Evening star., 1938-04-06
FA|RLESS NAMED
us. STEEL CHIEF
New Administrative Officer
Prepared for His Job
Inside Mills.
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, April 6-Benjamin F..
Fairless, who wore overalls, got dirt
on his hands and learned about steel
making inside steel mill, started his
first full day today as top man" If
the $4,000, ,0O0, 900 United States Steel
Corp, biggest maker of steels In the
world.
Directors late yesterday named Mr..
Fairless as husky at AZ as when he
took his first steel job 27 years ago, to
the newly created post of chief ad-
ministrative officer of big steel"
Not since the retirement of James A.
Farrell eight years ago as the corpora
tion's chief, has steelmaster trained
for his job inside a steel plant headed
the company.
Gains Top Post.
Myron c. Taylor, who retired as
chairman OF the board Of directors
TO make way for younger men"
and who had been dominant Off
Ger in the company, gained his ex-
ecutive experience as a banker and
financier, and learned about steel after
joining the company as ranking ex-
ecutive. Mr.. Taylor was head man"
from the retirement of Steelmaster
Farrell in 1882 until the elevation Of
SteelmaSter FairlesS to the top post
AS chief administrative officer"
Mr.. Fairless is chief of the triumvirate
Of three young men who will guide the
affairs Of the company.
Sitting with Mr. Fairless in the top
most council are Edward R. Stettinius,
jr.. 81, a brilliant young executive
skilled in finance and business, whose
late father was Morgan partner, and
Enders M. Voorhees,, As, whose parents
were upstate farmers of Dutch descent.
Mr.. Stettinius is chairman Of the board
Of directors. Mr.. voorhees, is chairman
of the Finance Committee
Part Of Taylor's Plan.
Creation Of the triumvirate of young
executives was part OF Mr.. Taylor's
plan to leave the vast company in ca
pable hands.
First impressions in financial cir
cles had been that Mr. Stettinius,
groomed for Mr.. Tayloris board chair
manship, would be the one to receive
the mantle Of chief of the company
In fact, as recently as Mondays stock
holders meeting, at which the direc-
tors were reelected, it was taken for
granted that he would take on Mr..
Taylors full responsibilities as DOM
inant officer OF the company.
But scarcely "a hours after Mondays
stockholders meeting, at the reorgani-
zation meeting of the directors, after
Mr.. Taylor stepped down and Mr..
Stettinius stepped up to the chair
manship. directors thrust upon Presi-
dent Fairless the added powers Of
chief administrative officer"
OF Welsh Lineage.
Mr. Fairless, of Welsh lineage. hard
working son. and one of four chill
dren. of Pidgeon, Ohio, coal miner,
taught school for two years in Ohio,
after a public school education. saw
ing money for college. He was grad
uated with an engineers degree from
Ohio Northern University. and his
first post-college job was as a civil
engineer for the Wheeling e. Lake
Erie Railroad. That was in 1911.
Later the same year he left railroad
ing and went to work for the Gen.
trail Steel Co. of Massillon, Ohio.
His rise was rapid. Successfully he
became mill superintendent, general
superintendent and vice president in
charge of operations, and, after a
merger, vice president, general man
ager. then president of United Alloy
Steel His company was merged with
Republic Steel Co. in 1880 and he
became Republics executive vice pres
ident.
In 1885 Carnegie Steel and Illinois
Steel, two United States Steel sub
sidiaries. were combined into Car
negie- Illinois Steel Mr. Taylor Of
fered Mr.. Fairless the presidency Of
Carnegie Illinois, and he accepted.
Thus it was that Mr.. Fairless came
into the big steel" organization,
which he now heads.