Bill Clinton - The United States' 42nd President | Mini Bio | Biography

Bill Clinton is the American dream. He had no elite resources or privilege or status. He became the youngest governor in the United States. He became the third youngest president in the United States. That is a remarkable American story. Bill Clinton was born William Jefferson Blythe III on August 19th, 1946, in Hope, Arkansas. Three months after his birth, his father died in a traffic accident. At age four, his mother married Roger Clinton, whose last name Bill would adopt in high school. When Bill Clinton was 17, he had the chance to travel to Washington, D.C. and meet JFK in the Rose Garden. It served to be a tremendous inspiration for Bill Clinton to enter into politics and public service. Clinton attended Georgetown University and graduated in 1968. He then won a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University, where he studied for two years before entering Yale University Law School, where he met Hillary Rodham. The two married in 1975 and welcomed their only daughter, Chelsea, five years later. One way or another, Bill Clinton was going to be in politics. He was just great with people. I don't care who you were, if you said three words to him and he responded, you would walk away thinking, this guy was really interested in me. It's no wonder Bill Clinton was known as the comeback kid. He ran for Congress in 1974 as a young law professor in Arkansas. He lost. Two years later, ran for Attorney General. Then he ran for Governor. Won. Two years later, he was thrown out, but then he was back again in the Governor's Mansion. When Bill Clinton entered the presidential race in 1992, he was running against the very popular wartime incumbent, President George H.W. Bush, and few thought Clinton could win. There was a kind of animation and new politics about Bill Clinton that made him appealing, particularly to younger voters. Clinton won the 1992 presidential election in an upset victory and was sworn in as the 42nd President of the United States on January 20, 1993, at the age of 46. When he gave his first acceptance speech, Americans realized, my gosh, this is not the presidency we're used to. This guy's really young. Plus, his messages were very simple. Like, hey, it's the economy, stupid. And people could understand all of those kitchen table issues. Bill Clinton, in his first term, passed NAFTA, a free trade agreement which really helped the economies of North America grow. And he also committed himself to reducing budget deficits. And by the end of his term as President, he had balanced the budget. That was historic. In November 1996, Bill Clinton became the first Democrat since FDR to win a second term as President. His second term was overshadowed by his dalliance with a young intern named Monica Lewinsky. How a sitting President could have had sex with an intern in his office still amazes Americans. He was impeached, but he wasn't convicted. It was obviously an incredibly low moment. But he did survive. He was a survivor. Despite the Lewinsky scandal, Clinton remained an effective President. The economy soared, and in foreign policy, Clinton pursued peace in Northern Ireland, a resolution to the Bosnian-Serbian conflict, and tried to secure peace between Israel and the Palestinians. When Clinton left office, his approval ratings were some of the highest on record. Bill Clinton, in his ex-presidency, has taken a model from Jimmy Carter and really using the prestige of that office to do enormous good in the world. The Hillary, Bill, and Chelsea Clinton Foundation does extraordinary work around the world. History will remember Bill Clinton as one of the great politicians ever. He could appeal to particularly ordinary people and downtrodden people, people who felt left behind, and make them feel that he cared for them. Bill Clinton is someone who has a tremendous taste for public life. If I have to describe Bill Clinton, I would describe someone who is not done yet.