1890-1961
President of General Motors, Secretary of Defense (1954-1957)

Controversy and Power.

Charles Erwin Wilson, best known for a quotation he never uttered — "What's good for General Motors is good for the country" — played a key role in the development of General Motors Corporation (GM) and as secretary of defense during the Dwight D. Eisenhower administration. As the head of GM, Wilson had led the world's largest corporation; President Eisenhower wanted him to oversee the rapidly growing military and the developing "military-industrial complex." Wilson's association with the enormous automaker, however, made his cabinet appointment Eisenhower's most controversial.

Early Career.

Trained as an electrical engineer, Wilson climbed steadily up GM's long corporate ladder, becoming chief executive of the conglomerate in 1946. As head of GM, Wilson successfully negotiated labor agreements with the United Auto Workers (UAW) in 1948 and 1950. In the 1948 contract he offered the innovative...