I.

Introduction

Hillary Rodham Clinton, born in 1947, Democratic member of the United States Senate from New York (2001- ), wife of United States president Bill Clinton (1993-2001), and candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination for the 2008 presidential race. During her husband’s presidency, she became a powerful symbol of the changing role and status of women in American society. Her election to the U.S. Senate while being first lady was unprecedented in U.S. history. In announcing her candidacy for the presidency, Clinton was widely seen as the first female candidate with a strong prospect of winning her party’s nomination.

II.

Early Years

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Hillary Rodham was the first student ever asked to give the commencement address at Wellesley College, where she earned her bachelor's degree in 1969. At Yale Law School, she met her future husband, Bill Clinton, and her lifelong mentor, Marian Wright Edelman; Edelman founded the Children's Defense Fund, an organization that lobbies for children's welfare. Rodham worked there as a staff attorney for a year after graduating from law school in 1973 and later chaired the organization's board.

In 1974, after working for the special U.S. House panel investigating a possible impeachment of President Richard Nixon, she moved to Arkansas, where she began teaching law at the University of Arkansas. She and Bill Clinton were married a year later. A daughter, Chelsea, was born in 1980.

In 1977 Clinton founded Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families and joined the Rose Law Firm, where she practiced until 1992, specializing in patent infringement and intellectual property. She was twice named one of the 100 most influential lawyers in America by the National Law Journal.

III.

First Lady

In 1993 Bill Clinton took office as the 42nd president of the United States, and Hillary Clinton became first lady. As the first presidential spouse with her own successful professional career, Clinton drew criticism from those who favored a more traditional role for the first lady. After taking office, President Clinton chose her to head a special commission on health-care reform, the most significant public policy initiative of his first year in office.

The special commission developed a comprehensive health-care proposal, which was presented to the Congress of the United States in September 1993. Although Clinton was praised for her intricate knowledge of the issue, critics attacked the cost of the plan and the burden it placed on small employers. Throughout 1994 other groups drafted proposals, but Congress could not reach agreement on the health-care issue. The failure of health-care reform resulted in a major defeat for the Clintons and caused the first lady to step back from a prominent role in public policy decisions.

In 1993 both Clintons came under scrutiny during an investigation that questioned the couple’s 1978 investment in a failed real estate venture called the Whitewater Development Corporation and their connection to a bankrupt savings and loan association. In 1996 Hillary Rodham Clinton was called to testify before a grand jury investigating the Whitewater Affair, as these financial dealings came to be known. It was the first time a first lady was asked to appear before a grand jury.

Clinton traveled extensively as first lady and promoted new responsibilities and opportunities for women, particularly in the world’s developing countries. In 1995 she attended the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China. In addition to helping her husband in his 1996 presidential election campaign, Clinton also worked actively for children’s welfare issues. In 1996 she published a book, It Takes a Village, that focuses on the responsibilities that society has toward children.

IV.

United States Senator

In 2000 Clinton made her own bid for political office when she announced her candidacy for a seat in the U.S. Senate from New York. In January 2000 she moved from the White House to a new home in Chappaqua, New York, to establish residency in the state. In the 2000 election, Clinton defeated Republican Rick Lazio. She took office in January 2001.

In the Senate, Clinton focused her attention on issues such as improving education, protecting the environment, and strengthening homeland security. She also became known for her detailed knowledge of Senate procedures. During her first two years in office, she worked to keep a low profile and avoid the extensive publicity she received as first lady. In 2003, however, Clinton reclaimed the public spotlight when she published her memoirs, Living History. The bestselling book detailed her years as first lady, including her reaction to her husband’s affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky (see Clinton, Bill: Investigations and Impeachment).

Clinton came under criticism from the liberal wing of the Democratic Party for her early support of the U.S.-Iraq War. She voted for the resolution that authorized President George W. Bush to use military force against Iraq. During and after the 2004 presidential elections, a number of leading Democratic figures, who had also voted for the resolution, declared that their vote had been a mistake. Clinton, however, never publicly renounced her vote. In 2006 she began to criticize the Bush administration’s handling of the war, particularly the role played by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. During the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate in 2006, she faced an antiwar opponent but won her party’s nomination by an overwhelming margin. Clinton was easily reelected to a second Senate term in the November 2006 elections.

V.

Presidential Candidate

In January 2007 Clinton ended months of speculation and announced her bid for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination. She was widely regarded as the frontrunner as a result of her successful fundraising, a vast network of loyalists within the party, and the continuing popularity of her husband. However, she faced a crowded field, doubts about her chances of winning election, and a lukewarm reception from the antiwar, activist base of the party.