Chip Pickering
Encyclopedia
"Charles Willis Pickering" redirects here. For this former congressman's father, see Charles W. Pickering
.
Charles Willis "Chip" Pickering, Jr. (born August 10, 1963) is a politician in the U.S. state
of Mississippi
. He represented as a Republican
in the United States House of Representatives
. First elected in 1996, he chose not to run again in 2008.
. Pickering is English American
on his father's side and Irish American
and Italian American
on his mother's side. His father is Judge
Charles Pickering, Sr.
, a Mississippi lawyer, former municipal judge, retired Federal judge
, and prominent Republican politician. Chip graduated from the University of Mississippi
where he was a legacy member of the Eta Chapter of Sigma Chi
. He went on to receive a Masters degree from Baylor University
in 1989.
, after the end of Hungarian government persecution of religious believers. In the same year, 1989, President
George H. W. Bush
appointed Pickering as a Department of Agriculture
liaison to the former European Communist countries. This appointment provided Pickering with official diplomatic immunity.
After returning to the United States, Pickering served on the staff of Senator
Trent Lott
from 1992 to 1996. After a subsequent year as a government employee of the Senate Commerce Committee, Pickering ran for Congress in Mississippi. During his time as a member of Lott's staff, and then as a staff member on the Senate Commerce Committee, Chip helped shape the Telecommunications Act of 1996
, the first major overhaul of US telecoms law since 1934.
incumbent, was not running for reelection. Pickering won by a wide margin. This was not regarded as an upset, as the 3rd has always been a rather conservative district; it actually elected a Republican in 1964 (when it was numbered as the 4th District), when Barry Goldwater
won an unheard-of 87 percent of Mississippi's popular vote. It had become even more conservative since then, and it was generally believed that Montgomery would be succeeded by a Republican once he retired.
During this and following elections, questions were raised by political opponents about whether Pickering was a legal resident of Mississippi and lawfully qualified to run for the office. He owns a farm in Madison County
, but his permanent residence is in the Washington area. Nonetheless, Pickering was unopposed for reelection in 1998 and defeated token Democratic opposition in 2000. In response to criticism regarding place of residence, Pickering has stated that he was advised by Montgomery to keep his residence and family in the Washington area, in order to have more time to spend with his family.
Pickering was reelected five times, all by large margins. He only faced substantive opposition once, in 2002—one of only two times since his initial run for the seat that he faced a Democrat
. That year, Pickering was pitted against fellow Congressman Ronnie Shows
from the neighboring after Mississippi lost a seat in the 2000 Congressional re-districting. The district was drawn in a way that heavily favored Pickering, and he soundly defeated Shows with over 60% of the vote in the new 3rd District.
In mid-August 2007, Pickering announced that he would not seek re-election in 2008 so that he could spend more time with his family. Pickering was considered a top Republican contender for U.S. Senator Trent Lott
's seat if Lott had retired in 2006, and in 2007 was said to be waiting to see if Senator Thad Cochran
would retire in 2008; it is widely speculated that Pickering's decision to leave Congress was based on Cochran's decision to run for re-election.
When Lott announced his resignation as Senator in November 2007, Pickering was rumored to be Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour
's choice to replace him. However, in December of that year, Pickering announced that he was not interested in the post; fellow Republican Congressman Roger Wicker
of was appointed to Lott's seat. Pickering retired from the House in January 2009 and is currently a lobbyist for Cellular South
.
lawsuit against Elizabeth Creekmore Byrd, a woman with whom Chip allegedly had an affair. The lawsuit claimed that the adulterous relationship ruined the Pickerings' marriage and his political career. In a column on July 24, 2009 , Cokie
and Steve Roberts
wrote about the Washington, DC, Fellowship Foundation at 133 C Street South East, where the trysts allegedly took place. Leisha Pickering, they wrote, "claims that instead of praying, another woman was preying on her husband" there. Roberts and Roberts indicated that Leisha was further motivated to pursue the divorce because her ex-husband's alleged paramour "made Pickering quit Congress just when he might have been appointed to the Senate. We would be surprised if ex-wives have some legal recourse for disappointment over a Senate seat, but hey, Leisha Pickering's going for it."
Pickering is also the cousin of state auditor, Stacey Pickering.
. In the film he briefly appears at a lively Pentecostal meeting where spoken views against the teachings of evolution are cheered by the congregation. A spokesperson for Pickering said that his boss "hasn't seen the film." The spokesperson added, "[o]f course he doesn't support the offensive nature of the movie".
Charles W. Pickering
Charles Willis Pickering, Sr. is a retired federal judge who served on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.- Background :...
.
Charles Willis "Chip" Pickering, Jr. (born August 10, 1963) is a politician in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
. He represented as a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
in the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
. First elected in 1996, he chose not to run again in 2008.
Early life
Pickering was born in Laurel, MississippiLaurel, Mississippi
Laurel is a city located in Jones County in Mississippi, a state of the United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 18,393 although a significant population increase has been reported following Hurricane Katrina. Located in southeast Mississippi, southeast of...
. Pickering is English American
English American
English Americans are citizens or residents of the United States whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in England....
on his father's side and Irish American
Irish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
and Italian American
Italian American
An Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...
on his mother's side. His father is Judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
Charles Pickering, Sr.
Charles W. Pickering
Charles Willis Pickering, Sr. is a retired federal judge who served on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.- Background :...
, a Mississippi lawyer, former municipal judge, retired Federal judge
United States federal judge
In the United States, the title of federal judge usually means a judge appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate in accordance with Article II of the United States Constitution....
, and prominent Republican politician. Chip graduated from the University of Mississippi
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, is a public, coeducational research university located in Oxford, Mississippi. Founded in 1844, the school is composed of the main campus in Oxford, four branch campuses located in Booneville, Grenada, Tupelo, and Southaven as well as the...
where he was a legacy member of the Eta Chapter of Sigma Chi
Sigma Chi
Sigma Chi is the largest and one of the oldest college Greek-letter secret and social fraternities in North America with 244 active chapters and more than . Sigma Chi was founded on June 28, 1855 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio when members split from Delta Kappa Epsilon...
. He went on to receive a Masters degree from Baylor University
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
in 1989.
Early political career
Pickering then very briefly served as a Southern Baptist missionary to HungaryHungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, after the end of Hungarian government persecution of religious believers. In the same year, 1989, President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
appointed Pickering as a Department of Agriculture
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
liaison to the former European Communist countries. This appointment provided Pickering with official diplomatic immunity.
After returning to the United States, Pickering served on the staff of Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Trent Lott
Trent Lott
Chester Trent Lott, Sr. , is a former United States Senator from Mississippi and has served in numerous leadership positions in the House of Representatives and the Senate....
from 1992 to 1996. After a subsequent year as a government employee of the Senate Commerce Committee, Pickering ran for Congress in Mississippi. During his time as a member of Lott's staff, and then as a staff member on the Senate Commerce Committee, Chip helped shape the Telecommunications Act of 1996
Telecommunications Act of 1996
The Telecommunications Act of 1996 was the first major overhaul of United States telecommunications law in nearly 62 years, amending the Communications Act of 1934. This Act, signed by President Bill Clinton, was a major stepping stone towards the future of telecommunications, since this was the...
, the first major overhaul of US telecoms law since 1934.
Committee assignments
- Energy and Commerce Committee
- Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection Subcommittee
- Energy and Air Quality Subcommittee
- Telecommunications & the Internet Subcommittee
Elections
Pickering returned to Mississippi to run as the Republican candidate for the 3rd District. U.S. Congressman Sonny Montgomery, a 30-year DemocraticDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
incumbent, was not running for reelection. Pickering won by a wide margin. This was not regarded as an upset, as the 3rd has always been a rather conservative district; it actually elected a Republican in 1964 (when it was numbered as the 4th District), when Barry Goldwater
Barry Goldwater
Barry Morris Goldwater was a five-term United States Senator from Arizona and the Republican Party's nominee for President in the 1964 election. An articulate and charismatic figure during the first half of the 1960s, he was known as "Mr...
won an unheard-of 87 percent of Mississippi's popular vote. It had become even more conservative since then, and it was generally believed that Montgomery would be succeeded by a Republican once he retired.
During this and following elections, questions were raised by political opponents about whether Pickering was a legal resident of Mississippi and lawfully qualified to run for the office. He owns a farm in Madison County
Madison County, Mississippi
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 74,674 people, 27,219 households, and 19,325 families residing in the county. The population density was 104 people per square mile . There were 28,781 housing units at an average density of 40 per square mile...
, but his permanent residence is in the Washington area. Nonetheless, Pickering was unopposed for reelection in 1998 and defeated token Democratic opposition in 2000. In response to criticism regarding place of residence, Pickering has stated that he was advised by Montgomery to keep his residence and family in the Washington area, in order to have more time to spend with his family.
Pickering was reelected five times, all by large margins. He only faced substantive opposition once, in 2002—one of only two times since his initial run for the seat that he faced a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
. That year, Pickering was pitted against fellow Congressman Ronnie Shows
Ronnie Shows
Clifford Ronald "Ronnie" Shows is a former Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Mississippi....
from the neighboring after Mississippi lost a seat in the 2000 Congressional re-districting. The district was drawn in a way that heavily favored Pickering, and he soundly defeated Shows with over 60% of the vote in the new 3rd District.
Tenure
Pickering was arguably one of the more conservative members of the House. From 2003 to 2007, he served as vice-chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee. He has sometimes been mentioned as a candidate for a United States Senate seat in Mississippi; indeed, most pundits believed that had Lott opted not to run for reelection in 2006, Pickering would have been drafted to run in his place.In mid-August 2007, Pickering announced that he would not seek re-election in 2008 so that he could spend more time with his family. Pickering was considered a top Republican contender for U.S. Senator Trent Lott
Trent Lott
Chester Trent Lott, Sr. , is a former United States Senator from Mississippi and has served in numerous leadership positions in the House of Representatives and the Senate....
's seat if Lott had retired in 2006, and in 2007 was said to be waiting to see if Senator Thad Cochran
Thad Cochran
William Thad Cochran is the senior United States Senator from Mississippi and a member of the Republican Party. First elected to the Senate in 1978, he is the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations and was its chairman and 2005 to 2007.-Early life:He was born in Pontotoc,...
would retire in 2008; it is widely speculated that Pickering's decision to leave Congress was based on Cochran's decision to run for re-election.
When Lott announced his resignation as Senator in November 2007, Pickering was rumored to be Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour
Haley Barbour
Haley Reeves Barbour is an American Republican politician currently serving as the 63rd Governor of Mississippi. He gained a national spotlight in August 2005 after Mississippi was hit by Hurricane Katrina. Barbour won re-election as Governor in 2007...
's choice to replace him. However, in December of that year, Pickering announced that he was not interested in the post; fellow Republican Congressman Roger Wicker
Roger Wicker
Roger Frederick Wicker is the junior U.S. Senator from Mississippi and a member of the Republican Party. In December 2007 he was appointed by Governor Haley Barbour to fill the seat vacated by Trent Lott. He subsequently won the 2008 special election for the remainder of the term. Wicker served...
of was appointed to Lott's seat. Pickering retired from the House in January 2009 and is currently a lobbyist for Cellular South
Cellular South
Cellular South Inc., doing business as C Spire Wireless, headquartered in Ridgeland, Mississippi, is the eighth largest wireless provider in the United States. C Spire has approximately 900,000 customers in Mississippi, the Memphis Metropolitan Area, the Florida Panhandle, parts of Alabama...
.
Youth soccer incident
On December 7, 2009 Pickering was involved in a fight with the coach of a youth soccer team that had just finished playing against his son's team.Personal life
Pickering and his former wife Leisha have five sons, Will, Ross, Jackson, Asher, and Harper. Chip announced in June 2008 that he filed for divorce from Leisha in Madison County, Mississippi, citing irreconcilable differences. On July 16, 2009 it was announced that Leisha had filed an alienation of affectionAlienation of affections
At common law, alienation of affections is a tort action brought by a deserted spouse against a third party alleged to be responsible for the failure of the marriage...
lawsuit against Elizabeth Creekmore Byrd, a woman with whom Chip allegedly had an affair. The lawsuit claimed that the adulterous relationship ruined the Pickerings' marriage and his political career. In a column on July 24, 2009 , Cokie
Cokie Roberts
Mary Martha Corinne Morrison Claiborne Roberts , best known as Cokie Roberts, is an American Emmy Award-winning journalist and bestselling author. She is a contributing senior news analyst for National Public Radio as well as a regular roundtable analyst for the current This Week with Christiane...
and Steve Roberts
Steven V. Roberts
Steven V. Roberts is an American journalist, writer, political commentator.Roberts grew up in Bayonne, New Jersey and graduated from Bayonne High School. He attended Harvard where he served as editor of the student newspaper, The Harvard Crimson. After graduating with a B.A...
wrote about the Washington, DC, Fellowship Foundation at 133 C Street South East, where the trysts allegedly took place. Leisha Pickering, they wrote, "claims that instead of praying, another woman was preying on her husband" there. Roberts and Roberts indicated that Leisha was further motivated to pursue the divorce because her ex-husband's alleged paramour "made Pickering quit Congress just when he might have been appointed to the Senate. We would be surprised if ex-wives have some legal recourse for disappointment over a Senate seat, but hey, Leisha Pickering's going for it."
Pickering is also the cousin of state auditor, Stacey Pickering.
Appearance in Borat movie
Pickering was one of several politicians to appear in the film Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of KazakhstanBorat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, often referred to simply as Borat, is a 2006 mockumentary comedy film directed by Larry Charles and distributed by 20th Century Fox...
. In the film he briefly appears at a lively Pentecostal meeting where spoken views against the teachings of evolution are cheered by the congregation. A spokesperson for Pickering said that his boss "hasn't seen the film." The spokesperson added, "[o]f course he doesn't support the offensive nature of the movie".
External links
- Financial disclosures Clarion Ledger, June 15, 2006
- Pickering considers job as top lobbyist
- Lawmakers' Help for Drug Firm Tests LimitsThe Washington Post, April 29, 2005