Bill Clinton

William Jefferson Blythe III, later known as Bill Clinton, was born on August 19, 1946 in Hope, Arkansas, the son of a travelling salesman and a nurse who died shortly before his birth. He was raised by his mother and step‑father, Roger Clinton Sr., and excelled academically at Hot Springs High School, where he sang in the choir and played tenor saxophone in the state band. A gifted student, he earned a scholarship to Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, graduating with a B.S. in 1968 after serving as class president and a member of Alpha Phi Omega. Awarded a Rhodes Scholarship, Clinton studied philosophy, politics and economics at University College, Oxford, though he left early to attend Yale Law School, receiving his J.D. in 1973. While at Yale he met Hillary Rodham, his future wife and political partner, and together they joined the burgeoning New Left activism of the late 1960s. After law school he returned to Arkansas, teaching briefly at the University of Arkansas before winning the 1976 election for state attorney general, launching a rapid ascent in public office. He served two non‑consecutive terms as governor of Arkansas (1979‑1981 and 1983‑1992), where he pursued ambitious education reforms, tax cuts, and infrastructure projects, earning the nickname “Boy Governor.” As governor he chaired the National Governors Association and positioned himself as a centrist “Third Way” Democrat, building a national reputation that set the stage for his presidential bid. Bill Clinton was elected the 42nd President of the United States in 1992, defeating incumbent George H. W. Bush and independent Ross Perot, and was reelected in 1996. His administration presided over the longest peacetime economic expansion in modern American history, passing NAFTA, welfare reform, and the 1994 Crime Bill while also attempting, though ultimately failing, comprehensive health‑care reform. In foreign affairs he authorized NATO expansion, intervened militarily in the Balkans, and signed the Iraq Liberation Act, while also facing criticism for the handling of crises in Rwanda and Somalia. The Clinton‑Lewinsky scandal led to his impeachment by the House in 1998, though the Senate acquitted him in 1999, leaving his legacy both celebrated for economic prosperity and marred by personal controversy. Since leaving office, Clinton has remained a prominent public figure, founding the Clinton Foundation, serving as UN special envoy to Haiti, and campaigning for his wife’s presidential runs, while continuing to write memoirs and speak on global issues.

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