how did bill clinton become attorney general so young

Who was Bill Clinton’s Attorney General?

Janet Wood Reno (July 21, 1938 – November 7, 2016) was an American lawyer who served as the 78th United States attorney general under President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 2001, the second-longest serving in that position, after William Wirt.A member of the Democratic Party, Reno was the first woman to hold the post.. Reno was born and raised in Miami, Florida.

Who was the first female Attorney General under Bill Clinton?

An Early Fascination with the Law. If overcoming childhood adversity were a prerequisite for success in the same way that conquering organic chemistry is a prerequisite for attending a top medical school, then Bill Clinton would have skipped right through to his residency.

What did Bill Clinton do before becoming president?

Jan 29, 2018 · In 1993, she was appointed U.S. Attorney General by President Bill Clinton, becoming the first woman to serve as U.S. Attorney General. She soon became one of the most respected members of the ...

Who was the Attorney General in 1993?

"Nannygate" is a popular term for the 1993 revelations that caused two of President Bill Clinton's choices for United States Attorney General to become derailed. In January 1993, Clinton's nomination of corporate lawyer Zoë Baird for the position came under attack after it became known that she and her husband had broken federal law by employing two people who had …

What did Bill Clinton do before he was president?

William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again from 1983 to 1992, and as attorney general of Arkansas from 1977 to 1979.

Where did Clinton go to college?

Yale Law School1970–1973Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service1964–1968Yale UniversityBill Clinton/College

How old is Bill Clinton now?

75 years (August 19, 1946)Bill Clinton / Age

Who did Bill Clinton nominate as attorney general?

Janet RenoOfficial portrait, c. 1990s78th United States Attorney GeneralIn office March 12, 1993 – January 20, 2001PresidentBill Clinton16 more rows

Why did Bill Clinton change his last name?

Three months after Blythe's death on August 19, 1946, Virginia gave birth to their only child, William Jefferson Blythe III. Bill, as a teen, took his stepfather's surname and became known as Bill Clinton, the future 42nd president of the United States.

How many terms did Bill Clinton serve?

January 20, 1993 – January 20, 2001Bill Clinton / Presidential term

Who was our youngest president?

With the assassination of President McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, not quite 43, became the youngest President in the Nation's history. He brought new excitement and power to the Presidency, as he vigorously led Congress and the American public toward progressive reforms and a strong foreign policy.

How old is Obama today?

60 years (August 4, 1961)Barack Obama / Age

Who is Bill Clinton's parents?

William Jefferson Blythe Jr.Virginia KelleyBill Clinton/Parents

Is Lani Guinier dead?

January 7, 2022Lani Guinier / Date of death

What is Bill Clinton's net worth?

List of presidents by peak net worthNameNet worth (millions of 2016 US$)LifespanBill Clinton75born 1946Franklin D. Roosevelt661882–1945John Tyler571790–1862Barack Obama40born 196141 more rows

Who was the first African American woman attorney general of the United States?

Loretta LynchOfficial portrait, 201583rd United States Attorney GeneralIn office April 27, 2015 – January 20, 2017PresidentBarack Obama20 more rows

Where did Bill Clinton go to law school?

In 1970, Clinton entered Yale Law School, earning his degree in 1973 and meeting his future wife, Hillary Rodham, whom he married in 1975. During this period he also worked on the 1970 U.S. Senate campaign of Joe Duffy in Connecticut, and toward the end of his studies he managed the Texas campaign of the Democratic presidential nominee George McGovern (who lost Texas in the Nixon landslide). After graduation, Clinton moved back to Arkansas with a job teaching law at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Almost as soon as he arrived home, Clinton threw himself into politics, running for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives against incumbent Republican John Paul Hammerschmidt. Although Clinton lost this 1974 race, it was the closest election for Hammerschmidt in his twenty-six years in Congress, marking Clinton as a rising political star.

What was Bill Clinton's job?

Beginning in his junior year, Clinton worked as a clerk for the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee. At that time, the powerful committee was headed by Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, a leading critic of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.

Where did Bill Clinton live?

William Jefferson Clinton spent the first six years of his life in Hope, Arkansas, where he was born on August 19, 1946. His father, William Jefferson Blythe, had died in an auto accident several months before his mother, Virginia Cassidy Blythe, gave birth to the future President. Raised in the home of his grandmother, Edith Cassidy, Bill's early years were dominated by two strong women, who often competed for his attention. His mother, a vivacious and fun-loving free spirit, was often away from home taking nursing classes in New Orleans. It was during those periods that his grandmother, a temperamental and strong-willed disciplinarian, tried to shape her grandson's character—and taught him to be a very early reader. Bill later remembered loving both women during that time of his life but feeling torn between them as a young mediator of their arguments.

Who was the youngest governor of Arkansas?

Two years later, Arkansas voters elected Clinton state attorney general. Then in 1978, at age thirty-two, Clinton ran for governor, winning an easy victory and becoming one of the nation's youngest governors ever. However, his youth and inexperience quickly left Arkansans unimpressed.

What did Hillary Clinton do for Arkansas?

He strongly advocated educational reform, appointing Hillary Clinton to lead a committee to draft higher standards for Arkansas schools. One of the administration's proposals called for competence tests for all teachers, a policy development that stirred up a national debate.

Did Bill Clinton play saxophone?

As a teenager, Bill excelled in school and showed a passion for politics. He played saxophone in a high school band and especially loved the gospel music of his Baptist faith.

Who was the Attorney General of the United States in 1993?

In 1993, President Bill Clinton nominated Reno to serve as the United States Attorney General. Both of his previous choices, Zoë Baird and Kimba Wood, faced problems because both had employed undocumented immigrants as nannies.

Who was the first woman to serve as Attorney General?

Janet Wood Reno (July 21, 1938 – November 7, 2016) was an American lawyer who served as the Attorney General of the United States from 1993 until 2001. President Bill Clinton nominated Reno on February 11, 1993, and the Senate confirmed her the following month. She was the first woman to serve as Attorney General and the second-longest serving ...

What did Reno do in her career?

From 1963 to 1971 Reno worked as an attorney for two Miami law firms. In 1971, she joined the staff of the Judiciary Committee of the Florida House of Representatives. The following year, Reno unsuccessfully ran for a seat in Florida's state house. In 1973, she worked on a project to revise the state's system of rules and regulations for criminal procedures. Later in the same year, she accepted a position with the Dade County State Attorney's Office led by Richard Gerstein. Shortly after joining the office, Gerstein made Reno his chief assistant. Reno did not try any cases during her time working for Gerstein. She worked for the Judiciary Circuit, and left the state attorney's office in 1976 to become a partner in a private law firm, Steel, Hector & Davis. Gerstein decided to retire in 1977, creating a vacancy with Florida governor Reubin Askew to appoint a successor. Reno was one of two candidates Gerstein recommended to replace him.

How many capital punishment convictions did Reno have?

Although Reno personally opposed the death penalty, her office secured 80 capital punishment convictions during her tenure. None of these were executed during her tenure, but five were later executed.

Where was Janet Reno born?

Reno was born in Miami, Florida. Reno's mother, Jane Wallace (née Wood), wrote a weekly home improvement column for The Miami News under a male pseudonym and later became an investigative reporter for the paper. Janet's father, Henry Olaf Reno (né Rasmussen), was an emigrant from Denmark and a reporter for the Miami Herald for 43 years. Janet Reno had three younger siblings: Mark; writer Robert Reno; and Maggy Hurchalla. In 1943, the Reno family moved to a house in rural South Miami; it came with enough land to keep farm animals, including cows, chicken, ducks, goats, and turkeys. Reno helped her parents churn butter, which the family sold to make ends meet.

Who is Janet Reno?

Janet Reno. Not to be confused with Ginette Reno. Janet Wood Reno (July 21, 1938 – November 7, 2016) was an American lawyer who served as the Attorney General of the United States from 1993 until 2001. President Bill Clinton nominated Reno on February 11, 1993, and the Senate confirmed her the following month.

What was the Miami Method?

Reno pioneered the "Miami Method," "a controversial technique for eliciting intimate details from young children and inspired passage of a law allowing them to testify by closed-circuit television, out of the possibly intimidating presence of their suspected molesters." Bobby Fijnje, "a 14-year-old boy, was acquitted after his attorneys discredited the children's persistent interrogations by a psychologist who called herself the 'yucky secrets doctor'." Grant Snowden was acquitted, retried, convicted, and eventually freed by a federal appeals court after 12 years in prison."

Where did Bill Clinton go to law school?

Though he'd always had jobs while a student at Georgetown, then later at Yale Law School and even at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, Clinton's first real career move came when he earned a spot as a law professor at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Again, as with all things Clinton, the story of how he got the job bears retelling;

Where was Bill Clinton born?

In fact, while Clinton was born in Hope, Arkansas, his family later relocated to nearby Hot Springs, a town whose racy demeanor was every bit worthy of the image of heat gushing forth from the earth's loins that its name evoked.

Who is the youngest Jackson?

Janet Jackson, the youngest sibling in the musical Jackson family, is one of the best-selling artists in contemporary history. Her roster of albums includes 'Control,' 'Rhythm Nation 1814,' 'The Velvet Rope' and 'Unbreakable.'

Where did Janet Reno go to law school?

After attending Cornell University for her undergraduate degree and Harvard Law School in 1960, Janet Reno worked as an attorney in Florida for several years. Her work in Florida as an attorney and as county prosecutor from 1978 to 1993 established Reno's stern and liberal reputation.

What was Reno known for?

Despite this controversy, Reno became one of the most respected members of the Clinton administration in its first term, known for launching innovative programs designed to steer non-violent drug offenders away from jail and espousing the rights of criminal defendants.

Who was the leader of the Branch Davidians?

In early 1993, cult leader David Koresh and his followers, known as the Branch Davidians, ended up in a 51-day standoff with agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Reno was called upon to help resolve the situation.

Where was Janet Reno born?

Early Life and Career. Janet Reno was born in Miami, Florida on July 21, 1938. After receiving her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Cornell University in 1960, she attended Harvard Law School. Reno graduated in 1963 and returned to her native Florida. After several years in private practice, Reno ran for county prosecutor for Dade County in ...

Who was the unabomber in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing?

Reno was also in charge during the Justice Department's prosecution of several high-profile cases including the convictions of Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman for his role in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing; Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols for their deadly bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City; and Ted Kaczynski, who became known as the “Unabomber” for a 17-year domestic terrorist campaign of mailing letter bombs.

Did Reno run for governor?

After leaving the post in 2001, Reno returned to Florida. She ran for governor in 2002, but failed to win the Democratic nomination. Since then, Reno largely stayed out of public life. She did, however, testify before the federal 9/11 commission in 2004 and voice her opposition to some of the nation’s anti-terrorism policies through a legal brief in 2006.

Who was the Attorney General of the United States in 1993?

On February 4, 1993, the Clinton White House made it known via deliberate background statements to several major newspapers that 49-year-old United States federal judge Kimba Wood of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York would be his new choice for Attorney General. However, no official announcement or nomination was being made, pending the completion of background checks and to gauge reaction to the pick. White House officials indicated that First Lady Hillary Clinton had insisted that the position still be filled by a woman. Wood, who was prominent in New York social circles, was married to Time magazine writer Michael Kramer and the couple had a six-year-old son.

Why was Charles Ruff ruled out of the White House?

One of the few men to make the short list for the Attorney General selection, Washington lawyer Charles Ruff, was ruled out of consideration by the White House on February 6, because he had not paid Social Security taxes for years for a woman who cleaned his house.

Who was Janet Reno?

On February 11, 1993, Janet Reno was nominated for the post. Clinton had known of her since her days with the groundbreaking Miami Drug Court, where as state attorney she had worked with public defender and Clinton brother-in-law Hugh Rodham, but otherwise although qualified for the job had no federal experience and was relatively obscure. Reno was 54 years old, had never married and had no children, and, as Clinton later wrote, "Public service was her life." Without the chance of a nanny problem, and with her mowing her own lawn reducing the chances for an immigrant problem, Reno was the perfect choice after the Baird and Wood failures. In addition, Reno's down-to-earth image contrasted with the wealthy corporate lawyer Baird and the socially prominent Wood. (Reno would instead face something often experienced by unmarried woman of her age, speculation about her sexual orientation. )

Who was the first woman to be appointed as Attorney General?

Baird, the first woman nominated to become attorney general, acknowledged to Clinton transition officials before she was nominated that she had violated immigration laws by hiring two illegal immigrants--a couple from Peru--to work as a nanny and chauffeur in her home . She also acknowledged that she had failed to pay Social Security and other taxes for them.

Who is David Lauter?

David Lauter is the Los Angeles Times’ senior Washington correspondent. He began writing news in Washington in 1981 and since then has covered Congress, the Supreme Court, the White House under Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton and four U.S. presidential campaigns. He served as Washington bureau chief from 2011 through 2020. Lauter lived in Los Angeles from 1995 to 2011, where he was The Times’ deputy Foreign editor, deputy Metro editor and then assistant managing editor responsible for California coverage.

Who moved the desk used by President Kennedy back into the office?

Clinton, who has moved the desk used by President John F. Kennedy back into the office, said of his surroundings: “It’s a wonderful office,” and offered that he had enjoyed his first few days as chief executive.

An Education For Leadership

Rhodes Scholar and Vietnam Draftee

Law, Politics, and Marriage

• In 1970, Clinton entered Yale Law School, earning his degree in 1973 and meeting his future wife, Hillary Rodham, whom he married in 1975. During this period he also worked on the 1970 U.S. Senate campaign of Joe Duffy in Connecticut, and toward the end of his studies he managed the Texas campaign of the Democratic presidential nominee George McGov...

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Creating A National Image