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Timothy Pickering. 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 (born July 17, 1745, Salem, Massachusetts [U.S.]—died January 29, 1829, Salem) was an American Revolutionary officer and Federalist politician who served (1795–1800) with distinction in the first two U.S. cabinets.
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.
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.
Timothy Pickering: A Featured Biography. In 1811, after violating a Senate rule regarding injunctions of secrecy, Massachusetts senator Timothy Pickering became the first of nine senators ever to be censured by the Senate.
From 1780 to 1785, he was Quartermaster General of the Army, and did not retire from military duty until 1788. Involving himself in politics once more, Pickering was amongst those in the Pennsylvania state convention to ratify the U.S. (1787) and state (1790) constitutions.
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.
