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Timothy Pickering (July 17, 1745 – January 29, 1829) was the third United States Secretary of State under Presidents George Washington and John Adams. He also represented Massachusetts in both houses of Congress as a member of the Federalist Party .
Timothy Pickering was an American Revolutionary officer and Federalist politician who served (1795–1800) with distinction in the first two U.S. cabinets. During the American Revolution, Pickering served in several capacities under General George Washington, among them quartermaster general.
Timothy Pickering was appointed by President George Washington as ad interim Secretary of State on August 20, 1795, and elevated to the position of Secretary of State on December 10, 1795. President John Adams dismissed Pickering on May 12, 1800.
In February 1778, Timothy Pickering Jr. received word from Massachusetts that his father was dying. An adjutant general in George Washington’s Continental Army, Pickering wrote his father this moving letter of farewell on February 23, 1778, from his post in Yorktown, Virginia.
A Federalist politician, Timothy Pickering was appointed to several federal positions by President George Washington, most notably Postmaster General, Secretary of War, and Secretary of State. He later served in the Senate and in the House of Representatives.
Born in Salem, Massachusetts, Timothy Pickering (1745–1829) graduated from Harvard College and practiced law before joining the Continental Army during the Revolution. He impressed General George Washington as a confident and skilled negotiator.
Massachusetts Federalist Timothy Pickering built an impressive record of public service before he entered the United States Senate in 1803. He served as postmaster general of the United States from 1791 to 1795, as secretary of war in 1795, and as secretary of state from 1795 to 1800.
