|
ANDOVER, Mass.—William R. “Tim” Timken Jr. ’56, was sworn in as U.S. Ambassador to Germany by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on August 15 during a ceremony in the Treaty Room at the U.S Department of State in Washington, D.C.
Fellow Andover alumus President George W. Bush ’64, announced his nomination of Timken for the post on July 19. The U.S Senate confirmed the appointment on July 29. Upon accepting the appointment, Timken retired as chairman of the board of The Timken Company, a leader in the bearing and alloy steel market with revenues in excess of $4.5 billion. Timken was succeeded in that position by his nephew, Ward J. Timken Jr. ’85.
In speaking about his nomination during the confirmation process, Timken said, “Strengthening business confidence and promoting American exports are important administration objectives I am committed to supporting. Coming from a business background, I am deeply aware of the importance of the structural and labor market reforms Germany is considering. The United States shares with Germany a critical interest in strengthening economic growth and prosperity in Europe.”
While noting that Germany and the United States have had their differences over Iraq policy, he said the two nations “share a strong interest in fostering stability and democracy in that country,” and added that “Germany provided significant debt relief to the fledgling Iraqi government and is currently providing valuable training for Iraqi police and security personnel in the neighboring United Arab Emirates.”
The Timken Company is a Fortune 500 company with operations in more than 20 countries, including Germany. Timken first went to work for the company in 1958 as a summer associate. Over the years, he has held a series of positions with the company before being named chairman of its board in 1975. He has also served as company president and CEO.
After graduating from Phillips Academy, Timken went on to earn a B.A. degree from Stanford University and an M.B.A. from Harvard University. In addition to his work for The Timken Company, Timken has served on the boards of directors of numerous public companies. He has served as chair of the National Association of Manufacturers and was a member of the U.S.-Japan Business Council for 20 years.
Among the honors and awards he has received are the Woodrow Wilson Award for Corporate Citizenship, the Ohio Governors Award, the Adam Smith Award and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. He is also a Chevalier in the French Legion of Honor and an honorary citizen of Colmar, France.
Timken lives in Canton, Ohio with his wife, Sue Timken. They have six children and seven grandchildren.
|
