Business & Finance: Heir Apparent

Until last week, few people outside U.S. Steel Corp. had ever heard of Roger M. Blough. Though he has been Big Steel's legal eagle, a vice president, and President Benjamin Fairless' right-hand for years, Blough had a passion for anonymity. But last week, as Chairman Irving Olds retired at 65 and President Fairless took on his job as well, Blough (rhymes with plow) emerged as the heir apparent to what has traditionally been Big Steel's biggest job. He took over the long-vacant vice-chairmanship of the company.

Blough, 48, was born in Riverside, Pa., went to Susquehanna University and Yale Law School. He left private law practice in Manhattan in 1939 to serve as a counsel for Big Steel during a Government investigation. As secretary of U.S. Steel's operating subsidiary, he learned production; as Fairless' alter ego on many trips to Washington, he helped shape policy. This week Vice Chairman Blough was helping Lawyer John W. Davis plead Big Steel's case in the Supreme Court against presidential seizure.