Biography
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Chip Pickering hails from Laurel,
Mississippi. Currently serving his
fifth term representing Mississippi’s
Third District, he was first elected
to Congress in 1996, at the young
age of 33. Chip serves as Vice Chairman
of the House Energy & Commerce
Committee. He is assistant majority
whip in the House of Representatives.
Before coming to Congress, Chip
pioneered the first full-time presence
by a Southern Baptist missionary
behind the Iron Curtain in Budapest,
the capital of then communist Hungary.
President George H. W. Bush appointed
Pickering to the United States Department
of Agriculture to bring economic
and democratic reform to Eastern
Europe and the Soviet Union.
Later, as a member of Senate Majority
Leader Trent Lott’s staff,
and as a professional staff member
on the Senate Commerce Committee,
Chip helped shape the landmark Telecommunications
Act of 1996. He continues to be
a leader on telecommunications and
technology issues reflecting the
growing importance of these industries
to Mississippi’s future.
Chip
served as George W. Bush’s
Co-Chairman of Mississippi for Bush
2000 and Bush 2004. Chip’s
ever growing record of achievement
has earned him a reputation as an
effective voice for Mississippi’s
interests, a rising star in the
Congress, and champion for the changes
that are transforming America’s
economy in this century and beyond.
Chip holds a bachelors degree in
business administration from the
University of Mississippi and a
masters degree in business administration
from Baylor University. He and his
wife Leisha have five sons: Will,
Ross, Jackson, Asher, and Harper.
They reside on a small farm in rural
Madison County.
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