Biography of Hillary Rodham Clinton

Hillary Rodham Clinton was born in Chicago, Illinois, on October 26, 1947. Her father was Hugh Ellsworth Rodham, and her mother is Dorothy Emma Howell. She has two siblings, Hugh Rodham and Tony Rodham. She attended a public school in Park Ridge, Illinois, and studied in Maine High School till 1965. She loved sports and attending church.

Hillary Clinton studied in Wellesley College in Massachusetts from 1965 to 1969, majoring in political science, and became the first student to give a speech at the commencement ceremony. While, she was a conservative in her earlier years, she became a liberal after that. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science.

She studied in the Yale Law School in Connecticut, where she met her husband, Bill Clinton, in the library. Bill and Hillary lived together in California. She graduated with a Juris Doctor degree in 1973 and became a Congressional legal counsel. Bill Clinton proposed to Hillary, but she declined. Hillary Clinton was considered by some to be a future President. However, instead of staying in Washington, she moved to Arkansas, Bill Clinton's home state.

Hillary married Bill in 1975 in the living room of their home. On moving to Arkansas, she joined Rose Law Firm in Little Rock in 1977. She founded the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families and sat on the board of directors of the Legal Services Corporation. Bill Clinton was the governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and from 1983 to 1992 again, and Hillary Clinton became the First Lady of Arkansas. She has a daughter, Chelsea Clinton.

Her husband, Bill Clinton, was the President of United States, between the years 1993-2001. While she was the First Lady of the United States, Hillary's father died in 1993, and she became more spiritual and sought refuge in religion. Hillary Clinton drew up a health care plan in 1994, but could not get it passed through the Congress. She wrote a column called Taking It Over for a leading newspaper. When She also wrote a book titled It Takes A Village: And Other Lessons Children Teach Us, which was published in 1996.

She also went through some low times during her husband's presidency. In 1996, she had to appear in court for the Whitewater controversy, which concerned a failed real estate deal involving the Clintons. This was followed by the Lewinsky scandal in 1998 which rocked the White House, and indeed the whole world. At first, Hillary Clinton disbelieved the allegations that Bill Clinton had an extra-marital affair with Monica Lewinsky. But, when Bill Clinton himself admitted to the affair, Hillary Clinton was put in a spot. While she decided that she would stay in the marriage with Bill Clinton, she was angry that her husband was a philanderer.

Hillary Clinton moved to New York to become a senator from 2001 to 2009. This was the first time that a First Lady of the United States became a senator. She voted for the Iraq war, but opposed President George W. Bush, on other domestic issues. She contested with Barack Obama in the primary, to get the Democratic presidential nomination in the year 2008, but ended it by supporting Barack Obama. When Obama became the President, Hillary Clinton became his Secretary of State, a role which requires her to take care of the US foreign affairs.

Hillary Clinton's Foreign Policy

Hillary Clinton wants to close down the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay. She voted for the nuclear agreement with India. She blames the Sudanese government for the problems in Darfur and feels that all those responsible, should be brought to justice. She wants America to do more to defeat the Taliban and the al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

She feels America should have a more environment-friendly energy policy, by reducing oil consumption, the carbon footprint and diesel emissions. She is aware that there should be a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and that the Hamas and Hezbollah should stop attacking the Israeli citizens.

She wants America to be more stern towards North Korea, in order to stop them from acquiring more nuclear weapons. She thinks that America should be extremely cautious about the rise of China, as an economic power. She favors dialog with Iran, while still keeping the option of military action open. She holds the United Nations in high regard and wants America to pursue multilateral diplomacy through the UN.