The Charles Erwin Wilson reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Apr-2004 (provided by Fixed Reference: snapshots of Wikipedia from wikipedia.org)

Charles Erwin Wilson

Charles Erwin Wilson (July 18, 1890 - September 26, 1961), American businessman and politician, was United States Secretary of Defense from 1953 to 1957 under President Eisenhower. He had previously worked as CEO for General Motors. In the wake of the Korean War, he cut the defense budget significantly.

During his Senate confirmation hearing, he stated "What was good for our country was good for General Motors, and vice versa."

Wilson was born in Minerva, Ohio and died in Norwood, Louisiana. Interment is at Acadia Park Cemetery in Norwood.

Charles Erwin Wilson should not be confused with the Charles E. Wilson who was the CEO of General Electric and served President Truman as the head of the Office of Defense Mobilization. The two were respectively nicknamed "Engine Charlie" and "Electric Charlie" so that they could be more easily distinguished.

This is the "Charles Erwin Wilson" reference article from the English Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.