Renda St. Clair
US Secretary and his wife Renda St Clair listen to Vice President Mike Pence in the Oval Office at the White House before he was sworn in Washington, DC Nicholas Kamm/AFP

After Rex Tillerson revealed it was his wife that told him to take the role of Secretary of State, the name Renda St Clair made headlines, but relatively little is known about her.

In one of his first detailed interviews with the US media, during a trip to Asia last week, Secretary of State Tillerson revealed he did not want the job of Trump's highest ranking diplomat, until his was told to take it by his wife.

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"I didn't want this job. I didn't seek this job," Tillerson told the Independent Journal Review, a conservative media outlet that was the only one allowed to join him on his journey to Japan, South Korea, and China. "My wife told me I'm supposed to do this," he added.

On his return, he floated the idea to his 60-year-old wife who, Tillerson said, shook her finger at him and said: "I told you, God's not through with you."

Renda St Clair is the co-owner of Bar RR Ranches LLC in Bartonville, Texas which is also where she was born.

The Tllersons purchased the ranch in 2009 which specializes in the breeding, training and showing off Cutting Horses.

In 2012, Renda Tillerson was awarded the Fern Sawyer Award by the the Cowgirl Museum for her contributions to the Cowgirl lifestyle.

Renda St. Clair fact-file

  • Born: 1957
  • Place of birth: Bartonville, Texas
  • Career: Owner of Bar RR Ranches
  • Family: She and Rex have four children and three grandchildren.
  • Religion: She is a Christian and attends St Andrew Presbyterian Church in Denton

Who are the Tillerson family?

She and her husband, Rex Tillerson, married on June 21 1986, in Harris County, Texas and together they have four children.

She is a grandmother to her sons Charles's three children: Olivia, Austin and Dove.

Has Renda St Clair been involved in any political issues before?

In 2014, the couple made headlines after they joined opponents of a proposed water tower that could lead to fracking-related traffic near their homes.

They feared there could be an increase in traffic and noise levels in the area. They filed a lawsuit to stop the tower, which had support from former US House of Representatives Majority Leader Dick Armey and his wife, but the suit was quickly dropped out after a judge dismissed their claim.

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