Historical Figure
Bill Clinton
b. 1946
President of the United States from 1993 to 2001
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Biography
William Jefferson Clinton is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the attorney general of Arkansas from 1977 to 1979 and as the governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981, and again from 1983 to 1992. His centrist "Third Way" political philosophy became known as Clintonism, which dominated his presidency and the succeeding decades of Democratic Party history.
In Their Own Words (5)
What we have to do now is not to forget these people and places when all the cameras are not there. I think that's the most important message I can say to the American people right now.
While touring tsunami-devastated areas with his presidential predecessor, George H. W. Bush, February 2005 , 2005
Indeed, I did have a relationship with Miss Lewinsky that was not appropriate. In fact, it was wrong. It constituted a critical lapse in judgment and a personal failure on my part for which I am solely and completely responsible. But I told the grand jury today and I say to you now that at no time did I ask anyone to lie, to hide or destroy evidence or to take any other unlawful action.
Televised address on August 17, 1998 CNN transcript , 1998
There's never a perfect bipartisan bill in the eyes of a partisan.
The Economist, December 18, 2010, p. 74 , 2010
We need a steady stream of cash. The American people have been uncommonly generous.
While touring tsunami-devastated areas with his presidential predecessor, George H. W. Bush, February 20, 2005 , 2005
Our democracy must be not only the envy of the world but the engine of our own renewal. There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America.
First inaugural address (January 20, 1993), Washington, D.C. , 1993
Timeline
The story of Bill Clinton, told in moments.
Born William Jefferson Blythe III in Hope, Arkansas. His father dies in a car wreck three months before he's born. His mother remarries, and he takes his stepfather's surname. Hot Springs, Arkansas. Working class.
Shakes hands with President Kennedy at a Boys Nation event in the Rose Garden. He's 16. The photograph survives. He decides, right there, that he wants to be in politics.
Elected Governor of Arkansas at 32. The youngest governor in the country. Defeated two years later, then wins it back in 1982. He serves four more terms. In Arkansas they call it "the Comeback Kid" years.
Wins the presidency. Defeats George H.W. Bush and Ross Perot. He's 46, the third-youngest president and the first Baby Boomer in the White House. "Don't stop thinking about tomorrow" plays at the victory party.
Impeached by the House of Representatives. Two charges: perjury and obstruction of justice, both stemming from his affair with Monica Lewinsky and his denial under oath. The Senate acquits him in February. His approval rating stays above 60%.
Leaves office after eight years. The budget surplus he leaves behind is the largest in American history: $236 billion. NAFTA signed. NATO expanded eastward. Welfare reformed. The economy added 22.7 million jobs. The personal scandals and the policy achievements exist side by side, unresolved.
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