Edward R. Stettinius, Jr. (1900-1949), was an American industrialist and public servant and a secretary of state in President Franklin Roosevelt's Cabinet.

Edward Stettinius, Jr., was born in Chicago, Ill., on Oct. 22, 1900. His father was a partner of financier J. P. Morgan. He received his education at the Pomfret School and the University of Virginia. In 1924 he joined the General Motors Company as a stock clerk at 44 cents an hour. His rise in business was rapid; in 1931 he became General Motors vice president in charge of public and industrial relations. In 1934 he became chairman of the finance committee of the U.S. Steel Corporation, and in 1938 he became chairman of the board.

Stettinius's political views were liberal, and he served in Franklin Roosevelt's administration, first on the Industrial Advisory Board of the National Recovery Administration (1933), then as chairman of the War Resources Board (1939), and finally as administrator of...