Charles Duncan Jr. was a businessman, administrator, and politician from the United States.
Duncan was the father of two adult children Charles William Duncan III and Mary Anne Duncan Dingus.
Charles Duncan Jr. oversaw Duncan Capital Management’s diverse operations in Houston with his son, Charles W. Duncan III.
Charles Duncan Jr studied business administration for two years at the University of Texas and worked as a roustabout and chemical engineer for Humble Oil and Refining Corporation for a short time (now Exxon).
From 1979 to 1981, he was the United States Secretary of Energy in President Jimmy Carter’s Cabinet. He was Carter’s United States Deputy Secretary of Defense during the Iranian Revolution.
Duncan had previously run the family business, Duncan Coffee Company of Houston, Texas, for seven years before it was acquired by the Coca-Cola Company in 1964.
Duncan was named president of Coke after serving on the board for seven years. Duncan passed away at the age of 96 on Tuesday, October 18, 2022. According to his son, Charles W. Duncan III, the cause was complications from a recent fall.