Charles E. Wilson (executive)
Encyclopedia
Charles Edward Wilson was a CEO of General Electric
. He left school at age 12 to work as a stock boy at Sprague Electrical Works, which was acquired by General Electric, taking night classes and working up to president in 1939.
During World War II he served on the War Production Board
as executive vice-chairman in September 1942, supervising the huge U.S. military production effort before resigning in August, 1944 after a bitter jurisdictional dispute with the military. After returning to General Electric and instituting an anti-union campaign, he served President Truman
as the chairman of the blue-ribbon President's Committee on Civil Rights
in 1946-1947, which recommended new civil rights legislation to protect "all parts of our population".
After returning to General Electric again, he left to become head of the new Office of Defense Mobilization
in December, 1950, which took control of the U.S. economy, rationing raw materials to the civilian economy, a position so powerful that the press began calling him the "co-president". After being accused of backing big business, he resigned in March, 1952 after a bitter dispute with his own Wage Stabilization Board
after it recommended wage increases for union steel workers without his knowledge, and he intervened to back the steel companies' demand for price increases to offset them, only to see Truman back the board. He then returned to General Electric briefly before becoming chairman of the board of W.R. Grace & Co. until his retirement in 1956, when he became president of the People-to-People Foundation, a non-partisan program promoting international friendship and understanding.
He was nicknamed "Electric Charlie" so as not to be confused with Charles E. Wilson
, Secretary of Defense and Chairman of General Motors,
who was nicknamed "Engine Charlie". (This nicknaming meme included at least one other contemporary American industrialist, Charles E. Sorensen
, who was "Cast-Iron Charlie".)
John G. Forrest, writing in the New York Times, said "Charles Wilson is a big man by any standard, physical, moral, or mental."
Electric Charlie and his wife adopted Margaret from an orphanage when she was 18 years old. Margaret married Hugh Pierce and had a son: Charles Edward Wilson Pierce.
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
. He left school at age 12 to work as a stock boy at Sprague Electrical Works, which was acquired by General Electric, taking night classes and working up to president in 1939.
During World War II he served on the War Production Board
War Production Board
The War Production Board was established as a government agency on January 16, 1942 by executive order of Franklin D. Roosevelt.The purpose of the board was to regulate the production and allocation of materials and fuel during World War II in the United States...
as executive vice-chairman in September 1942, supervising the huge U.S. military production effort before resigning in August, 1944 after a bitter jurisdictional dispute with the military. After returning to General Electric and instituting an anti-union campaign, he served President Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
as the chairman of the blue-ribbon President's Committee on Civil Rights
President's Committee on Civil Rights
The President's Committee on Civil Rights was established by Executive Order 9808, which Harry Truman, who was then President of the United States, issued on December 5, 1946. The committee was instructed to investigate the status of civil rights in the country and propose measures to strengthen...
in 1946-1947, which recommended new civil rights legislation to protect "all parts of our population".
After returning to General Electric again, he left to become head of the new Office of Defense Mobilization
Office of Defense Mobilization
The Office of Defense Mobilization was an independent agency of the United States government whose function was to plan, coordinate, direct and control all wartime mobilization activities of the federal government, including manpower, economic stabilization, and transport operations...
in December, 1950, which took control of the U.S. economy, rationing raw materials to the civilian economy, a position so powerful that the press began calling him the "co-president". After being accused of backing big business, he resigned in March, 1952 after a bitter dispute with his own Wage Stabilization Board
Wage Stabilization Board
The Wage Stabilization Board was set up by President Harry Truman within the United States Department of Labor, in December 1945, to take over the work of the National War Labor Board...
after it recommended wage increases for union steel workers without his knowledge, and he intervened to back the steel companies' demand for price increases to offset them, only to see Truman back the board. He then returned to General Electric briefly before becoming chairman of the board of W.R. Grace & Co. until his retirement in 1956, when he became president of the People-to-People Foundation, a non-partisan program promoting international friendship and understanding.
He was nicknamed "Electric Charlie" so as not to be confused with Charles E. Wilson
Charles Erwin Wilson
Charles Erwin Wilson , American businessman and politician, was United States Secretary of Defense from 1953 to 1957 under President Eisenhower. Known as "Engine Charlie", he previously worked as CEO for General Motors. In the wake of the Korean War, he cut the defense budget significantly.-Early...
, Secretary of Defense and Chairman of General Motors,
who was nicknamed "Engine Charlie". (This nicknaming meme included at least one other contemporary American industrialist, Charles E. Sorensen
Charles E. Sorensen
Charles Emil Sorensen was a Danish-American principal of the Ford Motor Company during its first four decades. Like most other managers at Ford during those decades, he did not have an official job title, but he served functionally as a patternmaker, foundry engineer, mechanical engineer,...
, who was "Cast-Iron Charlie".)
John G. Forrest, writing in the New York Times, said "Charles Wilson is a big man by any standard, physical, moral, or mental."
Electric Charlie and his wife adopted Margaret from an orphanage when she was 18 years old. Margaret married Hugh Pierce and had a son: Charles Edward Wilson Pierce.