2. Bill Clinton ( William Jefferson Blythe, III ) was born in Hope, Arkansas in August 19, 1946. His father was a traveling salesman who died in an automobile accident. In order to study nursing, his mother traveled to New Orleans, leaving Bill in Hope with grandparents. In 1950, Bill's mother returned and married Roger Clinton.
3. At the age of fourteen Bill formally adopted the surname Clinton as a gesture toward his stepfather. Clinton says he remembers his stepfather as a gambler and an alcoholic. In school, Clinton was one of the best students and the leader of a jazz band where he played the saxophone.
4. Clinton noted in his autobiography My Life: "Sometime in my sixteenth year, I decided I wanted to be in public life as an elected official. I loved music and thought I could be very good, but I knew I would never be John Coltrane or Stan Getz. I was interested in medicine and thought I could be a fine doctor, but I knew I would never be Michael DeBakey. But I knew I could be great in public service."
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6. After graduation, he studied successively at Georgetown University in Washington, the University College (Oxford), Yale University. Bill received an increased stipend, worked three jobs simultaneously.
7. At Yale he met Hillary Rodham. They were married in 1975. After graduation, Bill taught at the Law Institute of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville some years. His wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton soon also took up teaching at the same university.
8. He worked on educational reform and Arkansas's roads, with wife Hillary leading a successful committee on urban health care reform. He made reform of the Arkansas education system a top priority. It became one of the best in the nation. In 1978 Clinton was elected Governor of Arkansas. He became the youngest governor in the country at age 32 .
9. In 1983 Clinton was again elected governor. He made economic growth, job creation and educational improvement high priorities. For senior citizens, he removed the sales tax from medications and increased the home property-tax exemption.
10. He helped Arkansas transform its economy and significantly improve the state's educational system. He became a leading figure among the New Democrats. However, his term included an unpopular motor vehicle tax.
11. In 1991, Bill Clinton started electioneering at the president with slogan "It's the economy, stupid“. He made strong accent on huge public debt, budget deficit, rising unemployment and high inflation. But Bush still was the leader. Clinton won the 1992 presidential election against Republican incumbent George H. W. Bush. The election gave Democrats full control of the United States Congress.
12. Clinton was inaugurated as the 42nd President of the United States on January 20, 1993. The lack of skill in big politics played a negative role in the initial stage of his first term. Lobbying in the army open homosexuals was unsuccessful. In foreign policy, a serious setback was the peacekeeping operation in Somalia. The apotheosis of the first failures was health care reform. And after short ballot in the congressional elections in 1994, the implementation of the reform was impossible.
13. In August 1993, Clinton signed the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993. It cut taxes for fifteen million low-income families, made tax cuts available to 90% of small businesses, and raised taxes on the wealthiest 1.2% of taxpayers. However, the U.S. economy grew at an impressive pace, greatly increased high-technology sector, unemployment was minimal. Bill improved relations with many, especially hostile countries.
14. The Clinton administration launched the first official White House website on October 21, 1994. "When I took office, only high energy physicists had ever heard of what is called the Worldwide Web.... Now even my cat has its own page". Bill Clinton
15. In the 1996 presidential election, Clinton was re-elected. Clinton's sexual relationship with a 22-year-old White House intern named Monica Lewinsky led to the Lewinsky scandal. The House voted to impeach Clinton.
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18. In recent years, Bill Clinton is involved in community work. He is a member of various public policy and charitable organizations, such as the Trilateral Commission. In May 2009, Clinton got the post of UN special envoy for Haiti. In 2010 Bill Clinton underwent operation (stenting) on the heart.
