Charles Edward Wilson (November 18, 1886 – January 3, 1972) was a CEO of

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable ene ...

Early life

Wilson left school at the age of 12 to work as a stock boy at the Sprague Electrical Works, which was acquired by the General Electric Company. He took night classes to graduate from high school, and he worked his way up to the position of president of the

corporation A corporation is an organization—usually a group of people or a company—authorized by the state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law "born out of statute"; a legal person in legal context) and ...

in 1939.

Public service

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, Wilson served on the

War Production Board The War Production Board (WPB) was an agency of the United States government that supervised war production during World War II. President Franklin D. Roosevelt established it in January 1942, with Executive Order 9024. The WPB replaced the Su ...

as its executive vice-chairman in September 1942, supervising the huge U.S. war production effort. He resigned in August 1944 after a bitter dispute over jurisdiction with the

Department of War War Department may refer to: * War Department (United Kingdom) * United States Department of War (1789–1947) See also * War Office, a former department of the British Government * Ministry of defence * Ministry of War * Ministry of Defence {{u ...

and the Department of the Navy. Wilson stated at the time that the US must keep its economy mobilized for war to avoid another

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

General Electric career

After returning to General Electric in 1945, Wilson began an anti-union campaign. He also served President Harry S. Truman as the chairman of the blue-ribbon President's Committee on Civil Rights in 1946-47. The committee recommended new

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life ...

legislation to protect "all parts of our population." In December 1950, Wilson left GE again to serve Truman as director of the new Office of Defense Mobilization, which imposed controls on the US economy during the Korean War, such as rationing raw materials for civilian production. This position became so powerful that the press began dubbing Wilson the "co-president." After a bitter dispute with his own

Wage Stabilization Board The Wage Stabilization Board (WSB) was an independent agency of the United States government whose function was to make wage control policy recommendations and to implement such wage controls as were approved."Executive Order 10161, September 9 ...

, which had recommended wage increases for unionized steel workers without his knowledge, Wilson resigned from his post in March 1952. He had intervened in the dispute to support the steel industry's demand for price increases to offset the wage increases, only to see Truman back the WSB.

Later life

Wilson returned to General Electric briefly, before becoming chairman of the board of W.R. Grace & Co. until his retirement in 1956. He then became the president of the People-to-People Foundation, a nonpartisan organization that promoted international friendship and understanding. John G. Forrest wrote in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

, "Charles Wilson is a big man by any standard, physical, moral, or mental."

Personal life

Wilson and his wife adopted their daughter, Margaret Wilson, from an orphanage when she was 18 years old. Margaret later married Hugh Pierce and they had one son, Charles Edward Wilson Pierce, named for his grandfather and father. Charles Wilson died in

Westchester County, New York Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population ...

, in 1972, and his remains are interred in a private mausoleum in the

Kensico Cemetery Kensico Cemetery, located in Valhalla, Westchester County, New York was founded in 1889, when many New York City cemeteries were becoming full, and rural cemeteries were being created near the railroads that served the city. Initially , it ...

Nickname

He was nicknamed "Electric Charlie" to avoid being confused with

Charles Erwin Wilson Charles Erwin Wilson (July 18, 1890 – September 26, 1961) was an American engineer and businessman who served as United States Secretary of Defense from 1953 to 1957 under President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Known as "Engine Charlie", he was pre ...

US Secretary of Defense The United States secretary of defense (SecDef) is the head of the United States Department of Defense, the executive department of the U.S. Armed Forces, and is a high ranking member of the federal cabinet. DoDD 5100.1: Enclosure 2: a The s ...

under President

Dwight Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War I ...

and earlier the Chairman of the

General Motors Corporation The General Motors Company (GM) is an American multinational automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and was the largest in the world for 77 years bef ...

, who was nicknamed "Engine Charlie."

References

*Pierpaoli, Paul G., Jr. ''Truman and Korea: The Political Culture of the Early Cold War.'' Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1999. *Sandler, Stanley (editor), "The Korean War: An Encyclopedia", Garland, 1995, pages 357 - 58.

External links

* , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Charles E. 1886 births 1972 deaths Burials at Kensico Cemetery General Electric chief executive officers