William Jefferson Clinton

Clinton came to the White House campaigning as a representative of a "new generation." He is the first President to be born after World War II. Clinton was the second President in American history to be impeached.. Elected 1992, 1996

 

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The Early Years

 
Bill Clinton was born William Jefferson Blythe IV in Hope, Arkansas on August 19, 1946. He was born three months after his father was killed in an automobile accident. He was left with his grandparents while his mother went back to school to become a nurse-anesthetist. In his first years of life Clinton spent a great deal of time in his grandfather's grocery store, in a racially mixed neighborhood. In 1950 Clinton's mother married Roger Clinton, and the family moved to Hot Springs. Clinton was officially adopted by his step-father, and assumed his name. Clinton grew up in comfortable middle class environment.

Unfortunately his step-father was an alcoholic who was prone to violence.

Clinton was an super-achiever in school, and participated in many extra-curricula activities. In 1963 Clinton was sent as the Arkansas representative to Boy's Nation a leadership training program in Washington. There he visited the White House and shook hands with President Kennedy. Clinton claims from that moment on, he decided on a career in politics. In 1964 Clinton, began college, at Georgetown University in Washington DC. While studying at Georgetown, Clinton worked part-time for Senator Fulbright of Arkansas. On graduating in 1968 with a degree in International Relations Clinton received a prestigious Rhodes scholarship to study in Oxford England.

Upon his return to the United States Clinton entered Yale University Law school, where he received a law degree in 1973. While at Yale, Clinton met his wife Hillary Rodham, who he wed in 1975.

After graduating from Yale, Clinton returned to Arkansas, where he briefly taught law at the University of Arkansas. In 1974 at the age of 28 Clinton ran for Congressman. He lost but managed to obtain 48.5% of the vote. In 1976 Clinton ran successfully for the position of state attorney general. In 1978 he beat four other contenders, to become the democratic candidate for governor of Arkansas. In 1979 he assumed the post, thus becoming the nation's youngest governor since 1938.

After two turbulent years in office Clinton was defeated in 1980 when he ran for reelection. Two years later he succeeded in returning to the governors mansion in Little Rock. He remained as governor for the seceding ten years.

During his tenure as governor, Clinton emphasized education reform in Arkansas.

 

Accomplishments in Office

President Clinton's early Presidency was been a complete reversal of the Bush Presidency. Clinton embarked on a number of major domestic initiatives. Foremost among them was health care reform. Those reforms failed to pass Congress, with the failure of his health care program his biggest defeat. He did manage to significantly narrow the budget deficit by a combination of spending cutbacks and an increase in taxes. By the end the Clinton Presidency these actios clearly had succeeded as the Federal budget moved from deficit to surplus for the the first time in a generation.

The election of a Republican Congress in 1994 forced Clinton to abandon his domestic proposals and limit his action to modifying Republican initiatives.

Clinton had been elected on a clear platform of making domestic affairs first on his agenda. The first two years of his Presidency reflected those priorities. His actions in foreign affairs were limited to promoting additional aid to Russia and the Baltic republics as well as insuring the passage of the North American Free Trade Zone. He placed greater emphasis on the economic aspects of foreign affairs. His administration played a minor roll in helping Israel and the PLO reach an agreement.

In the third year of the administration it became more heavily involved in foreign affairs. It led a UN invention in Haiti that returned civilian leadership. After two years of allowing the European powers to set the agenda on the War in Bosnia, the US government became actively involved in reaching an accord between the warring factions. That accord was reached under heavy American pressure in Dayton Ohio. The Clinton administration then led NATO in supplying troops to enforce the peace.

Clinton won reelection in 1996 on a platform that stressed his bridge to the 21st century.

In 1998 Clintonwas impeached by the House of Representatives on the basis of his testimony in the Paul Jones sexual harassment suite. He was acquitted by the Senate in early 1999. Clinton led the US intervention in Kosovo. That intervention which took the from of an air attack on Serbia. The result was a pull out of Serb troop in Kosovo.

The First Family

Wife: Hillary Rodham
Daughter: Chelsea

Major Events

Healthcare Reform
Intervention in Bosnia
Intervention in Kosovo
Impeachment
Bombing of the Cole

The Cabinet

Secretary of State: Warren Christopher, Madeline Albright
Secretary of The Treasury: Robert Rubin
Secretary of Defense: William Perry Cohen
Attorney General: Janet Reno
Secretary of The Interior: Bruce Babbit
Secretary of Agriculture: Mike Espey
Secretary of Commerce: Ron Brown
Secretary of Labor: Robert Reich
Secretary of Health & Human Services: Donna Shallela
Secretary of Housing & Urban Dev.: Henry Cisneros
Secretary of Energy: Hazel O'Leary
Secretary of Education: Richard Riley
 
  Military

Bosnia Conflict
Kosovo

Did You Know?

Clinton was the first President born after World War II
The second president impeached

Clinton 1st Inaugural Address
Clinton 2nd Inaugural Address