Guide Note

Hillary Rodham Clinton is currently a representative from New York in the U.S. Senate. From 1993 until 2001 Clinton was the First Lady of the United States.

Beginning in 2007, Clinton campaigned for the Democratic nomination in the 2008 Presidential Election. She formally announced the end of her campaign on June 7, 2008. At the 2008 Democratic Convention, Clinton released her delegates and threw her support behind Barack Obama.

Fast Facts

1. Full name: Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton
2. Born: October 26, 1947
3. Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois
4. Political Party: Democrat
5. New York senator: 2001 to present
6. First lady: 1993 to 2001
7. Religion: Methodist
8. Current residence: Chappaqua, New York
9. 1969: Graduated from Wellesley College
10. 1973: Graduated from Yale Law School
11. Husband: Bill Clinton
12. Daughter: Chelsea Clinton
13. Mother: Dorothy Rodham

Mrs. Clinton served as the First Lady of Arkansas and then, when Bill Clinton became president in 1993, of the United States.¹

Mrs. Clinton was the first First Lady to hold a post-graduate degree. Looking to play a prominent role in the administration, Mrs. Clinton took an office in the West Wing of the White House and helped draft plans for health care reform.¹

Mrs. Clinton's first major policy push during her time as First Lady was chairing the Task Force on National Health Care Reform. Her recommendations became known as the "Clinton Health Care Plan," and her name has been tied to health care since her policy proposals on the task force.²

Clinton's plan would have required every U.S. citizen and resident to enroll in a qualified healthcare plan, with people of low income being enrolled in a government program. With strong opposition in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, the Clinton health care plan failed to gain enough votes for passage.²

The Whitewater Scandal erupted in 1993 when allegations of shady land dealings rocked the Clinton administration. It was alleged that Bill Clinton, while governor of Arkansas, gave an illegal, $300,000 loan to Susan McDougal, one of the Clinton's partners on the Whitewater development land deal.³

McDougal and her husband were convicted of wrongdoing, but the Clinton's were never charged despite a lengthy congressional investigation.⁴

Bill Clinton's sexual indiscretions were the subject of intense media scrutiny and congressional investigation.⁵

Hillary Clinton stood by her husband while he was impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives for perjury in connection with the Monica Lewinsky investigation. Mrs. Clinton said she was personally hurt by the revelations of her husband's sexual misconduct, but decided to stay with president Clinton.⁶

Hillary Clinton ran for New York's open senate seat in 2000, setting up residence in Chappaqua, New York.

Originally expected to face Rudy Giuliani,⁷ Clinton eventually ran against Republican Rick Lazio after Giuliani was forced to drop out of the race while dealing with prostate cancer.⁸

Clinton won the election and was sworn in on January 3, 2001. During her senate career, Mrs. Clinton has served on five senate committees, including the Budget, Armed Services committees. After September 11, 2001, Clinton supported the U.S. war against the Taliban in Afghanistan.⁹

Clinton voted to authorize the President George W. Bush to pursue military options in Iraq in 2002. Known as her "war vote," Clinton has faced opposition from liberal groups for authorizing the use of force in Iraq.¹⁰

In retrospect, she has said she regrets that her vote allowed Bush to go to war in Iraq, but she maintains that with information available at the time, her vote was the right one.¹⁰