Pickering, Timothy (1745-1829), was a leading American statesman. He served as postmaster general from 1791 to 1795, secretary of war in 1795, and secretary of state from 1795 to 1800. A member of the Federalist Party, he represented Massachusetts in the United States Senate from 1803 to 1811 and in the House of Representatives from 1813 to 1817.
Pickering opposed the policies of Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Beginning in 1804, he favored unsuccessful plans to have New England secede from the Union. He was born in Salem, Massachusetts, on July 17, 1745. Pickering died on Jan. 29, 1829.
