Early politics

Hickey served as the treasurer of Rawlins from 1935 to 1940, and was the chair of the Carbon County Democratic Party. He was county attorney of Carbon County from 1939 to 1942. President Harry S. Truman appointed him as the U.S. District Attorney for Wyoming in 1949.^[1] Hickey was a U.S. Attorney for the District of Wyoming from 1949 to 1954.^[2]

Hickey became chair of the Wyoming Democratic Party in 1954.^[1]

Governor and Senator

He was the Governor of Wyoming from 1959 to 1961.

Hickey seconded the presidential nomination of Lyndon B. Johnson at the 1960 Democratic National Convention.^[1] During the 1960 presidential election Hickey stated that the issue over Kennedy's Catholicism would not be important in Wyoming due to Hickey, who was also a Catholic, having won in 1958.^[3]

Hickey resigned as governor and Secretary of State Jack R. Gage ascended to the position. On January 2, 1961, Gage appointed him to fill the vacancy created by U.S. Senator-elect Keith Thomson's death.^[1] Hickey lost the election in 1962. On October 15, 1962, he suffered a heart attack, but recovered.^[4]

Tenth Circuit

He was in private practice of law in Rawlins from 1962 to 1966. Hickey was nominated by President Lyndon B. Johnson on May 12, 1966, to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit vacated by Judge John Coleman Pickett. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 9, 1966, and received his commission the same day.