Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton (born October 26, 1947) is an American lawyer, diplomat, and politician who served as First Lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001, as a United States Senator from New York from 2001 to 2009, and as the 67th United States Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013.[1][2][3] She pursued the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008, winning numerous primaries before conceding to Barack Obama, and became the party's nominee in 2016, securing the popular vote but losing to Donald Trump in the Electoral College with 227 electoral votes to his 304.[4][5][6] As First Lady, Clinton championed children's health initiatives and led a task force on universal health care reform, which proposed expanding coverage to millions but failed to gain congressional approval amid opposition to its mandates and costs.[7] In the Senate, she focused on New York recovery after the September 11 attacks and supported military funding, while as Secretary of State she logged over one million miles in travel promoting diplomacy, including a "reset" with Russia that yielded mixed results.[8][9] Her public service has been defined by significant legislative and diplomatic efforts alongside persistent controversies, notably the 2012 Benghazi attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound that killed four Americans including Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, prompting multiple congressional investigations into security decisions and response timelines, and the use of a private email server for official communications, which the FBI found involved "extremely careless" handling of classified material though it declined prosecution.[10][11]Early Life and Education
Family Background and Childhood
Hillary Diane Rodham was born on October 26, 1947, at Edgewater Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, the eldest child of Hugh Ellsworth Rodham and Dorothy Emma Howell Rodham.[12] Her father, born April 2, 1911, in Scranton, Pennsylvania, of English and Welsh descent, served as a chief petty officer in the U.S. Navy during World War II, training sailors at Naval Station Great Lakes before establishing a small textile business specializing in printing patterns on drapery fabrics.[13][14] Her mother, born June 4, 1919, in Chicago, worked as a homemaker after marrying Hugh in 1942; Dorothy's own early life involved parental abandonment around age eight, after which she was sent to live with a grandmother before gaining independence as a teenager.[15][16] The Rodhams had two younger sons, Hugh Jr. (born 1950) and Anthony (born 1954), forming a middle-class family that purchased their home outright through Hugh's business earnings.[17][14] When Hillary was three years old, the family relocated to Park Ridge, a conservative Chicago suburb, where she spent her childhood in a stable, disciplined household emphasizing self-reliance and hard work.[18] Hugh Rodham, described by associates as demanding and frugal, instilled toughness in his children through rigorous expectations, such as requiring them to perform household tasks without complaint and rejecting welfare or government aid despite occasional business setbacks.[19] Dorothy provided emotional support, fostering resilience drawn from her own experiences of overcoming adversity without formal higher education.[20] The family attended the First United Methodist Church of Park Ridge, where Hillary participated in youth group activities, including Bible studies and community service like babysitting children of migrant farm workers during harvest seasons.[21][22] This upbringing in a Republican-leaning environment shaped early influences, with Hillary initially supporting figures like Barry Goldwater before shifting politically in her late teens.[23] Hugh's death on April 7, 1993, and Dorothy's on November 1, 2011, marked the end of the immediate family generation.[24][15]College and Law School Years
Hillary Rodham enrolled at Wellesley College in 1965 as a self-identified conservative Republican who had campaigned for Barry Goldwater in the 1964 presidential election.[25] [23] During her undergraduate years, Rodham's political views shifted leftward amid the turbulence of 1968, including the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy; she volunteered for Eugene McCarthy's anti-war presidential campaign in New Hampshire and, as student body president following King's death, organized campus responses to national unrest.[26] [27] She rose through student government ranks, advocating for educational reforms, and participated in a 1968 panel discussion as a candidate for student government president.[28] Rodham's senior thesis, submitted in 1969, analyzed the organizing tactics of Saul Alinsky, a radical community activist, blending sympathy for his pragmatic approach with critiques of his ideological limitations; it earned an A from four professors.[29] [30] [31] On May 31, 1969, she delivered Wellesley College's first student commencement address, challenging the establishment views expressed by guest speaker Edward Brooke and urging graduates to pursue idealistic action over conventional politics, which garnered national media coverage including a feature in Life magazine.[32] [33] [34] Rodham graduated with a B.A. in political science that year.[35] In fall 1969, Rodham began studies at Yale Law School, where she edited the Yale Law Review and co-founded the Yale Law Journal's social action section while interning for children's rights advocate Marian Wright Edelman.[17] In 1971, she met Bill Clinton in the Yale library; their shared political interests and ambition fostered a romantic relationship.[36] [37] Rodham graduated from Yale with a J.D. in 1973.[38]Arkansas Period: Marriage, Legal Career, and State First Ladyship
Relocation and Early Family Life
In 1974, Hillary Rodham moved from Washington, D.C., to Fayetteville, Arkansas, to join Bill Clinton, who had returned to his home state to teach law at the University of Arkansas School of Law following his graduation from Yale.[39] The couple purchased a home at 930 California Boulevard in Fayetteville, where they married on October 11, 1975, in a small ceremony attended by family and close friends held in the living room.[36][40] Bill Clinton's election as Arkansas Attorney General in November 1976 prompted the couple's relocation to the state capital of Little Rock in early 1977.[41] There, Rodham joined the Rose Law Firm, becoming one of the first female partners at the firm by 1979.[42] The family settled into a modest one-story brick house in the Hillcrest neighborhood, reflecting their early professional and political ambitions amid limited personal resources.[43] The Clintons' early family life centered on career advancement and political involvement, with no children until the birth of their daughter, Chelsea Victoria Clinton, on February 27, 1980, at Little Rock's St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center.[44][45] This period coincided with Bill Clinton's successful 1978 gubernatorial campaign, as he assumed office as governor in January 1979, marking the start of more public scrutiny on their household dynamics.[46] Chelsea's arrival provided a personal anchor amid the increasing demands of state governance and Hillary's rising legal profile.[18]Professional Roles and Political Involvement
Following her marriage to Bill Clinton on October 11, 1975, Hillary Rodham relocated to Fayetteville, Arkansas, where she joined the faculty of the University of Arkansas School of Law as an assistant professor in late 1974, shortly after President Richard Nixon's resignation prompted her move from Washington, D.C.[47] She taught courses in criminal law and criminal procedure during the 1974-1975 academic year, earning a salary of $16,450, and was one of only two female faculty members at the institution at the time.[48] Her tenure there ended in 1976 when Bill Clinton was elected Arkansas Attorney General, prompting the couple's move to Little Rock.[49] In 1976, Rodham began practicing law at the Rose Law Firm, the oldest law firm west of the Mississippi River and a politically influential institution in Little Rock with ties to state business and government.[50] She continued there full-time through 1992, specializing in areas such as patent infringement, intellectual property, and corporate representation, including work for major Arkansas clients like Walmart.[44] On September 1, 1979, she became the firm's first female partner, a milestone reflecting her rapid ascent in a traditionally male-dominated field, and was later recognized twice among the 100 most influential lawyers in the United States by the National Law Journal.[36][44] Rodham's professional activities extended beyond private practice into public policy and advocacy. In 1977, she co-founded the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, a nonprofit focused on child welfare issues, which positioned her as a key figure in state-level children's rights efforts.[46] That same year, President Jimmy Carter appointed her to the board of the Legal Services Corporation, a federally funded organization providing legal aid to low-income Americans, where she served until 1981; this role involved national oversight of legal access programs amid debates over funding and ideological influences in aid distribution.[51] Her political involvement during this period intertwined with her husband's rising career, including advisory roles on policy and strategy amid Bill Clinton's bids for state office, though she maintained a lower public profile initially to prioritize her legal work.[46] As Arkansas's First Lady starting in 1979 (with a brief interruption after Bill's 1980 reelection loss), she balanced these duties with her firm partnership, representing corporate interests while engaging in state initiatives like education standards, which later drew scrutiny for potential conflicts between her advocacy and client obligations.[17]Involvement in Bill Clinton's Gubernatorial Campaigns
Hillary Rodham actively participated in Bill Clinton's 1978 campaign for governor of Arkansas, contributing to his victory on November 7, 1978, which made him the youngest governor in the United States at age 32.[44] During this period, the Clintons resided in a modest home in Little Rock, reflecting their early establishment in Arkansas politics. Her involvement included campaign work alongside her legal career at the Rose Law Firm.[44] Bill Clinton's defeat in the 1980 re-election bid was attributed in part to perceptions of elitism, including criticism of Hillary Rodham's decision to retain her maiden name, which opponents like Frank White highlighted to portray the Clintons as out of touch with Arkansas voters.[52] In response, for the 1982 comeback campaign, Hillary adopted the surname Clinton, a strategic move intended to soften her image and bolster Bill's appeal to more traditional constituencies.[53] [54] This change, combined with Bill's public acknowledgment of governing errors such as unpopular car license fee increases, facilitated his strong win on November 2, 1982, restoring him to office.[55] Throughout Bill Clinton's subsequent unopposed or lightly contested re-elections in 1984, 1986, and 1990, Hillary Clinton served as a key advisor and public supporter, leveraging her role as First Lady of Arkansas to advance family political objectives.[56] Her strategic counsel extended to policy positioning and voter outreach, helping maintain the Clintons' dominance in state politics until Bill's 1992 presidential run.[57]First Lady of the United States
Policy Initiatives and Legislative Attempts
As First Lady, Hillary Clinton chaired the President's Task Force on National Health Care Reform, established on January 25, 1993, to develop a comprehensive plan for universal health coverage.[58] The resulting Health Security Act, introduced to Congress on November 20, 1993, proposed requiring employers to provide insurance, creating regional health alliances to negotiate prices, and establishing a national health board to regulate standards, aiming to cover all Americans without new taxes on individuals but with tobacco taxes.) The plan faced intense opposition from insurance companies, pharmaceutical firms, and business groups, who spent over $100 million on lobbying and ads portraying it as government takeover; it also suffered from internal Democratic divisions and procedural secrecy in task force deliberations, which prompted a lawsuit alleging violations of federal open-meeting laws.[59] By September 1994, Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell declared the bill dead, as it failed to advance to a floor vote in either chamber amid Republican gains in the midterm elections.) Clinton advocated for the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA), signed into law by President Bill Clinton on November 19, 1997, which prioritized child safety and permanency by shortening timelines for terminating parental rights in abuse cases and incentivizing states to increase adoptions from foster care.[60] Her involvement included bridging partisan divides after initial negotiations stalled, contributing to provisions that doubled annual adoptions from foster care to over 50,000 by 2002.[61] The legislation shifted focus from endless reunification efforts to faster placements, responding to evidence that prolonged foster stays harmed child outcomes, though critics later argued it pressured low-income families without adequate support services.[62] Clinton supported the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, signed August 22, 1996, which ended the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program, imposed five-year lifetime limits and work requirements, and converted welfare to block grants to states.[63] She lobbied Congress for its passage, framing it as promoting "transition from dependency to dignity" through employment mandates, despite vetoing two prior versions for insufficient protections.[64] The reform reduced welfare caseloads by over 60% by 2000, correlating with employment gains among single mothers, but studies indicate it increased deep poverty during recessions due to time limits and sanctions.[65]International Efforts and Women's Rights Advocacy
As First Lady, Hillary Rodham Clinton chaired the United States delegation to the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing, China, from September 4 to 15, 1995.[66] In her plenary address on September 5, 1995, she declared that "human rights are women's rights — and women's rights are human rights," emphasizing abuses such as domestic violence, rape as a war tactic, and denial of education and healthcare to girls, while criticizing governments for tolerating practices like female genital mutilation and forced abortions.[67] The speech, delivered despite Chinese government restrictions on dissident attendance and NGO activities, contributed to the conference's adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a non-binding framework committing governments to advance gender equality in areas including poverty alleviation, education, and political participation.[68] Clinton's advocacy drew international acclaim but also faced criticism from some quarters for overlooking China's human rights record on forced labor and suppression of free speech during the event.[66] Clinton extended her efforts through the Vital Voices Democracy Initiative, launched in 1997 in partnership with Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, to support women's leadership and civic engagement in emerging democracies.[69] The program focused on training and funding women activists in regions like Eastern Europe, Latin America, and South Asia, addressing barriers to political and economic participation amid post-Cold War transitions.[70] By 1999, Vital Voices had convened conferences, such as one in Reykjavik, Iceland, on October 10, where Clinton highlighted case studies of women overcoming authoritarian constraints to enter governance.[71] These initiatives prioritized measurable outcomes like increased female voter turnout and legislative reforms, though evaluations noted challenges in sustaining impact without ongoing U.S. funding.[72] Beyond conferences, Clinton undertook over 80 international trips, advocating for women's microcredit access, maternal health, and education in developing nations.[66] In visits to India and Senegal in 1999, she promoted programs linking small loans to female entrepreneurs, drawing on empirical evidence that such financing boosted household incomes by 20-30% in pilot studies.[73] She also pushed for U.S. support of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), ratified by 165 countries by 2000 but unsigned by the U.S. Senate due to concerns over sovereignty and provisions on family law.[74] These activities aligned with broader Clinton administration foreign policy emphasizing "democracy promotion," yet critics argued they sometimes conflated cultural practices with universal rights without sufficient local context.[68]Scandals Involving Personal and White House Operations
The Whitewater controversy centered on a 1978 real estate venture in Arkansas, Whitewater Development Corporation, in which Bill and Hillary Clinton partnered with Jim McDougal and his wife Susan, owners of the related Madison Guaranty Savings and Loan that failed in 1989 amid allegations of fraud, costing taxpayers over $60 million in bailout funds.[75] Investigations intensified after the Clintons entered the White House in 1993, revealing that McDougal had funneled over $300,000 in fraudulent loans from Madison Guaranty to support Bill Clinton's 1980s gubernatorial campaigns, with Hillary Clinton's law firm, Rose Law Firm, representing Madison and billing over $100,000 for services that included work potentially benefiting Whitewater.[76] Hillary Clinton's involvement included signing a 1981 document falsely attesting to Whitewater's financial health to secure a bank loan, and her Rose Law Firm billing records—subpoenaed in 1994 but claimed lost—mysteriously appeared in the White House Book Room on January 5, 1996, after two years of denial.[77] Independent counsel Kenneth Starr's probe led to convictions of McDougal, Arkansas Governor Jim Guy Tucker, and others for fraud and obstruction, but neither Clinton faced prosecution despite evidence of concealed documents and conflicts of interest.[78] In May 1993, the White House abruptly fired seven longtime employees of the White House Travel Office, who had handled media travel arrangements for decades without competitive bidding, citing minor irregularities like lack of receipts but primarily to install Clinton associates, including Harry Thomason's company, which stood to gain lucrative contracts.[79] Hillary Clinton, though not officially in the chain of command, directed aides including deputy counsel Vince Foster and David Watkins to pursue the dismissals, as confirmed by notes from aide Patsy Thomasson stating "This is going to Hillary" and congressional testimony revealing her complaints about the office's inefficiencies and desire for replacement.[80] Independent counsel Paul Espy's 2000 report found "substantial evidence" that Hillary Clinton lied under oath to the House in 1995 when denying any role beyond casual input, citing her handwritten notes and communications pushing for firings despite awareness of career civil servants' protections.[81] No criminal charges resulted, but the episode led to reimbursements and ethics probes, highlighting early White House favoritism toward Arkansas allies.[82] The Filegate controversy emerged in 1996 when White House personnel security director Craig Livingstone and aide Anthony Marceca improperly requested and obtained over 900 FBI background files on former Reagan and Bush administration officials, including Republicans like George H.W. Bush's chief of staff, without standard authorization, using outdated lists that expanded surveillance-like access.[76] The files, requested starting in 1993 under the guise of transition needs, included sensitive personal data and violated privacy laws, with the Justice Department confirming unauthorized dissemination within the White House counsel's office.[83] While direct evidence of Hillary Clinton's involvement was limited, the scandal tied into broader patterns of White House misuse of federal resources, prompting a 1996 Senate investigation and no prosecutions but highlighting lapses in oversight by Clinton aides Bernard Nussbaum and Abner Mikva.[84] On July 20, 1993, Vince Foster, deputy White House counsel and longtime Clinton associate who handled Whitewater and Travelgate matters, was found dead in Fort Marcy Park, Virginia, from a gunshot wound, ruled a suicide by the U.S. Park Police, independent counsel Robert Fiske, and Starr's 1997 report, which cited depression amid White House pressures and note fragments referencing scrutiny over past dealings.[85] Post-death, Hillary Clinton's chief of staff Maggie Williams removed documents from Foster's office before FBI access, and White House counsel Nussbaum delayed turnover of files containing Whitewater-related materials, fueling obstruction allegations later detailed in Senate reports.[77] Five official investigations, including forensic reviews finding no signs of struggle and matching gun residue, affirmed suicide, though conspiracy claims persisted without substantiation.[86] Separately, questions arose over Hillary Clinton's personal commodity trading in 1978–1979, where she reportedly turned a $1,000 investment into nearly $100,000 in cattle futures over ten months, achieving a 10,000% return improbable for novices, with records showing margin calls covered unusually and trades allocated favorably by broker Redbone Commodities, linked to Tyson Foods counsel who advised her.[87] Critics, including a 1994 New York Times analysis, noted violations of trading rules and potential insider advantages tied to Bill Clinton's state regulatory role over Tyson, though a 1994 White House review claimed no illegality and attributed success to luck and advice.[88] The episode resurfaced in Whitewater probes as evidence of unexplained financial gains but yielded no charges.[89]Response to Bill Clinton's Impeachment and Lewinsky Affair
Hillary Clinton publicly defended her husband amid the Monica Lewinsky scandal, which emerged in January 1998 following reports of an inappropriate relationship between President Bill Clinton and the 22-year-old White House intern. On January 26, 1998, Bill Clinton denied the affair in a televised statement, asserting, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Ms. Lewinsky." The following day, January 27, 1998, Hillary Clinton appeared on NBC's Today show, attributing the allegations to a coordinated political attack, stating that critics had been "conspiring against my husband since the day he announced for president" as part of a "vast right-wing conspiracy."[90][91] Clinton maintained her support even after Bill Clinton admitted the affair to her privately on August 15, 1998, shortly before his grand jury testimony on August 17, where he acknowledged an "inappropriate intimate relationship" with Lewinsky. Despite personal distress—documented in private notes from her friend Diane Blair, released by the National Archives in 2014, in which Clinton reportedly called Lewinsky a "narcissistic loony toon" and expressed initial rage—she chose to forgive Bill Clinton, citing their daughter's well-being, their long-term commitment, and the broader political context as factors in her decision to remain married.[92][91] As the scandal escalated into impeachment proceedings, the U.S. House of Representatives approved two articles against Bill Clinton on December 19, 1998: perjury (228-206) and obstruction of justice (221-212), stemming from his efforts to conceal the affair during deposition testimony in the related Paula Jones lawsuit. Hillary Clinton continued to advocate for her husband's retention in office, emphasizing in public statements that while his conduct was wrong, it did not constitute grounds for removal, prioritizing national stability over partisan removal. The Senate trial commenced on January 7, 1999, with Chief Justice William Rehnquist presiding; Clinton did not attend but was represented by counsel, and the proceedings concluded with acquittal votes on February 12, 1999—55-45 against conviction on perjury and 50-50 on obstruction, falling short of the two-thirds threshold required.[93][94] Post-acquittal, Hillary Clinton shifted focus to her own political future, announcing her candidacy for the U.S. Senate from New York on February 6, 2000, a move facilitated by the resolution of the crisis. In later reflections, such as a 2018 CBS Sunday Morning interview, she described holding Bill Clinton accountable privately but rejected framing the affair as an abuse of power, noting Lewinsky's adulthood and contrasting it with cases involving minors, though the significant authority disparity between president and intern drew criticism from observers.[95] In a 2020 Hulu documentary, she recounted the events as "emotionally draining," underscoring the personal toll amid public scrutiny.[96] Her steadfast public stance preserved the administration's functionality but fueled debates about political expediency versus personal integrity.U.S. Senate Career
2000 Election to the Senate
Following the end of her tenure as First Lady in January 1999, Hillary Rodham Clinton established residency in New York and formed an exploratory committee to assess a potential U.S. Senate bid for the seat held by retiring Democrat Daniel Patrick Moynihan.[97] To address criticisms of being a political outsider, she launched a "listening tour" across the state starting in July 1999, visiting diverse communities to engage with residents on local issues and build familiarity.[98] Opponents, including potential Republican challengers, labeled her a "carpetbagger" due to her lack of prior ties to New York, echoing historical accusations against figures like Robert F. Kennedy in 1964, though Clinton countered by emphasizing her commitment through extensive statewide travel.[99] On February 6, 2000, Clinton formally announced her candidacy in Purchase, New York, becoming the first First Lady in U.S. history to seek elected office.[100] She faced no significant opposition in the Democratic primary held on September 12, 2000, securing 565,353 votes against minor challengers Mark J. McMahon (124,315 votes) and others, effectively clinching the nomination with over 80% of the vote.[101] In the general election, she opposed Republican Rick Lazio, a U.S. Representative from Long Island, after initial frontrunner Rudy Giuliani withdrew in May 2000 amid personal scandals and health issues. The campaign centered on issues like education, health care, and campaign finance reform, with debates highlighting differences; during the first debate on September 13, 2000, in Buffalo, Lazio approached Clinton onstage to press her to sign a pledge banning unregulated "soft money" contributions, a moment critics viewed as overly aggressive and which Clinton used to question his consistency on reform.[102][103] Clinton raised approximately $30 million for her campaign, outpacing Lazio's fundraising.[104] On November 7, 2000, coinciding with the presidential election, Clinton defeated Lazio with 3,747,310 votes (55.27%) to his 2,915,730 (43.01%), marking a Democratic hold on the seat in a competitive race.[105] She was sworn in on January 3, 2001, by Vice President Al Gore.