Background
Pickering, Timothy was born on July 17, 1745 in Salem, Massachusetts, United States. Son of Timothy and Mary (Wingate) Pickering.
Pickering, Timothy was born on July 17, 1745 in Salem, Massachusetts, United States. Son of Timothy and Mary (Wingate) Pickering.
Graduated from Harvard, 1763. Studied law.
Clerk, Office of Register of Deeds for Essex County, Salem, 1763. Admitted to Mass: bar, 1768. Selectman, town Clerk, assessor, Salem, 1772-1777.
Representative Massachusetts General Court. Register of deeds Salem, 1775. Judge Maritime Court of Province of Massachusetts, 1775-1776, Essex County Court of Common Pleas, 1775.
Commissioned Lieutenant Essex County Militia, 1776. Elected to Massachusetts Legislature, 1776. Commissioned colonel Continental Army, 1776, appointed adjutant general by General Washington, 1777.
Elected to Board of War by Continental Congress, 1777. Quartermaster general Continental Army, 1780-1783. Moved to Philadelphia, then to Wyoming County (Pennsylvania), 1787, organized Luzerne County, 1787.
Representative from Luzerne County to Pennsylvania Convention which ratified United States Constitution, 1789. Member Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention, 1789-1790. Went on mission to Seneca Indians to prevent an Indian war, 1790.
Postmaster general United States (appointed by President Washington), 1791-1795, secretary of war, 1795. United States secretary of state, 1795-1800, actions in preparing for war with France (“Quasi-War”), 1797-1798, support of Britain, and intrigues against John Adams resulted in his removal from office. Reentered local politics, Massachusetts.
Member United States Senate from Massachusetts, 1803-1811. Member United States House of Representatives (Federalist) from Massachusetts, 13th-14th congresses. 1813-1817; bitterly opposed War of 1812.
A scientific farmer in Massachusetts. Author of a widely used drill manual, also numerous articles and letters on politics and farming.
Member Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention, 1789-1790. Member United States Senate from Massachusetts, 1803-1811. Member United States House of Representatives (Federalist) from Massachusetts, 13th-14th congresses.
1813-1817.
Married Rebecca White, April.