Obituary

Paul O’Neill, Former Treasury Chief and Alcoa CEO, Dies at 84

Outspokenness got him tossed out of George W. Bush’s Cabinet
As Alcoa’s CEO, he turned around an old-economy company

Paul O’Neill speaks during a Pre-G7 Ministerial Meeting in 2002.Photographer: Alex Wong/Getty Images

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By Simon Kennedy and Brendan Murray

April 18, 2020 at 1:57 PM UTC

Updated on

April 18, 2020 at 5:31 PM UTC

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Paul O’Neill, whose outspokenness cost him his job as President George W. Bush’s first Treasury secretary after having led Alcoa Inc. through a period of consistent profitability, has died. He was 84.

O’Neill died Saturday at his home in Pittsburgh after battling lung cancer for the last few years, his family said.