Evening star., 1938-04-05
STETT|N|US HEADS
j. S. STEEL BOARD
One of Youngest Men Ever
Elected to Post Named
Tay|or's Successor.

NEW YORK, April 5.-The two
billion-dollar United States Steel
Corps three-point program for re-
and machines approaches fruition to-
day with the elevation to its chair
manship of 37-year-old Edward Reilly
Stettinius, jr.
Rated by his associates as a master
of corporate management in spite of
his comparatively brief experience in
big business, the prematurely gray,
but athletic-looking Stettinius sue
ceeds the veteran industrialist, Myron
c. Taylor
Mr.. Stettinius, one of the youngest
men ever elected to a post of such
Importance and responsibility, has
been chairman of the corporations
Finance Committee.
Prelude to Election.
The prelude to his election was en-
acted at the corporations annual
shareholders meeting at Hoboken, N.
j., yesterday.
Mr.. Taylor, retiring at 81 as an
official of big steel" after IL years
OF service, delivered his valedictory
as chairman and introduced his sue
cesSor. Seated next to Mr.. Stettinius
at the presiding officers table and
also symbolizing the corporations
new policy of elevating it's younger
executives, was Benjamin F.. Fairless,
IS, recently elected president, to sue
ceed the veteran William A. Irwin.
In downtown business circles it had
long been known that Mr.. Stettinius
was slated to succeed Mr.. Taylor as
the corporations ranking officer. He
was selected by Mr. Taylor himself,
according to common report, when
the chairman first gave thought to
retirement.
Mr.. Stettinius had the advantage of
high social and business background
when he started with General Motors
Corp. shortly after his graduation
from the University of Virginia in
1923, but his associates have asserted
that his climb to eminence was due
to his ability.
MIR. Settlnius, a native of Chicago,
won his first executive job with Gen.
eral Motors in 1926 when he was ap-
pointed assistant to the vice presi-
dent, Four years later he was named
assistant to President Alfred P. Sloan.
Jr. After that he was promoted to
vice presidency, in charge of indus
trial and public relations.
He quit General Motors in 1894 to
become vice chairman of the Finance
Committee of United States Steel In
1885 ne was elected chairman of the
committee.
Marked for Promotion.
He came to the Steel Corp as Mr..
iaylor was formulating his far-reach-
Ing plans for debt retirement and
slmplif1cation of financial structure.
mooernlzatlon and more complete in
tegration of plants and equipment and
reorganization of personnel.
The last-named objective committed
the corporation to close inspection
OF its more youthful executives to de-
termlne their qualifications for higher
places in the management. Mr.. Stet-
tlnlus. 1t has been related, was marked
At the outset for promotion.
Although given executive posts
which implied centering of interest
on the corporations finances, MIR.
Stettinius was known to have played
an important part in its industrial
and public relations.
He is tall and well-built. His al
most white hair crowning his youth
ful face, makes him an impressive
looking figure. He enjoys the repu-
tation of being one of the handsomest
executives in big business. The late
0. 0. Mcintyre. newspaper columnist,
referred to him and some other busi-
ness top-notchers as having all the
necessary masculine pulchritude for
Hollywood romantic roles
He is son of the late Edward r.
6tettinius, who was a partner in ]. p.