Born in 1925 in Maryland, Eugene Pickett took the position of Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) President upon the death of Paul Carnes. At General Assembly in 1981 he was elected for a four year term.

Pickett helped facilitate the rewriting of the Unitarian Universalist principles, which were in need of modernization. He thought that a common set of beliefs was important for the well-being of the religion. Pickett was also responsible for the UUA’s first major capital campaign called Visions for Growth and the creation of Friends of the UUA.