National

Trump picks ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson for secretary of state

NEW YORK — President-elect Donald Trump early Tuesday announced he intends to nominate ExxonMobil Chairman and CEO Rex Tillerson for secretary of state.

Tillerson, 64, has spent his entire career at Exxon, where he was hired as an engineer in 1975. He was named CEO in 2006.

>> Read more trending stories

"Rex Tillerson's career is the embodiment of the American dream," Trump said in a statement. "Through hard work, dedication and smart deal-making, Rex rose through the ranks to become CEO of ExxonMobil, one of the world's largest and most respected companies."

Trump also took to Twitter to praise Tillerson, calling him "one of the truly great business leaders of the world."