Brittany Hoaglund
William Clinton
William Jefferson Blythe III was born in Hope, Arkansas on August 19, 1946. His father was killed in an automobile accident three months prior to his birth. His mother then moved on and married Roger Clinton. When he was 14, he formally adopted the Clinton last name.
In high school he was an active student leader, avid reader and musician. Music played a major role in his life but big when he was 16 he decided he wanted to be in the public life as an elected official. He was also influenced by two events. The first was being elected as a delegate of the American Legion Boy’s Nation Program in Washington, D.C. While in the nation’s capital he got the opportunity to meet President John F. Kennedy and shook his hand. The second event was listening to Martin Luther King’s "I have a Dream" speech. He found the moving speech to symbolize on of the nations strongest goals, Equality. After High School he went to Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., which he got a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service (B.S.F.S.) Degree. During his time at Georgetown he interned for Arkansas Senator J. William Fulbright. He then went on to Oxford University where he studied government. He also admitted later that he smoked cannabis but "never inhaled". He then went on to Yale Law School and obtained a Juris Doctor degree. At Yale he met his current wife Hilary Rodham.
After going to school he returned to Arkansas and became a law professor at the University of Arkansas. He tried running for the House of Representative in 1974 but lost. Two years after the loss he became the Attorney General of Arkansas. This gave him the boost to becoming governor of Arkansas in 1978. His first time as Governor came with hard time and difficulties which led to him having the lower had and being replaced with Frank White. He made the comment that he was the youngest ex-governor in the nation’s history, being only 32 when elected. He then reclaimed the job in 1982 and kept it for ten years. He helped to transform Arkansas’s economy and improved the state’s educational system. In 1988 he gave the opening address at the National Convention which introduced him to the public eye.
In 1992 Bill Clinton won the presidential election. He took office in 1993. He jumped in quickly and first signed the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993. He also pushed for Homosexuals to be allowed into the army which grew much criticism. Congress then passed the "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Bill" which left many people unsettled. During his time in office the U.S. enjoyed more peace and economic well being than anytime in history. He was the first Democrat to win a second term since Franklin D. Roosevelt. He could point to the lowest unemployment rate, lowest inflation rates in 30 years, the highest home ownership, dropping crime rates and reduced welfare roles. He did have the dark days during his presidency. He was accused of having and inappropriate relationship with Monica Lewinsky, White House Intern. He was forced to testify and gave that all so famous Quote, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman.". In 1998 he was charged with perjury for lying about the affair and became the second president to be impeached by the House of Representatives. He was acquitted by the Senate so he remained in office and completed his second term as president. During the whole incident Clinton’s approval rating remained high.
Since leaving office, Clinton has been involved in public speaking and humanitarian work. He has traveled throughout the world to advocate the American style of freedom. He created the William J. Clinton foundation to promote and address international causes. He wrote a personal autobiography, My Life, in 2004. To this day he remains one of the most popular figures of the 21st Century.
