Victor Jackovich was born in Des Moines, Iowa, on April 24, 1948 to Mary and Victor Sr.
As a career officer in the U.S. Foreign Service, he held assignments in Kiev (1979-1980), where he helped to start the first U.S. government office in Ukraine; Bucharest (1980-1983); Nairobi (1983-1986); Moscow (1988-1990); and Sofia, Bulgaria (1991).