/ Rex Tillerson on Trump: 'Undisciplined, doesn't like to read' and tries to do illegal things]". The Washington Post. 7 December 2018. Retrieved 7 December 2018.

Speaking to members and staffers of the House Foreign Affairs Committee in May 2019, Tillerson said he and Trump "shared a common goal: to secure and advance America's place in the world and to promote and protect American values," but he noted they do not share the same "value system." Asked to describe Trump's values, he replied, "I cannot."{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/putin-out-prepared-trump-in-key-meeting-rex-tillerson-told-house-panel/2019/05/22/9523c60f-865d-4917-898b-cb32b922e93c_story.html|title=Putin out-prepared Trump in key meeting, Rex Tillerson told House panel|newspaper=The Washington Post |first1=John |last1=Hudson |first2=Josh |last2=Dawsey |date=May 22, 2019 |access-date=May 24, 2019}}

In May 2019, Tillerson privately discussed with members of Congress his frustration that during his tenure Trump's son-in-law and senior advisor Jared Kushner conducted discussions with foreign dignitaries without advising the Department of State. In one instance, Tillerson entered a Washington restaurant and was asked by the owner if he wanted to meet with the Mexican foreign minister, who was dining with Kushner in the back of the restaurant; Tillerson was unaware the foreign minister was in Washington.{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/27/politics/tillerson-kushner-frustrations/index.html|title=Tillerson reveals frustrations about Kushner working behind his back|author=Kylie Atwood and Zachary Cohen|website=CNN|date=June 27, 2019}}

According to the White House, Trump communicated with Tillerson on March{{spaces}}9 and told him he would be replaced.{{cite news|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/378073-tillerson-ousted-as-secretary-of-state-report/|title=Trump removes Tillerson at State|last=Savransky|first=Rebecca|date=March 13, 2018|work=The Hill|access-date=March 13, 2018|language=en}} Tillerson cut short a visit to Africa and returned to the United States on March 12. On March 13, Trump announced via Twitter that Tillerson was out.{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/973540316656623616|title=[5:44 AM] Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State. He will do a fantastic job! Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service! Gina Haspel will become the new Director of the CIA, and the first woman so chosen. Congratulations to all!|last=Trump|first=Donald J.|date=March 13, 2018|website=@realDonaldTrump|language=en|access-date=March 13, 2018}} A spokesman for Tillerson, Steve Goldstein, the under secretary of state for public diplomacy, was quoted in The Washington Post that Tillerson did not know why he had been fired by Trump and only found out about his firing when he read Trump's tweet on the morning of March 13;[https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-ousts-tillerson-will-replace-him-as-secretary-of-state-with-cia-chief-pompeo/2018/03/13/30f34eea-26ba-11e8-b79d-f3d931db7f68_story.html Trump ousts Tillerson, will replace him as secretary of state with CIA chief Pompeo], Ashley Parker and Philip Rucker, The Washington Post, March 13, 2018. Goldstein, who was generally perceived within the White House as being anti-Trump,{{cite web|url=https://www.axios.com/state-departments-steve-goldstein-follows-tillerson-out-the-door-a05c25b3-ede0-4036-876f-a37295fc6e8b.html|title="State Department Steve" fired after Tillerson ouster|website=Axios|date=March 13, 2018 |language=en|access-date=September 4, 2020}} was fired by the White House later that day, reportedly for contradicting the official account of Tillerson's dismissal.{{cite news|url=https://apnews.com/6b3fe76623e24c33ba17305a0e08c505|title=The Latest: Schumer says White House chaos hurts America|work=Associated Press|access-date=2018-03-13|language=en-US}}{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-fires-top-tillerson-deputy-in-state-department-shake-up/|title=Trump fires Steve Goldstein, a top Tillerson deputy, in State Department shake-up|last=Atwood|first=Kylie|date=March 13, 2018|publisher=CBS News}} A senior Trump administration official cited "upcoming North Korea talks and various trade negotiations" as the reason for replacing Tillerson.{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/13/politics/rex-tillerson-secretary-of-state/index.html|title=Trump fires Tillerson, taps Pompeo as next secretary of state|author1=Nicole Gaouette |author2=Kaitlan Collins |author3=Dan Merica |publisher=CNN|date=March 13, 2018}} Trump later told reporters his differences with Tillerson came down to personal chemistry and disagreements on policy, adding that he and CIA director Mike Pompeo "have a very similar thought process".{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43388723|title=Trump fires Tillerson as secretary of state|date=March 13, 2018|work=BBC News}} The New York Times reported that Lebanese-American businessman George Nader turned Trump's major fundraiser Elliott Broidy "into an instrument of influence at the White House for the rulers of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates{{spaces}}... High on the agenda of the two men{{spaces}}... was pushing the White House to remove Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson.""[https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/21/us/politics/george-nader-elliott-broidy-uae-saudi-arabia-white-house-influence.html How 2 Gulf Monarchies Sought to Influence the White House]". The New York Times. 21 March 2018. UAE and Saudi Arabia lobbied Trump to fire Tillerson for not supporting the blockade of Qatar during the Qatar diplomatic crisis.{{cite news |title=UAE linked to efforts to get Donald Trump to fire Rex Tillerson over Qatar support, reveal emails |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/trump-uae-rex-tillerson-fire-qatar-support-united-arab-emirates-middle-east-emails-a8242411.html |work=The Independent |date=March 6, 2018}} Robert Malley, former top Middle East adviser to President Barack Obama, said that "senior Qatari officials with whom I spoke were convinced{{snd}}or at least acted as if they were convinced{{snd}}that Saudi Arabia and the UAE had been planning a military attack on their country that was halted as a result" of Tillerson's intervention.{{cite news |title=Saudi Arabia Planned to Invade Qatar Last Summer. Rex Tillerson's Efforts to Stop It May Have Cost Him His Job. |url=https://theintercept.com/2018/08/01/rex-tillerson-qatar-saudi-uae/ |work=The Intercept |date=August 1, 2018}}

John Sullivan, the deputy secretary of state, served as acting secretary until March 31, when Tillerson formally left office.{{cite news|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/378169-tillerson-says-commission-as-secretary-will-end-march-31/|title=Tillerson says last day at State will be March 31|last=Greenwood|first=Max|date=March 13, 2018|work=The Hill}} Trump proposed Mike Pompeo (with whom Trump had had a much more positive relationship) as Tillerson's successor and Gina Haspel as the new CIA director. Haspel was confirmed on May 17, 2018, making her the first female CIA director. Tillerson's total time in office was 423 days, making him the shortest-serving secretary of state since Lawrence Eagleburger (1992–1993). The last time a president's first appointee to the position served for less time was in 1898, when John Sherman left office after 413 days.{{cite news|url=http://editions.lib.umn.edu/smartpolitics/2018/03/18/rex-tillersons-historically-short-tenure-as-secretary-of-state/|title=Rex Tillerson's Historically Short Tenure As Secretary of State|publisher=Smart Politics|date=March 18, 2018|author=Eric Ostermeier}} Tillerson is also the only secretary of state since at least 1945 to have been fired.{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/13/opinions/tillerson-firing-makes-head-explode-opinion-miller/index.html|title=Longtime diplomat: Tillerson's public firing makes my head explode|last=Miller|first=Aaron David|publisher=CNN|date=March 13, 2018}}

In December 2018, President Trump called Tillerson "dumb as a rock" and "lazy as hell" after Tillerson held a speech where he described Trump as "pretty undisciplined". Trump made similar remarks again in May 2019 after Tillerson reportedly said Trump had been outmaneuvered in a meeting with Vladimir Putin.{{cite news |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-calls-tillerson-dumb-rock-quoted-putin-prepared/story?id=63202565 |title=Trump again calls Tillerson 'dumb as a rock' after he's quoted saying Putin 'out-prepared' him |work=ABC News |date=May 23, 2019 |access-date=May 24, 2019 |first1=Benjamin |last1=Siegel |first2=John |last2=Parkinson}} Trump had previously lauded Tillerson, describing him as "one of the truly great business leaders of the world" and a "world class player and dealmaker".{{Cite web|url=https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2018/12/07/rex-tillerson-donald-trump-undisciplined-doesnt-like-read-doesnt-know-law|title=Trump calls Rex Tillerson 'dumb as a rock', 'lazy as hell' after Texan criticizes former boss|date=2018-12-07|website=Dallas News|language=en|access-date=2018-12-08}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46407993|title=How Trump feud with 'dumb' Tillerson erupted|last=Zurcher|first=Anthony|date=2018-12-07|work=BBC News|access-date=2018-12-08|language=en-GB}}

In March 2017, Robert Jervis of Columbia University wrote that Tillerson "had little impact on the Trump administration so far" and that his influence would continue to wane.{{cite web |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2017/03/10/rex-tillerson-might-be-the-weakest-secretary-of-state-ever/|title=Rex Tillerson Might Be the Weakest Secretary of State Ever|website=Foreign Policy|date=March 10, 2017 |access-date=October 18, 2017}} That same month, William Inboden of the University of Texas at Austin defended Tillerson, saying he deserves more time.{{cite web|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2017/03/14/give-rex-tillerson-a-chance/|title=Give Rex Tillerson a Chance|website=Foreign Policy|first=Will|last=Inboden|date=March 14, 2017}} Daniel W. Drezner of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University was highly critical of Tillerson, calling him an "unmitigated disaster",{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2017/10/18/the-sooner-rex-tillerson-resigns-as-secretary-of-state-the-better/|title=Perspective {{!}} The sooner Rex Tillerson resigns as secretary of state the better|last=Drezner|first=Daniel W.|date=October 18, 2017|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=October 18, 2017|language=en-US|issn=0190-8286}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2017/08/31/why-secretary-of-state-rex-tillerson-should-resign/|title=Perspective: Why Secretary of State Rex Tillerson should resign|last=Drezner|first=Daniel W.|date=August 31, 2017 |newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=October 18, 2017|language=en-US|issn=0190-8286}} and "the most incompetent secretary of state in modern history".{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2018/03/13/five-thoughts-about-the-firing-of-rex-tillerson/|title=Perspective {{!}} Five thoughts about the firing of Rex Tillerson|last=Drezner|first=Daniel W.|date=March 13, 2018|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=March 13, 2018|language=en-US|issn=0190-8286}} Elliot Cohen of Johns Hopkins University said Tillerson might be one of the weakest secretaries of state in American history.{{Cite news|author=Mary Louise Kelly interview with Elliot Cohen|url=https://www.npr.org/2017/09/19/552006618/secretary-of-state-rex-tillerson-faces-a-new-onslaught-of-criticism|title=Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Faces a New Onslaught of Criticism|work=Morning Edition|publisher=NPR|date=September 19, 2017}} Elizabeth Saunders of George Washington University said Tillerson's tenure had damaged the Department of State "for a generation" and decreased America's ability to respond to major crises.

File:Secretary Tillerson Greets German Foreign Minister Gabriel Before Their Meeting in Washington (32631865426).jpg, Washington, D.C., February 2, 2017]]

In October 2017, Politico reported that Tillerson's major foreign policy positions include "urging the United States to stay in the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Paris climate accord, taking a hard line on Russia, advocating negotiations and dialogue to defuse the mounting crisis with North Korea, advocating for continued U.S. adherence to the Iran nuclear deal, taking a neutral position in the dispute between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, and reassuring jittery allies, from South Korea and Japan to our NATO partners, that America still has their back".Aaron David Miller and Richard Sokolsky, "Should Rex Tillerson Resign?" [http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/10/01/should-rex-tillerson-resign-215664 Article], Politico October 1, 2017

In 2014, Tillerson expressed opposition to the sanctions against Russia in response to the annexation of Crimea at an Exxon shareholder meeting.{{cite web |url=https://www.ft.com/content/586ae5c0-487c-11e4-ad19-00144feab7de |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221211181245/https://www.ft.com/content/586ae5c0-487c-11e4-ad19-00144feab7de |archive-date=December 11, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Exxon considers its course after sanctions hit Russian ambitions |work=Financial Times |date=30 September 2014 |access-date=January 19, 2017 }} He told the meeting "We do not support sanctions, generally, because we don't find them to be effective unless they are very well implemented comprehensively and that's a very hard thing to do."{{cite web|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2016/12/06/exxon-ceo-tillerson-secretary-of-state.html|title=How Exxon CEO Tillerson feels about sanctions (and other Secretary-related matters)|publisher=Biz Journals|date=December 6, 2016}} In 2016, Tillerson said the U.S. should have deployed military units to neighboring states next to Russia in a more "muscular" response.{{cite web|author=Matthew Lee |url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/russia-friend-sanctions-foe-tillerson-gets-hearing-081213134--election.html |title=Trump's pick for top diplomat takes tough line on Moscow|work=Yahoo! News|date=January 12, 2017|access-date=January 25, 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/jan/11/rex-tillerson-us-response-russia-crimea-seizure-wa/ |title=Rex Tillerson: U.S. response to Russia Crimea seizure was 'weak'|work=The Washington Times |date=January 11, 2017|access-date=January 25, 2017}} In 2017, Tillerson said Russia's annexation of Crimea was illegal."[http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/jan/11/rex-tillerson-us-response-russia-crimea-seizure-wa/ Rex Tillerson takes tough line on Russian hacking in tense hearing]". The Washington Times. January 11, 2017. He also compared China's controversial island-building in the South China Sea to Russia's annexation of Crimea."[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-38607235 South China Sea: China media warn US over 'confrontation']". BBC News. January 13, 2017.

File:Secretary Tillerson and Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir Address Reporters in Washington (33480721801).jpg, Washington, D.C., March 23, 2017]]

During his secretary of state confirmation hearings, Marco Rubio asked Tillerson if he would label Saudi Arabia as a "human rights violator". Tillerson declined to do so, saying: "When you designate someone or label someone, is that the most effective way to have progress be able to be made in Saudi Arabia or any other country?""[https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2017/live-updates/trump-white-house/confirmation-hearings-trump-speaks-and-vote-a-rama-analysis-and-updates/tillerson-saudi-arabia-isnt-a-human-rights-violator/ Tillerson won't label Saudi Arabia a human rights violator]". The Washington Post. January 11, 2017. He supported the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen."[https://theintercept.com/2017/01/12/rex-tillerson-wants-to-provide-saudi-arabia-with-more-help-to-bomb-yemen/ Rex Tillerson Wants to Provide Saudi Arabia With More Help to Bomb Yemen]". The Intercept. January 12, 2017.

Tillerson announced in 2009 that ExxonMobil favored a carbon tax as "the most efficient means of reflecting the cost of carbon in all economic decisions—from investments made by companies to fuel their requirements to the product choices made by consumers".{{cite web|url=https://energyfactor.exxonmobil.com/corporate-citizenship-sustainability/exxonmobil-and-the-carbon-tax|title=ExxonMobil and the carbon tax|publisher=ExxonMobil.com|date=December 2, 2015|access-date=December 10, 2016|archive-date=September 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180926143306/https://energyfactor.exxonmobil.com/corporate-citizenship-sustainability/exxonmobil-and-the-carbon-tax/}} In October 2016, less than two months before his nomination as Secretary of State, he reaffirmed that ExxonMobil believed a carbon tax would be "the best policy of those being considered. Replacing the hodge-podge of current, largely ineffective regulations with a revenue-neutral carbon tax would ensure a uniform and predictable cost of carbon across the economy{{spaces}}... allow market forces to drive solutions{{spaces}}... maximize transparency, reduce administrative complexity, promote global participation and easily adjust" to new knowledge in climate science and in the policy consequences of various courses of action.{{cite speech |title=The Path Forward in Today's Energy Environment |first=Rex |last=Tillerson |event=37th Annual Oil and Money Conference |location=London, England |date=October 19, 2016 |url=http://corporate.exxonmobil.com/en/company/news-and-updates/speeches/the-path-forward-in-todays-energy-environment |access-date=December 23, 2016 |archive-date=December 24, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161224094916/http://corporate.exxonmobil.com/en/company/news-and-updates/speeches/the-path-forward-in-todays-energy-environment }}

An article in The New York Times suggested that ExxonMobil's embrace of a carbon tax in October 2009 may have simply been an effort to avoid cap and trade legislation that was then being considered by the U.S. Congress as an alternative method of carbon pricing.{{cite news |last=Schwartz |first=John |title=Tillerson Led Exxon's Shift on Climate Change; Some Say 'It Was All P.R.' |newspaper=The New York Times |date=December 28, 2016 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/28/business/energy-environment/rex-tillerson-secretary-of-state-exxon.html |access-date=September 4, 2020}} A Time magazine article in December 2016 asserted that since Tillerson announced his company's preference for a carbon tax, ExxonMobil "has not made a carbon tax a focus of its massive lobbying efforts and has supported a number of candidates and organizations that oppose measures to tackle the [climate change] issue".{{cite news |last=Worland |first=Justin |title=What Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State Would Mean for Climate Change |magazine=Time |date=December 14, 2016 |url=https://time.com/4598499/rex-tillerson-donald-trump-exxon-mobil-climate-change/?xid=homepage |access-date=December 30, 2016}}

In 2010, Tillerson said that while he acknowledged humans were affecting the climate through greenhouse gas emissions to some degree, it was not yet clear "to what extent and therefore what can you do about it".{{cite web|url=https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-111hhrg76003/pdf/CHRG-111hhrg76003.pdf|title=THE EXXONMOBIL-XTO MERGER: IMPACT ON U.S. ENERGY MARKETS |publisher=Gpo.gov |access-date=December 11, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190222172827/https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-111hhrg76003/pdf/CHRG-111hhrg76003.pdf |archive-date=February 22, 2019 |url-status=live}}{{cite news|last=Schwartz|first=John|date=August 19, 2016|title=Exxon Mobil Fraud Inquiry Said to Focus More on Future Than Past|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/20/science/exxon-mobil-fraud-inquiry-said-to-focus-more-on-future-than-past.html|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=August 23, 2016}} At the 2020 Argus Americas Crude Summit, Tillerson further expressed doubt that humans could do anything to combat climate change.{{cite news |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-02-04/rex-tillerson-questions-human-role-in-battling-climate-change |publisher=Bloomberg News |date=February 4, 2020 |title=Rex Tillerson Questions Human Role in Halting Climate Change |first1=Rachel |last1=Adams-Heard |first2=Akshat |last2=Rathi |first3=Joe |last3=Carroll |quote='With respect to our ability to influence it, I think that's still an open question,' Tillerson said Tuesday at the Argus Americas Crude Summit. 'Our belief in the ability to influence it is based upon some very, very complicated climate models that have very wide outcomes.' |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200205110448/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-02-04/rex-tillerson-questions-human-role-in-battling-climate-change |archive-date=February 5, 2020}}

In 2012, Tillerson stated concerning climate change that "there are much more pressing priorities that we as a{{snd}}as a human being, race, and society need to deal with{{spaces}}... you'd save millions upon millions of lives by making fossil fuels more available" to the world's poor, and that "It's an engineering problem and there will be an engineering solution."{{cite web |last1=Tillerson |first1=Rex |title=CEO Speaker Series: A Conversation with Rex W. Tillerson |url=https://www.cfr.org/event/ceo-speaker-series-conversation-rex-w-tillerson |website=The Council on Foreign Relations |access-date=May 4, 2019}}

In 2016, Tillerson stated, "The world is going to have to continue using fossil fuels, whether they like it or not."{{cite news|last=Schlanger|first=Zoe|title=Is Exxon Waiting for the Paris Climate Agreement to Fail?|url=http://www.newsweek.com/exxon-shareholders-climate-change-paris-agreement-463592|newspaper=Newsweek|date=May 26, 2016}}

File:President Xi Jinping Greets Secretary Tillerson (33139050550).jpg's President Xi Jinping before their meeting in Beijing, March 19, 2017]]

In 2013, Tillerson outlined his support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), stating at the Global Security Forum: "One of the most promising developments on this front is the ongoing effort for the Trans-Pacific Partnership{{spaces}}... The 11 nations that have been working to lower trade barriers and end protectionist policies under this partnership are a diverse mix of developed and developing economies. But all of them understand the value of open markets to growth and progress for every nation."Betsy Woodruff, [http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/12/12/trump-s-sec-of-state-favorite-rex-tillerson-praised-tpp.html "Trump's Secretary of State Favorite Rex Tillerson Praised TPP"], December 12, 2016, The Daily Beast.

File:Secretary Tillerson Meets with the South Korean and Japanese Foreign Ministers (35615478893).jpg and Japanese foreign minister Tarō Kōno, August 7, 2017]]

Speaking in March 2007 at a Council on Foreign Relations event, Tillerson said:{{cquote|Should the United States seek so-called energy independence in an elusive effort to insulate this country from the impact of world events on the economy, or should Americans pursue the path of international engagement, seeking ways to better compete within the global market for energy? Like the Council's founders, I believe we must choose the course of greater international engagement{{spaces}}... The central reality is this: The global free market for energy provides the most effective means of achieving U.S. energy security by promoting resource development, enabling diversification, multiplying our supply channels, encouraging efficiency, and spurring innovation.{{cite news|last=Denning|first=Liam|title=Mr. Exxon Goes to Washington (Maybe)|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/gadfly/articles/2016-12-07/rex-tillerson-secretary-of-state-what-it-would-mean|publisher=Bloomberg L.P.|date=December 7, 2016}}}}

In 2012, in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Tillerson expressed his impatience with government regulation, saying "there are a thousand ways you can be told 'no' in this country."{{cite magazine|last=Coll|first=Steve|title=Gusher: The Power of ExxonMobil|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/04/09/gusher|magazine=The New Yorker|date=April 9, 2012b}}

File:Secretary Tillerson Shakes Hands with President Rodrigo Duterte (36027526740).jpg at Malacañang Palace in Manila, Philippines on August 7, 2017]]

In September 2013, Tillerson wrote an op-ed piece in The Wall Street Journal defending Common Core.{{cite web|last=Tillerson|first=Rex|title=How to Stop the Drop in American Education|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324747104579024892381188288|work=The Wall Street Journal|date=September 5, 2013}}

According to OpenSecrets, Tillerson has made tens of thousands of dollars of political donations to Republican groups and candidates.{{cite web|last1=Mitchell|first1=Andrea|title=Rex Tillerson of ExxonMobil Expected to Be Named Trump's Secretary of State: Sources|date=December 11, 2016 |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/rex-tillerson-exxon-mobile-expected-be-named-trump-s-secretary-n694371|publisher=NBC News|access-date=September 4, 2020}} According to Federal Election Commission (FEC) records, he gave a total of $468,970 in contributions to Republican candidates and committees from 2000 to 2016.{{cite web|title=Rex Tillerson Political Campaign Contributions|url=http://www.campaignmoney.com/political/contributions/rex-tillerson.asp?cycle=16|website=Campaign Money|access-date=January 25, 2017}}

He has contributed to the political campaigns of George W. Bush, as well as Mitt Romney in 2012, and Mitch McConnell.{{cite web|url=https://money.cnn.com/galleries/2012/fortune/1205/gallery.500-CEO-political-donations.fortune/2.html |title=Where CEO political dollars go – Rex Tillerson (2)|last=Jiminez |first=Sierra |magazine=Fortune|date=May 7, 2012 |issn=0015-8259 |access-date=December 10, 2016}} He did not donate to Donald Trump's campaign. He donated to Jeb Bush's campaign during the 2016 Republican primaries.{{cite web|last=Lavelle|first=Marianne|url=https://insideclimatenews.org/news/22072016/donald-trump-fossil-fuel-campaign-contributions-republican-oil-money|title=Fossil Fuel Money Still a Dry Well for Trump Campaign|publisher=InsideClimate News|date=July 22, 2016|access-date=December 10, 2016}}

File:Secretary Tillerson and Mrs. St. Clair Walk Through the State Department's Main Lobby on his First Day (32516939282).jpg

Tillerson has been married twice. He divorced Jamie Lee Henry, his first wife, with whom he has twin boys.{{cite book|title=Private Empire: ExxonMobil and American Power|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781594203350|url-access=registration|last1=Coll|first1=Steve|author-link1=Steve Coll|publisher=Penguin|year=2012a|isbn=978-1-59420-335-0}}{{sfn|Coll|2012a|page=137}} In 1986, Tillerson married Renda St. Clair, who has a son from her previous marriage. Tillerson and St. Clair also have a son, born in 1988.{{sfn|Coll|2012a|page=137}}{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/biography/S-Z/Tillerson-Rex-W-1952.html#b|title=Rex W. Tillerson biography|last=Cordon|first=Matthew C.|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Business, 2nd ed. |access-date= January 23, 2012}} Tillerson's twin sons are engineers and hold their bachelor's degrees from the Cockrell School of Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin.{{cite web|title=Tillerson Family Commits $5 Million to Cockrell School of Engineering, Bolsters Engineering Education and Research Center|url=https://news.utexas.edu/2014/04/15/tillerson-family-commits-5-million-to-cockrell-school |website=UT News |publisher=University of Texas|access-date=April 2, 2017|date=April 15, 2014}} In 2006, Tillerson was named a Distinguished Engineering Graduate.

Tillerson resides in Bartonville, Texas.{{cite news|first=Candy |last=Evans|title=Rex Tillerson Bought the Late Charles Wyly's Equestrian Ranch in Argyle: Horse Country Just Got Hotter|url=http://candysdirt.com/2016/12/16/will-rex-tillersons-new-job-make-bartonville-even-hotter-horse-country/|access-date=March 29, 2017|work=CandysDirt.com|date=December 16, 2016}} Following his appointment as secretary of state, Tillerson bought a home in Kalorama, Washington, D.C.{{cite news|first=Benjamin |last=Freed|title=Rex Tillerson Buys $5.6 Million Kalorama Home|url=https://www.washingtonian.com/2017/02/22/rex-tillerson-buys-5-6-million-kalorama-home/|access-date=April 21, 2017|work=Washingtonian|date=February 22, 2017}}

He is a Congregationalist who holds a membership in the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches, a mainline Reformed denomination.{{cite web|url=http://religionnews.com/2016/12/14/rex-tillerson-establishment-protestant-secretary-of-state/|title=Rex Tillerson, Establishment Protestant secretary of state|first=Mark|last=Silk|publisher=Religious News Service|date=December 14, 2016|access-date=February 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170130014133/https://religionnews.com/2016/12/14/rex-tillerson-establishment-protestant-secretary-of-state/|archive-date=January 30, 2017|url-status=live}}{{sfn|Coll|2012a|page=569}} He and his wife donated between $5,000 and $10,000 to the denomination's The Congregationalist Magazine in 2012.{{cite journal |volume=165 |number=3 |url=http://congregationalist.org/maguploads/magazineissue_43_tc_sept_2013_webcomp.pdf |journal=The Congregationalist |date=September 2013 |page=7 |title=Honor Roll of Distinguished Individual Donors |access-date=December 10, 2016 |archive-date=March 9, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160309195812/http://www.congregationalist.org/MagUploads/MagazineIssue_43_TC_sept_2013_webcomp.pdf }}{{cite web|url=http://congregationalist.org/Donations.aspx|title=Donations|work=The Congregationalist|access-date=February 3, 2017|archive-date=November 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107023953/http://congregationalist.org/Donations.aspx}}

On February 20, 2014, news outlets reported that Tillerson and his wife had joined opponents of a proposed water tower that could lead to fracking-related traffic near their homes. Plaintiffs included former U.S. House of Representatives Majority Leader Dick Armey and his wife.{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-fracking-tillerson-idUSBREA1P24O20140226|title=Exxon Mobil CEO welcomes fracking, but not water tower in his backyard|first=Marice|last=Richter|work=Reuters|date=February 26, 2014|access-date=July 1, 2017|archive-date=September 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924194020/http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/26/us-usa-fracking-tillerson-idUSBREA1P24O20140226|url-status=live}}{{cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304899704579391181466603804|title=Exxon CEO Joins Suit Citing Fracking Concerns|work=The Wall Street Journal |first=Daniel |last=Gilbert|date=February 20, 2014}} The Tillersons dropped out of the lawsuit after a judge dismissed their claim in November 2014.{{cite news|title=Rex Tillerson drops out of water tower lawsuit in Bartonville|first=Nicholas|last=Sakelaris|work=Dallas Business Journal|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2014/04/21/rex-tillerson-dropsout-of-water-tower-lawsuit-in.html|date=April 21, 2014|access-date=November 28, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141206174256/https://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2014/04/21/rex-tillerson-dropsout-of-water-tower-lawsuit-in.html|archive-date=December 6, 2014|url-status=live}}

In 2015, Tillerson was named as the 25th-most-powerful person in the world by Forbes.

On May 16, 2018, Tillerson gave a graduation speech at Virginia Military Institute. In an apparent rebuke of President Trump, Tillerson warned that there is "a growing crisis in ethics and integrity".{{cite web |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2018/05/16/rex-tillerson-speech-ethics-591876 |title=Tillerson warns of ethical crisis among U.S. leaders in speech |author=Quint Forgey |date=May 16, 2018 |website=Politico |access-date=May 17, 2018 }} "If our leaders seek to conceal the truth or we as people become accepting of alternative realities that are no longer grounded in facts, then we as American citizens are on a pathway to relinquishing our freedom."{{Cite web|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/news/387971-tillerson-warns-of-growing-crisis-in-ethics-and-integrity-in-commencement/|title=Tillerson warns military grads of 'growing crisis in ethics and integrity'|first=Max|last=Greenwood|date=May 16, 2018|website=The Hill}}

• List of secretaries of state of the United States
• List of foreign ministers in 2017
• List of people and organizations named in the Paradise Papers
• The Power of Big Oil

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Rex Tillerson}}

{{wikiquote}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20180402033057/https://www.state.gov/secretary/20172018tillerson/bio/index.htm Secretary of State] biography
• [https://www.forbes.com/profile/rex-tillerson/ Rex Tillerson at Forbes]
• {{C-SPAN|1010064}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20180427201911/https://www.state.gov/secretary/20172018tillerson/index.htm Secretary of State Archive]

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