[1] As a young man he refused induction into the United States military during the Vietnam War, dropped out of college, and travelled through Canada as a "hippie."
In 1978 Hickey was matched with his wife, Shin Myung-hee of South Korea, by church founder Sun Myung Moon.
They were married in 1982 in a Blessing ceremony of the Unification Church, held in Madison Square Garden in New York City, along with over 2000 other couples.
[5] In 1996, Hickey was elected to the Nevada Assembly from District 27 after incumbent Thomas Batten declined to run for re-election.
[3] Since leaving office Hickey has continued to engage in political advocacy, such as his opposition to requiring charter schools to pay the prevailing wage on construction projects.