Thomas R. Pickering
Navy veteran and Career Ambassador who represented the United States in Jordan, Nigeria, El Salvador, Israel, India, Russia, and at the United Nations; namesake of the Pickering Fellowship.
Service Record
| Born | November 5, 1931, Orange, New Jersey |
|---|---|
| Education | B.A., cum laude, Bowdoin College, 1953; master's, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University; master's, University of Melbourne, 1956 (Fulbright) |
| Military | U.S. Navy, active duty 1956 – 1959; Naval Reserve; lieutenant commander |
| Executive Secretary of the Department of State | 1973 – 1974 |
| Ambassador to Jordan | 1974 – 1978 |
| Assistant Secretary, Oceans, Environmental and Scientific Affairs | 1978 – 1981 |
| Ambassador to Nigeria | 1981 – 1983 |
| Ambassador to El Salvador | 1983 – 1985 |
| Ambassador to Israel | 1985 – 1988 |
| Ambassador to the United Nations | 1989 – 1992 |
| Ambassador to India | 1992 – 1993 |
| Ambassador to Russia | 1993 – 1996 |
| Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs | 1997 – 2000 |
| Honors | AFSA Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy Award, 2002 |
| Legacy | Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship |
Overview
Thomas Pickering's career is among the broadest in the history of American diplomacy. Over four decades he led missions on four continents and at the United Nations.
Early Life and Education
Born in Orange, New Jersey, and raised in Rutherford, he graduated with honors in history from Bowdoin College in 1953, earned a master's degree from the Fletcher School at Tufts, and studied at the University of Melbourne on a Fulbright Fellowship.
Military Service
He served on active duty in the United States Navy from 1956 to 1959 and continued in the Naval Reserve, reaching the rank of lieutenant commander.
Career
After early service in Tanzania and as a special assistant to Secretaries of State William Rogers and Henry Kissinger, he became the Department's Executive Secretary. He was ambassador to Jordan from 1974, where King Hussein called him the best American ambassador he had dealt with. He led embassies in Nigeria, El Salvador, where he faced assassination threats, and Israel, before serving as ambassador to the United Nations from 1989 to 1992. There he helped lead the Security Council's response to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. He went on to India and Russia and closed his government career as Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs.
Legacy
In 2002 the American Foreign Service Association honored him with its award for Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy. The State Department's Foreign Affairs Fellowship, one of the principal pathways into the Foreign Service, was renamed the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship in his honor.
Recognition
Envoys of Record recognizes Thomas R. Pickering as a Distinguished Ambassador, whose career set the standard for American diplomacy in its era.