Bill Clinton
He was one of the most popular American presidents of the 20th century. He was also just the second president in American history to be impeached in the United States House of Representatives. He is Bill Clinton, the 42nd president of the United States.
BOYHOOD
William Jefferson Clinton was born in 1946 in the small town of Hope, Arkansas. Bill never knew his father, who was killed in a car accident before he was born. After Bill’s mother remarried, Bill took the last name of his stepfather.
In school, Clinton earned good grades and was a popular student. He was elected to several positions in student government. He played tenor saxophone in his school band.
As a teenager, Clinton met President John F. Kennedy. That meeting inspired Clinton to go into politics.
COLLEGE AND MARRIAGE
After high school, Clinton went to Georgetown University. He was elected class president during his first two years at college. Later, Clinton attended Yale Law School, where he met fellow student Hillary Rodham.
Several years after graduating from law school, Bill and Hillary were married. The couple had one child, a daughter named Chelsea.
CLINTON ENTERS POLITICS
In 1974, Clinton ran for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives representing Arkansas. Clinton ran as a candidate of the Democratic Party. He narrowly lost the election. Clinton went on to win election as Arkansas’s attorney general in 1976.
In 1978, Clinton was elected governor of Arkansas. As governor, he worked to improve schools and the state’s economy. He also supported tougher laws to protect consumers and the environment.
Clinton was elected governor five times in all. At the start of his fifth term, he said he had done all he promised in Arkansas. Next, he hoped to become president of the United States.
CLINTON BECOMES PRESIDENT...
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