Thomas Reeve Pickering was born on November 5, 1931, in Orange, New Jersey, the son of Hamilton Reeve Pickering and Sarah Chasteney Pickering. He earned a bachelor’s degree with high honors in history from Bowdoin College, a master’s degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, and a second master’s degree as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Melbourne in Australia. Pickering served on active duty in the United States Navy from 1956 to 1959 and later in the Naval Reserve, attaining the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He entered the Foreign Service in 1959, with early assignments in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research and the Arms Control and Disarmament office. Throughout his four-decade diplomatic career, Pickering held ambassadorships to El Salvador, Nigeria, Israel, Jordan, India, and the Russian Federation. He served as U.S. Representative to the United Nations from 1989 to 1992, leading coalition-building efforts in the UN Security Council during the Gulf War, and as Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs from 1997 to 2000 under President Bill Clinton. Notable contributions include assisting Henry Kissinger during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, resolving arms sales issues with Russia and India, providing Hawk missiles to Jordan, and addressing civil war and human rights in El Salvador. Post-government, Pickering has been Vice Chairman of Hills & Company since 2006, providing international consultancy services, and serves as Senior Counselor for MENA at Albright Stonebridge Group, while continuing involvement in diplomacy through organizations like the Stimson Center and CSIS.