Benjamin Franklin Fairless
Benjamin Franklin Fairless | |
|---|---|
Benjamin 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 Munford |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 3, 1890 Pigeon Run, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | January 1, 1962 (aged 71) Ligonier, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Spouse(s) | Jane Blanche Truby Fairless (1912-1942; her death); Hazel Hatfield Sproul (1944-1955; div.) |
| Occupation | President, Central Steel (1928-1930); First Vice President, Republic Steel (1930-1935); President, Carnegie-Illinois Steel Company (1935-1938); President, Chairman, & Chief Executive Officer, U.S. Steel (1938-1955) |
Benjamin Franklin Fairless (May 3, 1890 — January 1, 1962) was an American steel company 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.