Bill Clinton served as the 42nd President of the United States, born William Jefferson Blythe III on August 19, 1946. His father, William Jefferson Blythe II, passed away in a car accident before Clinton’s birth, and he was raised initially by his grandparents until his mother, Virginia Cassidy Blythe, completed her nursing education.
Clinton, a member of the Democratic Party, was in office for two terms but faced impeachment during his second term on December 19, 1998. He was charged with perjury before a grand jury and obstructing justice.
Before his presidency, Clinton attended Georgetown University, earned a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University, and obtained a law degree from Yale University in 1973. His political career began in Arkansas, where he was elected attorney general in 1976, despite an unsuccessful congressional bid in 1974.
In 1978, Clinton became the governor of Arkansas, although he lost his bid for a second term. He returned to governorship four years later and subsequently launched his presidential campaign against Republican George H.W. Bush. In 1992, Clinton and his vice-presidential candidate, Albert Gore Jr., won against Bush and independent candidate Ross Perot. He secured a second term in 1996, defeating Bob Dole and Perot once again.
Clinton’s presidency is recognized for significant achievements such as a high rate of homeownership, the creation of 22 million jobs, and low unemployment, though it was also marred by scandal.
During his second term, Clinton’s impeachment arose partly from sexual harassment allegations by Paula Jones, stemming from incidents prior to his presidency. Following his reelection, evidence revealed an affair with Monica Lewinsky, a White House intern. Initially denying the allegations, Clinton eventually admitted to the affair after Lewinsky confirmed it in her testimony. The investigation was conducted by Kenneth Starr, leading to the House of Representatives voting to impeach Clinton for perjury and obstruction of justice in December 1998. Clinton became the second U.S. president to be impeached, following Andrew Johnson. He was acquitted during the Senate trial in 1999.
After the trial, Clinton expressed regret to Congress and the American public for his actions and completed his presidential term. Post-presidency, he has remained politically active, supporting Democratic candidates, including his wife, Hillary Clinton, who contended for the presidency in 2016 but lost to Donald Trump. Clinton has authored several books, such as “My Life,” “Back to Work,” and “Citizen: My Life After the White House.”