Editing Chip Pickering

{{Short description|American politician and businessman (born 1963)}}
{{Redirect|Charles Willis Pickering|this former Congressman's father|Charles W. Pickering}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name        = Chip Pickering
| image       = Chip Pickering, 2016.jpg
| caption     = Pickering in 2016
| birth_name  = Charles Willis Pickering Jr.
| birth_date  = {{birth date and age|1963|08|10}}
| birth_place = [[Laurel, Mississippi]], U.S.
| residence   = [[Jackson, Mississippi]]
| alma_mater  = [[University of Mississippi]] (BA), [[Baylor University]] ([[Master of Business Administration|MBA]])
| state       = [[Mississippi]]
| district    = [[Mississippi's 3rd congressional district|3rd]]
| term_start  = January 3, 1997
| term_end    = January 3, 2009
| preceded    = [[Sonny Montgomery]]
| succeeded   = [[Gregg Harper]]
| party       = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| spouse      = Leisha Jane Pickering<br />{{marriage|Beth Creekmore|2015}}
| children    = 5
}}

'''Charles Willis '''"'''Chip'''"''' Pickering Jr.''' (born August 10, 1963) is an American businessman and former politician who has served as the [[chief executive officer]] (CEO) of Incompas since 2014.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |url=https://leadership.olemiss.edu/people/charles-chip-pickering/ |title=Charles "Chip" Pickering {{pipe}} Public Policy Leadership {{pipe}} Ole Miss |website=Department of Public Policy Leadership |publisher=[[University of Mississippi]]}}</ref>

Pickering represented {{ushr|Mississippi|3}} as a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] in the [[United States House of Representatives]] from 1997 to 2009.<ref name="auto1">{{Cite news |url=https://www.politico.com/blogs/politico-now/2007/08/pickering-announces-retirement-002674 |title=Pickering announces retirement |first=John |last=Bresnahan |work=[[Politico]] |date=August 17, 2007}}</ref>

==Early life and education==
Chip Pickering was born in [[Laurel, Mississippi]], to attorney [[Charles W. Pickering]].<ref>{{cite web |title=AllPolitics/CQ - Freshmen of the 105th Congress |url=https://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1996/states/frosh/9612/25/ |website=CNN |access-date=June 24, 2021}}</ref> He is a cousin of [[Stacey Pickering]], former [[State Auditor of Mississippi]], Mississippi State Senator, and executive director of the Mississippi Veterans Affairs Board.<ref>{{Cite news |first=Ashton |last=Pittman |url=https://www.mississippifreepress.org/veterans-agency-director-stacey-pickering-resigns-but-reasons-unclear/ |title=Veterans Agency Director Stacey Pickering Resigns, But Reasons Unclear |work=Mississippi Free Press |date=May 17, 2022}}</ref>

Pickering graduated with a [[bachelor's degree]] in [[business administration]] from the [[University of Mississippi]] where he was a legacy member of the Eta chapter of [[Sigma Chi]]. He went on to receive a [[Master of Business Administration]] from [[Baylor University]] in 1989.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/chippickering/page/1989 |title=Chip Pickering Articles – Political Columnist & Commentator |website=finance.townhall.com |access-date=February 26, 2016}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{cite book |title=Congressional Directory for the 110th Congress (2007-2008) |date=August 2008 |publisher=[[United States Government Publishing Office]] |page=147 |url=https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/CDIR-2008-08-01 |access-date=March 19, 2024 |chapter=Charles W. <nowiki>''Chip''</nowiki> Pickering, Jr. |chapter-url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CDIR-2008-08-01/pdf/CDIR-2008-08-01-MS-H-3.pdf}}</ref>

==Career==
===Early years===
Pickering served as a [[Southern Baptist]] missionary in [[Hungary]], after the Hungarian government ceased its persecution of religious believers.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}}

In 1989, President [[George H. W. Bush]] appointed Pickering as a [[United States Department of Agriculture|Department of Agriculture]] liaison to the former European Communist countries.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}}

Pickering served as a staff member of [[United States Senate|Senator]] [[Trent Lott]] between 1992 and 1996.<ref name=":0" /> He helped shape the [[Telecommunications Act of 1996]], the first major overhaul of US telecoms law since 1934.<ref>{{cite web |title=Profile in Public Service - Chip Pickering |url=http://www.stennis.gov/spotlights/spotlights_show.htm?doc_id=839904 |website=stennis.gov |access-date=June 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090806214601/http://www.stennis.gov/spotlights/spotlights_show.htm?doc_id=839904 |archive-date=August 6, 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref> After a  year at the [[U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce|Senate Commerce Committee]], Pickering ran for Congress.<ref>{{Cite web
|url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/charles_pickering/400319 |title=Charles "Chip" Pickering Jr., former Representative for Mississippi's 3rd Congressional District - GovTrack.us |website=GovTrack.us |access-date=February 26, 2016}}</ref> He defeated eight other Republicans in the primary and won the general election over Democrat [[John Arthur Eaves Jr.]] with 61 percent of the vote.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Nash |first1=Jere |last2=Taggart |first2=Andy |title=Mississippi Politics: The Struggle for Power, 1976-2008 |edition=second |publisher=University Press of Mississippi |date=2009 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=avs12QS3EZ4C |isbn=9781604733570 |pages=257–258}}</ref>

===U.S. House of Representatives===

====Committee assignments====
*Energy and Commerce Committee
**Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection Subcommittee
**Energy and Air Quality Subcommittee
**Telecommunications & the Internet Subcommittee

====Tenure====
In 1998, as chairman of the Basic Research Subcommittee of the U.S. House Science Committee, Pickering helped oversee the transition from a government research internet to a commercial internet, as well as the establishment of internet domain names, registries, and
multi-stakeholder governance.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://commdocs.house.gov/committees/science/hsy273140.000/hsy273140_0.HTM|title=Internet Domain Names, Part II|website=commdocs.house.gov}}</ref>

In 2002, Pickering contributed to legislation included in the ''2002 Farm Bill'', which doubled the funding for the conservation reserve, the wetland reserve programs, and other conservation initiatives administered by the [[U.S. Department of Agriculture]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://commdocs.house.gov/committees/ag/hag107f.000/hag107f_0f.htm|title=Formulation of the 2002 Farm Bill|website=commdocs.house.gov}}</ref>

Pickering served as [[George W. Bush]]'s co-chairman for Mississippi in Bush's presidential campaigns in 2000 and 2004.<ref>{{cite web |title=Chip Pickering |url=https://www.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2004/sep/30/chip-pickering/ |website=Jackson Free Press |access-date=June 24, 2021 |date=September 30, 2004}}</ref>

From 2003 to 2007, Pickering served as vice-chairman of the [[U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce|Energy and Commerce Committee]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.princeton.edu/~pmc/oldsite/H-EC.html|title=House Committee on Energy and Commerce|website=www.princeton.edu}}</ref>

In 2008, Pickering, along with [[Bennie Thompson]], received Lewis-Houghton Leadership Award.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://dev.yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/reps_bennie_thompson_d_and_chip_pickering_r_win_2nd_lewis_houghton_leadersh/|title=Reprs Bennie Thompson and Chip Pickering}}</ref>

In January 2009, Pickering retired from the House of Representatives.<ref name="auto1" />

===Post-political career===
Pickering serves as an [[adjunct professor]] at the [[University of Mississippi]]'s Department of Public Leadership Policy, where he teaches a bi-monthly seminar class, PPL 211: Political Campaigns.<ref name="auto" />

In 2014, Pickering joined Incompas, where he currently serves as the CEO. Prior to this, he was a partner at Capitol Resources LLC, representing numerous companies and organizations.<ref name="auto" />

Pickering also made a brief appearance in the 2006 film, ''[[Borat]]'', as a speaker at a church that Borat attended.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.facingsouth.org/2009/07/chip-pickerings-family-affair.html |title=Chip Pickering's "Family" affair |last=Sturgis |first=Sue |publisher=Facing South |date=July 17, 2009 |access-date=June 15, 2020}}</ref>

In April 2023, the archives of Chip Pickering and [[Charles W. Pickering]] were donated to the Mississippi Political Collections, located at [[Mississippi State University]]'s Mitchell Memorial Library, by them.<ref name="auto2">{{Cite news |url=https://magnoliatribune.com/2023/04/05/pickering-scalia-and-the-unicorns-of-bipartisanship/ |title=Pickering, Scalia and the unicorns of bipartisanship and civility in American government |first=Sid |last=Salter |date=April 5, 2023 |website=Magnolia Tribune}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.msstate.edu/newsroom/article/2023/03/pickerings-champion-bipartisanship-civility-during-dedication-papers-msu |title=Pickerings champion bipartisanship, civility during dedication of papers at MSU |date=March 31, 2023 |website=Mississippi State University}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Pickering and his former wife, Leisha, have five sons.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20090716/NEWS/90716027/Ex-Miss.+politician+s+wife+sues+alleged+mistress |title=Ex-Miss. politician's wife sues alleged mistress |work=Clarion Ledger |date=July 16, 2009 |access-date=July 2, 2014 |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/5iJmxqlEl?url=http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20090716/NEWS/90716027/Ex-Miss.%20politician%20s%20wife%20sues%20alleged%20mistress |archive-date=July 16, 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Chip Pickering filed for divorce in June 2008.<ref name="fam">{{cite news |first=Chris |last=Elkins |url=https://www.djournal.com/news/update-wife-of-ex-us-rep-pickering-claims-he-had-affair/article_a0c13014-4652-5b24-8154-8bb3db5df9da.html |title=UPDATE: Wife of ex-US Rep. Pickering claims he had affair |work=[[Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal|Daily Journal]] |date=July 16, 2009 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250101204934/https://www.djournal.com/news/update-wife-of-ex-us-rep-pickering-claims-he-had-affair/article_a0c13014-4652-5b24-8154-8bb3db5df9da.html |archive-date=January 1, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |editor-first=Robert E. |editor-last=Emory |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ix9zAwAAQBAJ&dq=%22Chip+Pickering%22+%22+Leisha%22&pg=PA977 |title=Cultural Sociology of Divorce; An Encyclopedia |page=977 |date=2013 |isbn=978-1-4129-9958-8 |publisher=[[Sage Publishing]]}}</ref>

On July 16, 2009, Pickering's estranged wife filed a complaint in Hinds County (Mississippi) Circuit Court under Mississippi's [[alienation of affection]] law, alleging that Pickering and his college sweetheart  Elizabeth Creekmore Byrd had a long-standing adulterous extramarital relationship during his congressional career in Washington, D.C.<ref>{{cite news |first=Jacob M. |last=Appel |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/hate-the-husband-sue-the_b_311419 |title=Hate the Husband? Sue the Mistress! |work=[[HuffPost]] |date=May 25, 2011 |orig-date=March 18, 2010}}</ref> Creekmore Byrd is a member of Mississippi's Creekmore family that founded of the [[Cellular South]] telephone company.<ref name="fam" /> She further alleged in ''Pickering v. Pickering'' that Creekmore-Byrd insisted that Pickering turn down Mississippi Gov. [[Haley Barbour]]'s 2007 offer of former Sen. Trent Lott's Senate seat so that Pickering could divorce his wife and the two of them be together.<ref>{{cite news |title=A decade of congressional sex scandals |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2011-jun-08-la-na-weiner-list-20110608-story.html |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |access-date=June 24, 2021 |date=June 8, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Bresnahan |first1=John |title=Pickering's wife sues alleged mistress |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2009/07/pickerings-wife-sues-alleged-mistress-025067 |work=Politico |access-date=June 24, 2021 |language=en |date=July 16, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Mott |first1=Ronni |title=Wife Says Pickering's Affair Ended Career, Two Marriages |url=https://www.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2009/jul/16/wife-says-pickerings-affair-ended-career-two/ |magazine=[[Jackson Free Press]] |access-date=June 24, 2021 |language=en |date=July 16, 2009}}</ref> According to [[Max Blumenthal]] at ''[[The Daily Beast]]'', "In the end, Pickering chose his mistress over his congressional career and his wife."<ref>{{cite news|last=Blumenthal|first=Max|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-secret-gop-sex-diary|title=The Secret GOP Sex Diary|work=[[The Daily Beast]]|date=July 14, 2017|orig-year=July 23, 2009|access-date=October 21, 2020}}</ref>

Pickering's family had a close relationship with [[Antonin Scalia]].<ref name="auto2" />

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{CongLinks | congbio=p000323 | votesmart= | fec=H6MS03046 | congress=}}
*[http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060615/NEWS/606150389/1001/news/ Financial disclosures] ''Clarion Ledger'', June 15, 2006
*[http://www.radiofreemississippi.net/lobbyist.htm{{dead link|date=August 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}} Pickering considers job as top lobbyist]{{Dead link|date=November 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20061221235714/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/04/29/AR2005042901349.html Lawmakers' Help for Drug Firm Tests Limits]''The Washington Post'', April 29, 2005
* {{C-SPAN|45603}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-par|us-hs}}
{{US House succession box
| state=Mississippi
| district=3
| before=[[Gillespie V. Montgomery|Sonny Montgomery]]
| after= [[Gregg Harper]] |
| years= January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2009
}}
{{s-prec|usa}}
{{s-bef|before=[[John Hostettler]]|as=Former US Representative}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[United States order of precedence|Order of precedence of the United States]]<br />''{{small|as Former US Representative}}''|years=}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Steven Palazzo]]|as=Former US Representative}}
{{s-end}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pickering, Chip}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1963 births]]
[[Category:Baptists from Mississippi]]
[[Category:Southern Baptists]]
[[Category:University of Mississippi alumni]]
[[Category:Baylor University alumni]]
[[Category:People from Laurel, Mississippi]]
[[Category:Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Mississippi]]
[[Category:Members of Congress who became lobbyists]]
[[Category:21st-century members of the United States House of Representatives]]