William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again from 1983 to 1992, and as attorney general of Arkansas from 1977 to 1979. A member of the Democratic Party, Clinton became known as a New Democrat, as many of his policies reflected a centrist "Third Way" political philosophy. He is the husband of Hillary Clinton, who was a U.S. senator from New York from 2001 to 2009, secretary of state from 2009 to 2013 and the Democratic nominee for president in the 2016 presidential election.
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton's official portrait, 1993
Official portrait, 1993
42nd President of the United States
In office
January 20, 1993 – January 20, 2001
Vice President
Al Gore
Preceded by
George H. W. Bush
Succeeded by
George W. Bush
40th and 42nd Governor of Arkansas
In office
January 11, 1983 – December 12, 1992
Lieutenant
Winston Bryant
Jim Guy Tucker
Preceded by
Frank D. White
Succeeded by
Jim Guy Tucker
In office
January 9, 1979 – January 19, 1981
Lieutenant
Joe Purcell
Preceded by
Joe Purcell (acting)
Succeeded by
Frank D. White
Chair of the National Governors Association
In office
August 26, 1986 – July 28, 1987
Preceded by
Lamar Alexander
Succeeded by
John H. Sununu
Vice Chair of the National Governors Association
In office
August 6, 1985 – August 26, 1986
Preceded by
Lamar Alexander
Succeeded by
John H. Sununu
50th Attorney General of Arkansas
In office
January 3, 1977 – January 9, 1979
Governor
David Pryor
Joe Purcell (acting)
Preceded by
Jim Guy Tucker
Succeeded by
Steve Clark
Personal details
Born
William Jefferson Blythe III
August 19, 1946 (age 76)
Hope, Arkansas, U.S.
Political party
Democratic
Spouse
Hillary Rodham ?(m. 1975)?
Children
Chelsea Clinton
Parents
William Jefferson Blythe Jr.
Virginia Cassidy
Relatives
Clinton family
Residences
Chappaqua, New York, U.S.
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Education
Georgetown University (BS)
University College, Oxford (no degree)
Yale University (JD)
Occupation
Politicianlawyerprofessorauthor
Awards
List of honors and awards
Signature
William J Clinton signature.svg
Bill Clinton's voice
6:13
Bill Clinton speaks on U.S. decision to join NATO forces in military airstrikes against Serbia
Recorded March 24, 1999
Clinton was born and raised in Arkansas and attended Georgetown University. He received a Rhodes Scholarship to study at University College, Oxford, and later graduated from Yale Law School. He met Hillary Rodham at Yale; they married in 1975. After graduating from law school, Clinton returned to Arkansas and won election as state attorney general, followed by two non-consecutive tenures as Arkansas governor. As governor, he overhauled the state's education system and served as chairman of the National Governors Association. Clinton was elected president in the 1992 presidential election, defeating incumbent Republican president George H. W. Bush and independent businessman Ross Perot. At 46 years old, he became the third-youngest president of the United States and the first president to be born in the Baby Boomer generation.
Clinton presided over the longest period of peacetime economic expansion in American history. He signed into law the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, but failed to pass his plan for national health care reform. The Republican Party won unified control of Congress for the first time in 40 years in the 1994 elections, but Clinton was still comfortably re-elected in 1996, becoming the first Democrat since Franklin D. Roosevelt to win a second full term. Starting in the mid-1990s, he began an ideological evolution as he became much more conservative in his domestic policy, advocating for and signing the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act, the State Children's Health Insurance Program and financial deregulation measures. He appointed Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer to the U.S. Supreme Court. During the last three years of Clinton's presidency, the Congressional Budget Office reported a budget surplus—the first such surplus since 1969. In foreign policy, Clinton ordered U.S. military intervention in the Bosnian and Kosovo wars, eventually signing the Dayton Peace agreement. He also called for the expansion of NATO in Eastern Europe and many former Warsaw Pact members joined NATO during his presidency. Clinton's foreign policy in the Middle East saw him sign the Iraq Liberation Act which gave aid to groups against Saddam Hussein. He also participated in the Oslo I Accord and Camp David Summit to advance the Israeli–Palestinian peace process, and assisted the Northern Ireland peace process.
Clinton's second term was dominated by the Monica Lewinsky scandal, which began in 1996, when he had a sexual relationship with 22-year-old Monica Lewinsky, an intern at the White House. In January 1998, news of the affair made tabloid headlines.[1] This scandal escalated throughout the year, culminating on December 19 when Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives, becoming the second U.S. president—the first since Andrew Johnson—to be impeached. The two impeachment articles that the House passed were centered around him using the powers of the presidency to obstruct the investigation and lying under oath. In 1999, Clinton's impeachment trial began in the Senate. He was acquitted on both charges as the Senate failed to cast 67 votes against him, which was necessary to meet the two-thirds conviction threshold prescribed by Article I, section 3, clause 6 of the U.S. Constitution.
Clinton left office in 2001 with the joint-highest approval rating of any U.S. president in the modern era, alongside Franklin D. Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan. His presidency has been ranked among the upper tier in historical rankings of U.S. presidents. However, his personal conduct and allegations of sexual assault have made him the subject of substantial scrutiny. Since leaving office, Clinton has been involved in public speaking and humanitarian work. He created the Clinton Foundation to address international causes such as the prevention of HIV/AIDS and global warming. In 2009, he was named the United Nations Special Envoy to Haiti. After the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Clinton and George W. Bush formed the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund. He has remained active in Democratic Party politics, campaigning for his wife's 2008 and 2016 presidential campaigns.
Early life and career
College and law school years
Failed congressional campaign and tenure as Attorney General of Arkansas
Governor of Arkansas (1979–1981, 1983–1992)
Presidency (1993–2001)
Public opinion
Public image
Sexual assault and misconduct allegations
Post-presidency (2001–present)
Main article: Post-presidency of Bill Clinton
Clinton greets a Hurricane Katrina evacuee, September 5, 2005. In the background, second from the right, is then-Senator Barack Obama.
Bill Clinton has continued to be active in public life since leaving office in 2001, giving speeches, fundraising, and founding charitable organizations,[300] and has spoken in prime time at every Democratic National Convention.[301]
Activities until 2008 campaign
In 2002, Clinton warned that pre-emptive military action against Iraq would have unwelcome consequences,[302][303] and later claimed to have opposed the Iraq War from the start (though some dispute this).[304] In 2005, Clinton criticized the Bush administration for its handling of emissions control, while speaking at the United Nations Climate Change conference in Montreal.[305]
The William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Park in Little Rock, Arkansas, was dedicated in 2004.[306] Clinton released a best-selling autobiography, My Life, in 2004.[307] In 2007, he released Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World, which also became a New York Times Best Seller and garnered positive reviews.[308]
Former president George H. W. Bush and Clinton in the White House Library, January 2005
In the aftermath of the 2004 Asian tsunami, U.N. secretary-general Kofi Annan appointed Clinton to head a relief effort.[309] After Hurricane Katrina, Clinton joined with fellow former president George H. W. Bush to establish the Bush-Clinton Tsunami Fund in January 2005, and the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund in October of that year.[310] As part of the tsunami effort, these two ex-presidents appeared in a Super Bowl XXXIX pre-game show,[311] and traveled to the affected areas.[312] They also spoke together at the funeral of Boris Yeltsin in April 2007.[313]
Based on his philanthropic worldview,[314] Clinton created the William J. Clinton Foundation to address issues of global importance. This foundation includes the Clinton Foundation HIV and AIDS Initiative (CHAI), which strives to combat that disease, and has worked with the Australian government toward that end. The Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), begun by the Clinton Foundation in 2005, attempts to address world problems such as global public health, poverty alleviation and religious and ethnic conflict.[315] In 2005, Clinton announced through his foundation an agreement with manufacturers to stop selling sugary drinks in schools.[316] Clinton's foundation joined with the Large Cities Climate Leadership Group in 2006 to improve cooperation among those cities, and he met with foreign leaders to promote this initiative.[317] The foundation has received donations from many governments all over the world, including Asia and the Middle East.[318] In 2008, Foundation director Inder Singh announced deals to reduce the price of anti-malaria drugs by 30 percent in developing nations.[319] Clinton also spoke in favor of California Proposition 87 on alternative energy, which was voted down.[320]
2008 presidential election
Clinton speaking at the 2008 Democratic National Convention
During the 2008 Democratic presidential primary campaign, Clinton vigorously advocated on behalf of his wife, Hillary. Through speaking engagements and fundraisers, he was able to raise $10 million toward her campaign.[321] Some worried that as an ex-president, he was too active on the trail, too negative to Clinton rival Barack Obama, and alienating his supporters at home and abroad.[322] Many were especially critical of him following his remarks in the South Carolina primary, which Obama won. Later in the 2008 primaries, there was some infighting between Bill and Hillary's staffs, especially in Pennsylvania.[323] Considering Bill's remarks, many thought
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some infighting between Bill and Hillary's staffs, especially in Pennsylvania.[323] Considering Bill's remarks, many thought
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