Responding to the passing of Frederick W. Smith, Robbie Diamond, founder and CEO of SAFE gave the following statement:
“Mr. Smith was instrumental in the launch of SAFE 20 years ago – his participation was a driving factor that put our organization on the map and dramatically improved the energy security of the country. In the pantheon of American industrial legends, he was a titan who connected the world through the FedEx Corporation. He had remarkable success deregulating and reforming the airline and trucking industries making his business viable, but he had also experienced the consequences of oil dependence firsthand through the impact of the OPEC Oil Embargo in 1973 on FedEx in the company’s early years which almost ended it before it started. In this way, Mr. Smith brought a unique and powerful perspective and gravitas – as both a CEO and a Marine – to the conversation on fuel economy standards, electrification, and domestic production, and subsequently was behind many of the most consequential energy and transportation legislation in the time we worked together.
He was a patriot, a formidable advocate in the energy security conversation, and stayed highly involved with our organization for the past 20 years, as a supporter, advisor, cheerleader, and Chair Emeritus of our Energy Security Leadership Council.
Even as recently as April 2025, he came to our SAFE Summit sharing his perspective and reflections with Pullitzer-Prize winning author and energy expert Dan Yergin: https://youtu.be/zidADcPGMVQ
He was a compassionate and dedicated family man who also cared deeply about his employees – and it was a pleasure to walk around with him as he personally greeted and thanked every FedEx delivery driver and employee who crossed his path. He was a decorated war hero serving two tours in Vietnam who never spoke about his medals but when asked he would remember the men who had died next to him during combat – and he clearly thought of them daily.
I have no words that can express my grief at his passing, and my gratitude for having known him and the impact he had on my life. His intellect, his historical knowledge, and political and business acumen, and his character were striking to experience – he will be incredibly missed and we wish his family peace and solace at this time. May God bless Frederick W. Smith, his family, our service men and women, and the United States of America.”
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SAFE is an action-oriented, nonpartisan organization committed to transportation, energy, and supply chain policies that advance the economic and national security of the United States, its partners, and allies. Since 2004, SAFE has worked with its Energy Security Leadership Council—a peerless coalition of current and former Fortune 500 CEOs and retired 4-star admirals and generals—to support secure, resilient, and responsible energy solutions. Learn more at SecureEnergy.org.
