Top 10 Things to Know About Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton was born on August 19, 1946, in Hope, Arkansas. Following are ten key facts that are important to understand when studying the life and presidency of the forty-second president of the United States.
Bill Clinton was born William Jefferson Blythe III. His father tragically died before Bill was born. He ended up taking the name of his adoptive father, Roger Clinton. He was a star pupil and an accomplished saxophonist throughout his education. He earned his undergraduate degree from Georgetown University and was awarded the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship to attend Oxford University. He later graduated from Yale Law School in 1973.
On October 11, 1975, Bill Clinton married Hillary Rodham. She was an excellent student in her own right and graduated valedictorian of her class at Wellesley College in 1969. The pair met at Yale Law School. Together, they have one daughter, Chelsea.
As First Lady, Hillary Clinton was extremely powerful and heavily involved in directing policy. In 1993, she was named as the head of the Task Force on National Health Care Reform. She was also an advocate for women's and children's issues both at home and abroad.
After Bill Clinton retired from the presidency, Hillary won the U.S. Senate seat for New York state. Currently, she is planning to run for president in 2016.
In 1976, Bill Clinton became the attorney general of Arkansas. By 1978 he had become the youngest governor of Arkansas ever elected. He established himself as a moderate Democrat whose appeal stretched across the political aisle.
In 1992, Clinton was nominated to be the Democratic candidate for president. His campaign against President George H. W. Bush centered on economic issues including job creation. A third candidate in the race, H. Ross Perot, was able to pull in almost 19 percent of the vote, most of which can from conservatives and moderates. This and the looming recession meant that Clinton was able to defeat the sitting president with 43 percent of the vote and 370 out of 538 electoral votes.
Clinton was reelected in 1996. At this point, Clinton was quite popular and the economy was doing well. Clinton won with 49.2 percent of the popular vote and 379 out of 538 electoral votes.
One of Clinton's earliest key actions was the Family and Medical Leave Act in 1993. This law large employers to give employees time off for illnesses or pregnancy. However, his push for a nationalized health insurance program providing universal coverage was soundly defeated in Congress.
America entered a period of prosperity under Bill Clinton with a huge increase in the stock market. In fact, the federal government was able to create a balanced budget during this time.
Clinton strongly promoted free trade despite disagreements within his own party. In 1993, he supported the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that would eventually allow for unrestricted trade between Canada, the United States, and Mexico.
In addition, the trade agreement that created the World Trade Organization (WTO) was ratified while Clinton was president. This creates rules and standards for global trading and settles disputes between members of which there are currently 149.
America had to deal with two major terrorist attacks while Clinton was president. On February 26, 1993, a bomb exploded in the parking garage of the World Trade Center's north tower, killing six people and injuring more than 1,000 others. Ramzi Yousef, the mastermind behind the bombing, hoped it would bring down both towers and predicted that they would be brought down at some point in the future. He was caught, convicted, and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. In addition, nine other militant Islamic conspirators were sentenced to jail terms in connection with the bombing.
The second event was one of domestic terrorism. On April 19, 1995, a truck loaded with 5,000 pounds of explosives blew up outside of the Alfred P. Murrah federal building in Oklahoma City. This killed168 people including nineteen children at an on-site childcare facility. The bomb was so destructive that more than 800 people were injured and over 300 buildings in the area were damaged or destroyed.
Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichol, members of anti-government militia groups, were convicted of the terrorist act. McVeigh was executed for his actions in 2001, while Nichols was sentenced to life in prison.
While Clinton was hugely popular when entering his second term in office, his presidency was soon marked by controversies.
An investigation headed by Kenneth Starr was looking into possible improprieties related to a land deal in which the Clintons profited while he was governor of Arkansas. Even though no wrongdoing was proved, the investigation revealed that Clinton was having a personal relationship with White House staffer Monica Lewinsky. In an unrelated sexual harassment lawsuit brought by Paula Jones, Clinton denied having had sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky. However, when Lewinsky stepped forward with the infamous dress that proved their relationship, he recanted his statement, admitting to an “improper physical relationship” with her. He was made to pay a fine and temporarily disbarred in the state of Arkansas. In addition, the House of Representatives voted to impeach Clinton in 1998 based on perjury under oath and obstruction of justice. He became the the second president after Andrew Johnson to have been impeached. However, the Senate did not vote to remove him from office.
Clinton was key in helping America determine its place in foreign policy as the only remaining superpower with the fall of the Soviet Union. When Bosnia declared independence from Yugoslavia and a civil war erupted, Bosnian Serbs wanted to remain part of Yugoslavia and attacked cities with large populations of Bosnian Muslims and Croats. Clinton eventually helped bring peace between the two groups.
In 1998, Serbs moved into the mostly Muslim and ethnically Albanian Kosovo. After numerous claims of ethnic cleansing by the Serbs, the U.S.-led NATO troops bombed key Serbian targets which ended with the Serbs surrendering. Thus, the United States emerged as interested in peacekeeping around the world, even if U.S. interests were not directly threatened.
At the end of his second term, Bill Clinton entered the public speaking circuit, discussing contemporary politics. He also wrote his autobiography entitled My Life, in 2004. In addition, Clinton developed a friendship with former rival President George H. W. Bush that has led to a continued collaboration on several humanitarian endeavors. Most visibly, the pair led national campaigns to raise money for victims of the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia, or Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the Gulf Coast in 2005, and of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.
1. Excellent Student
Bill Clinton was born William Jefferson Blythe III. His father tragically died before Bill was born. He ended up taking the name of his adoptive father, Roger Clinton. He was a star pupil and an accomplished saxophonist throughout his education. He earned his undergraduate degree from Georgetown University and was awarded the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship to attend Oxford University. He later graduated from Yale Law School in 1973.
2. Married Hillary Rodham in 1975
On October 11, 1975, Bill Clinton married Hillary Rodham. She was an excellent student in her own right and graduated valedictorian of her class at Wellesley College in 1969. The pair met at Yale Law School. Together, they have one daughter, Chelsea.
As First Lady, Hillary Clinton was extremely powerful and heavily involved in directing policy. In 1993, she was named as the head of the Task Force on National Health Care Reform. She was also an advocate for women's and children's issues both at home and abroad.
After Bill Clinton retired from the presidency, Hillary won the U.S. Senate seat for New York state. Currently, she is planning to run for president in 2016.
3. Youngest Governor of Arkansas
In 1976, Bill Clinton became the attorney general of Arkansas. By 1978 he had become the youngest governor of Arkansas ever elected. He established himself as a moderate Democrat whose appeal stretched across the political aisle.
4. Won in 1992 After a Split Republican Vote
In 1992, Clinton was nominated to be the Democratic candidate for president. His campaign against President George H. W. Bush centered on economic issues including job creation. A third candidate in the race, H. Ross Perot, was able to pull in almost 19 percent of the vote, most of which can from conservatives and moderates. This and the looming recession meant that Clinton was able to defeat the sitting president with 43 percent of the vote and 370 out of 538 electoral votes.
Clinton was reelected in 1996. At this point, Clinton was quite popular and the economy was doing well. Clinton won with 49.2 percent of the popular vote and 379 out of 538 electoral votes.
5. Oversaw the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993
One of Clinton's earliest key actions was the Family and Medical Leave Act in 1993. This law large employers to give employees time off for illnesses or pregnancy. However, his push for a nationalized health insurance program providing universal coverage was soundly defeated in Congress.
6. Resided Over Period of Economic Prosperity and Increased Free Trade
America entered a period of prosperity under Bill Clinton with a huge increase in the stock market. In fact, the federal government was able to create a balanced budget during this time.
Clinton strongly promoted free trade despite disagreements within his own party. In 1993, he supported the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that would eventually allow for unrestricted trade between Canada, the United States, and Mexico.
In addition, the trade agreement that created the World Trade Organization (WTO) was ratified while Clinton was president. This creates rules and standards for global trading and settles disputes between members of which there are currently 149.
7. Was President During the World Trade Center and Oklahoma City Terrorist Attacks
America had to deal with two major terrorist attacks while Clinton was president. On February 26, 1993, a bomb exploded in the parking garage of the World Trade Center's north tower, killing six people and injuring more than 1,000 others. Ramzi Yousef, the mastermind behind the bombing, hoped it would bring down both towers and predicted that they would be brought down at some point in the future. He was caught, convicted, and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. In addition, nine other militant Islamic conspirators were sentenced to jail terms in connection with the bombing.
The second event was one of domestic terrorism. On April 19, 1995, a truck loaded with 5,000 pounds of explosives blew up outside of the Alfred P. Murrah federal building in Oklahoma City. This killed168 people including nineteen children at an on-site childcare facility. The bomb was so destructive that more than 800 people were injured and over 300 buildings in the area were damaged or destroyed.
Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichol, members of anti-government militia groups, were convicted of the terrorist act. McVeigh was executed for his actions in 2001, while Nichols was sentenced to life in prison.
8. Second President to Be Impeached
While Clinton was hugely popular when entering his second term in office, his presidency was soon marked by controversies.
An investigation headed by Kenneth Starr was looking into possible improprieties related to a land deal in which the Clintons profited while he was governor of Arkansas. Even though no wrongdoing was proved, the investigation revealed that Clinton was having a personal relationship with White House staffer Monica Lewinsky. In an unrelated sexual harassment lawsuit brought by Paula Jones, Clinton denied having had sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky. However, when Lewinsky stepped forward with the infamous dress that proved their relationship, he recanted his statement, admitting to an “improper physical relationship” with her. He was made to pay a fine and temporarily disbarred in the state of Arkansas. In addition, the House of Representatives voted to impeach Clinton in 1998 based on perjury under oath and obstruction of justice. He became the the second president after Andrew Johnson to have been impeached. However, the Senate did not vote to remove him from office.
9. Forged New American Foreign Policy Role
Clinton was key in helping America determine its place in foreign policy as the only remaining superpower with the fall of the Soviet Union. When Bosnia declared independence from Yugoslavia and a civil war erupted, Bosnian Serbs wanted to remain part of Yugoslavia and attacked cities with large populations of Bosnian Muslims and Croats. Clinton eventually helped bring peace between the two groups.
In 1998, Serbs moved into the mostly Muslim and ethnically Albanian Kosovo. After numerous claims of ethnic cleansing by the Serbs, the U.S.-led NATO troops bombed key Serbian targets which ended with the Serbs surrendering. Thus, the United States emerged as interested in peacekeeping around the world, even if U.S. interests were not directly threatened.
10. Has Remained Politically Active Since the Presidency
At the end of his second term, Bill Clinton entered the public speaking circuit, discussing contemporary politics. He also wrote his autobiography entitled My Life, in 2004. In addition, Clinton developed a friendship with former rival President George H. W. Bush that has led to a continued collaboration on several humanitarian endeavors. Most visibly, the pair led national campaigns to raise money for victims of the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia, or Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the Gulf Coast in 2005, and of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.
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