Benjamin Franklin Fairless
Benjamin Franklin Fairless | |
|---|---|
Fairless in 1939 | |
| 5th President of U.S. Steel | |
| In office January 1, 1938 – May 3, 1955 | |
| Preceded by | William A. Irvin |
| Succeeded by | Walter F. Munford |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Benjamin Franklin Williams May 3, 1890 Pigeon Run, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | January 1, 1962 (aged 71) Ligonier, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Occupation | Business executive |
Benjamin Franklin Fairless (born Benjamin Franklin Williams; May 3, 1890 — January 1, 1962) was an American steel executive. He was president of a wide range of steel companies during a turbulent and formative period in the American steel industry. His roles included President of Central Alloy Steel from 1928 to 1930; First Vice President of Republic Steel (which had absorbed Central Steel) from 1930 to 1935; President of the Carnegie-Illinois Steel Company from 1935 to 1938; and then President (1938–1955), and later Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the board of directors (1952–1955) of U.S. Steel, the largest steel corporation in the United States.
Fairless was a well-known humanitarian, and one of the few steel executives willing to allow unionization in the steel industry. He received the Medal for Merit in 1946 for helping to break steel production bottlenecks in the United States during World War II.