==Background==
Rickhoff was born at the Farragut Naval Training Station in Bayview in northern [[Idaho]] while his father, Leo John Rickhoff (died 1974), was serving in the [[Philippines]] Campaign during [[World War II]]. His mother was the former Lela Doerr (died 2003). Leo and Lela married in 1942 and had six other children younger than Tom: John, Lynn, Jim, Gerard, Mike, and Mary Ann. Leo Rickoff was a trial lawyer for twenty-eight years and a state district court judge in [[Missouri]].<ref name=bio>{{cite web|url=http://tomrickhoff.blogspot.com/2009/08/judge-rickhoffs-bio.html|title=Judge Rickhoff's Bio|publisher=tomrickhoff.blogspot.com|date=August 5, 2009|date=March 2, 2015}}</ref> Leo and Lela Rickhoff are interred at Resurrection Cemetery in Affton in St. Louis County, Missouri.<ref>{{cite web|url=httphttps://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Rickhoff&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSst=26&GScntry=4&GSob=n&GRid=47898046&df=all&|title=Leo John Rickhoff|publisher=findagrave.com|accessdate=March 2, 2015}}</ref> Tom Rickhoff was reared in [[St. Louis]] but left for Texas to attend college.<ref name=bizjournals>{{cite web|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2009/11/16/focus5.html?page=all|title=Profiles in Probate Law: Tom Rickhoff|date=November 15, 2009|publisher=''San Antonio Business Journal''|accessdate=March 2, 2015}}</ref>
In 1966, Rickhoff graduated with a [[Bachelor of Arts]] in [[Great Britain|English]] [[history]] from St. Mary's University and in 1969 from St. Mary's School of Law, both in San Antonio. From 1969 to 1974, Rickhoff was a captain on active duty in the [[United States Army]], including service in the [[Vietnam War]].<ref name=bizjournals/> He was a [[lieutenant colonel]] in the Army Reserve from 1974 to 1993.<ref name=bio/>