Thomas R. Pickering facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Thomas R. Pickering
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Portrait of Pickering
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| 17th Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs | |
| In office May 27, 1997 – December 31, 2000 |
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| President | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | Peter Tarnoff |
| Succeeded by | Marc Grossman |
| United States Ambassador to Russia | |
| In office May 12, 1993 – November 1, 1996 |
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| President | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | Robert S. Strauss |
| Succeeded by | James F. Collins |
| United States Ambassador to India | |
| In office April 6, 1992 – March 23, 1993 |
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| President | George H. W. Bush Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | William Clark |
| Succeeded by | Frank G. Wisner |
| 18th United States Ambassador to the United Nations | |
| In office March 20, 1989 – May 7, 1992 |
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| President | George H. W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Vernon A. Walters |
| Succeeded by | Edward J. Perkins |
| United States Ambassador to Israel | |
| In office August 6, 1985 – December 28, 1988 |
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| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | Samuel W. Lewis |
| Succeeded by | William Andreas Brown |
| United States Ambassador to El Salvador | |
| In office September 5, 1983 – June 7, 1985 |
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| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | Deane R. Hinton |
| Succeeded by | Edwin G. Corr |
| United States Ambassador to Nigeria | |
| In office November 30, 1981 – July 9, 1983 |
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| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | Stephen Low |
| Succeeded by | Thomas W. M. Smith |
| 4th Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs | |
| In office October 10, 1978 – February 24, 1981 |
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| President | Jimmy Carter Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | Patsy Mink |
| Succeeded by | James Malone |
| United States Ambassador to Jordan | |
| In office March 2, 1974 – July 13, 1978 |
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| President | Richard Nixon Gerald Ford Jimmy Carter |
| Preceded by | L. Dean Brown |
| Succeeded by | Nicholas A. Veliotes |
| 5th Executive Secretary of the Department of State | |
| In office July 30, 1973 – January 31, 1974 |
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| President | Richard Nixon |
| Preceded by | Theodore L. Eliot Jr. |
| Succeeded by | George Springsteen |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Thomas Reeve Pickering
November 5, 1931 Orange, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Spouse |
Alice Stover
(m. 1955; died 2011) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Bowdoin College (BA) Tufts University (MA) University of Melbourne (MA) |
Thomas Reeve Pickering, born on November 5, 1931, is a well-known American diplomat. He worked for the United States government for many years. One of his important jobs was being the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations from 1989 to 1992.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Thomas Pickering was born in Orange, New Jersey. He grew up in Rutherford, New Jersey, and finished high school there.
College and Advanced Degrees
In 1949, he started college at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. He studied history and graduated in 1953 with high honors. He then earned a master's degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. After that, he received a Fulbright Fellowship. This allowed him to study at the University of Melbourne in Australia, where he earned another master's degree in 1956.
Military Service
Before he joined the State Department, Pickering served in the United States Navy. He was on active duty from 1956 to 1959. Later, he was part of the Naval Reserve and reached the rank of Lieutenant Commander.
A Career in Diplomacy
Thomas Pickering had a long career, lasting four decades, in the United States Foreign Service. This means he represented the U.S. in many countries around the world. He held the highest rank in the U.S. Foreign Service, called Career Ambassador.
Serving as Ambassador
Pickering served as the U.S. Ambassador in many different countries:
- Russia (1993–1996)
- India (1992–1993)
- United Nations (1989–1992)
- Israel (1985–1988)
- El Salvador (1983–1985)
- Nigeria (1981–1983)
- Jordan (1974–1978)
He also served as the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs from 1997 to 2000. This was a very important role in the State Department.
Early Diplomatic Roles
Early in his career, Pickering worked at the U.S. embassy in Tanzania. He also served as a special assistant to Secretaries of State William P. Rogers and Henry Kissinger. When he was the U.S. Ambassador to Jordan in the mid-1970s, King Hussein of Jordan praised him highly. From 1978 to 1981, he was an Assistant Secretary of State. He focused on international environmental and scientific issues.
Challenges in El Salvador
Pickering's time as Ambassador to El Salvador was quite challenging. In 1984, he faced threats from some politicians in El Salvador. Also, a U.S. Senator suggested he should be removed from his job. However, President Ronald Reagan fully supported Pickering. After his time in El Salvador, he became the U.S. Ambassador to Israel.
Work in Israel
As Ambassador to Israel, Pickering spoke for the United States. He criticized an Israeli policy that involved removing Palestinians accused of causing unrest. Pickering told Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir that the U.S. believed these actions were against the law and not helpful for peace.
Leading at the United Nations
In 1989, President George H. W. Bush chose Pickering to be the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. The United States Senate approved this choice almost completely. Pickering played a key role during the First Gulf War. He helped guide the United Nations Security Council's response after Iraq invaded Kuwait.
After his successful time at the United Nations, President Bush moved Pickering to become the U.S. Ambassador to India. Many people thought this was a strange move because Pickering was doing such a great job at the UN. His last ambassador job was in Russia, chosen by President Bill Clinton.
Later Roles in the State Department
From 1997 to 2001, Pickering served as Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs. This was the third-highest position at the State Department. When he was appointed, Time magazine called him the "five-star general of the diplomatic corps." In 1998, he was a special envoy to Nigeria. He was meeting with a leader named M. K. O. Abiola when Abiola became ill and sadly passed away.
After Government Service
After retiring from the Foreign Service in 2001, Pickering worked for Boeing, a large aerospace company, until 2006. He has also served on the board of directors for several organizations.
Honoring His Legacy
To honor Thomas Pickering, the U.S. Department of State renamed its Foreign Affairs Fellowship Program. It is now called the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship Program. These fellowships help students who want to become diplomats. In 2004, Bowdoin College gave Pickering the Bowdoin Prize, which is the highest award the college gives to its graduates.
Personal Life
Thomas Pickering lives in Fairfax County, Virginia. His wife, Alice Jean Stover, passed away in 2011. They were married in 1955 and had two children, Timothy and Margaret. Pickering is very good at languages. He speaks French, Spanish, and Swahili fluently. He also knows some Russian, Hebrew, and Arabic.
Awards and Recognition
In 2002, Pickering received the Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy Award. This award came from the American Foreign Service Association. In May 2015, Brandeis University gave him an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. He also gave the speech at their graduation ceremony.
See also
In Spanish: Thomas R. Pickering para niños
