when was bill clinton serve as attorney general

by Eldon Conroy 7 min read

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.

Who was the first female Attorney General under Bill Clinton?

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 Attorney General in U.S. history, after William Wirt. Reno was born and raised in Miami, Florida.

When did Bill Clinton become involved in politics?

Bill Clinton developed political aspirations at an early age; they were solidified (by his own account) in 1963, when he met Pres. John F. Kennedy. What is Bill Clinton’s family like?

Who was Bill Clinton's former Secretary of State?

"Bill Clinton on Former Secretary of State Warren Christopher". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Archived from the original on April 27, 2021. Retrieved August 3, 2021. ^ Lauter, David (July 10, 1992).

How old was Bill Clinton when he was elected governor?

Clinton was elected Governor of Arkansas in 1978 at the age of 32, having defeated the Republican candidate Lynn Lowe, a farmer from Texarkana. Only 32 years old when he took office, Clinton became the youngest governor in the country at the time as well as the second youngest governor in the history of Arkansas.

See more

image

What did Bill Clinton do in 1997?

November 21 – President Clinton signs the Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act of 1997 and the Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act of 1997 into law. President Clinton receives the Man of Peace Award in the East Room at the White House during the afternoon.

How many years did Bill Clinton serve as president?

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

When did president Clinton take office?

Bill Clinton's tenure as the 42nd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1993, and ended on January 20, 2001. Clinton, a Democrat from Arkansas, took office following a decisive victory over Republican incumbent president George H. W.

What was Bill Clinton's name before he changed it?

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.

Did Bill Clinton lose the popular vote in 1996?

Due in part to Perot's fairly strong third party performance, Clinton did not win a majority of the popular vote, but his popular margin of 8.5 percentage points remains largest popular vote margin won by either party since the 1984 presidential election.

Was Bill Clinton an attorney?

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.

What happened in the 1992 presidential election?

The 1992 United States presidential election was the 52nd quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 3, 1992. Democratic Governor Bill Clinton of Arkansas defeated incumbent Republican President George H. W. Bush, independent businessman Ross Perot of Texas, and a number of minor candidates.

Who is the youngest president to take office?

The youngest to become president by election was John F. Kennedy, who was inaugurated at age 43. The oldest person to assume the presidency was Joe Biden, who took the presidential oath of office 61 days after turning 78.

How did Bill Clinton win the election?

Since no candidate got a majority of the vote in the primary, a runoff election was conducted between Clinton and Rainwater. Clinton easily won the runoff, receiving 69% of the popular vote. In the general election, he challenged the incumbent Republican representative John Paul Hammerschmidt.

How old was Monica Lewinsky when she was with Clinton?

The Clinton-Lewinsky scandal was a sex scandal involving then -U.S. President Bill Clinton and 24-year-old White House intern Monica Lewinsky that took place in 1998. Their sexual relationship lasted between 1995 and 1997.

How old was Bill Clinton when he was inaugurated?

At 46 years, 154 days of age at the time of his first inauguration, Clinton was the third-youngest person to become president, and the first from the Baby Boomer generation.

Why is Bill Clinton important?

Bill Clinton was the 42nd president of the United States (1993–2001). He oversaw the country’s longest peacetime economic expansion. In 1998 Clinto...

What was Bill Clinton’s childhood like?

Bill Clinton’s father was a traveling salesman who died before his son was born. His widow, Virginia Dell Blythe, married Roger Clinton, and her so...

What is Bill Clinton’s family like?

Bill Clinton is married to Hillary Clinton, who served as a U.S. senator (2001–09) and as secretary of state (2009–13) in the administration of Pre...

What is Bill Clinton’s occupation?

Bill Clinton taught at the University of Arkansas School of Law. He served as attorney general and then governor of Arkansas, and he became the U.S...

Where was Bill Clinton educated?

Bill Clinton enrolled at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., in 1964 and graduated in 1968 with a degree in international affairs. That year...

What is Bill Clinton’s legacy as president?

An assessment of Bill Clinton’s legacy as U.S. president should take into account the effects of his administration’s domestic and foreign policy a...

What was Bill Clinton's job?

What is Bill Clinton’s occupation? Bill Clinton taught at the University of Arkansas School of Law. He served as attorney general and then governor of Arkansas, and he became the U.S. president in 1993. After his presidency, Clinton remained active in politics and was a popular speaker on the lecture circuit.

What is an encyclopedia editor?

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. ...

When did Bill Clinton become governor?

In the following year he was elected attorney general of Arkansas, and in 1978 he won the governorship, becoming the youngest governor the country had seen in 40 years. Bill and Hillary Clinton's wedding day. Bill and Hillary Clinton on their wedding day, October 11, 1975.

Where did Bill Clinton go to college?

Bill Clinton as a young boy. Clinton Family Photographs, Courtesy, William J. Clinton Presidential Library. Clinton enrolled at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., in 1964 and graduated in 1968 with a degree in international affairs.

Where did Bill Clinton go to law school?

That year he went to the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, and he graduated from Yale University Law School in 1973.

When did Bill Clinton get impeached?

In 1998 he became the second U.S. president to be impeached; he was acquitted by the Senate in 1999. Bill Clinton: timeline. Key events in the life of Bill Clinton. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Top Questions.

Is Bill Clinton married?

Bill Clinton is married to Hillary Clinton, who served as a U.S. senator (2001–09) and as secretary of state (2009–13) in the administration of Pres. Barack Obama and was the first woman presidential nominee of a major party in the United States. They have one daughter, Chelsea, and three grandchildren.

Why was Bill Clinton impeached?

In 1998, as a result of issues surrounding personal indiscretions with a young woman White House intern, Clinton was the second U.S. president to be impeached by the House of Representatives. He was tried in the Senate and found not guilty of the charges brought against him.

What did Bill Clinton want?

He sought legislation to upgrade education, to protect jobs of parents who must care for sick children, to restrict handgun sales, and to strengthen environmental rules. President Clinton was born William Jefferson Blythe III on August 19, 1946, in Hope, Arkansas, three months after his father died in a traffic accident.

What did John Kennedy do in high school?

In high school, he took the family name. He excelled as a student and as a saxophone player and once considered becoming a professional musician. As a delegate to Boys Nation while in high school, he met President John Kennedy in the White House Rose Garden. The encounter led him to enter a life of public service.

Where did Bill Clinton get his law degree?

He received a law degree from Yale University in 1973, and entered politics in Arkansas. He was defeated in his campaign for Congress in Arkansas’s Third District in 1974. The next year he married Hillary Rodham, a graduate of Wellesley College and Yale Law School. In 1980, Chelsea, their only child, was born.

Who was the first baby boomer president?

Bill Clinton is an American politician from Arkansas who served as the 42nd President of the United States (1993-2001). He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first baby-boomer generation President.

Who was Bill Clinton's running mate?

Clinton and his running mate, Tennessee’s Senator Albert Gore Jr., then 44, represented a new generation in American political leadership. For the first time in 12 years both the White House and Congress were held by the same party.

What was Bill Clinton's role in the US government?

Bill Clinton (1946-), the 42nd U.S. president, served in office from 1993 to 2001. Prior to that, the Arkansas native and Democrat was governor of his home state. During Clinton’s time in the White House, America enjoyed an era of peace and prosperity, marked by low unemployment, declining crime rates and a budget surplus. Clinton appointed a number of women and minorities to top government posts, including Janet Reno, the first female U.S. attorney general, and Madeleine Albright, the first female U.S. secretary of state. In 1998, the House of Representatives impeached Clinton on charges related to a sexual relationship he had with a White House intern. He was acquitted by the Senate. Following his presidency, Clinton remained active in public life.

What was Hillary Clinton's first term?

During his first term, Clinton enacted a variety of pieces of domestic legislation, including the Family and Medical Leave Act and the Violence Against Women Act , along with key bills pertaining to crime and gun violence, education, the environment and welfare reform. He put forth measures to reduce the federal budget deficit and also signed the North American Free Trade Agreement, which eliminated trade barriers between the United States, Canada and Mexico. He attempted to enact universal health insurance for all Americans, and appointed first lady Hillary Clinton to head the committee charged with creating the plan. However, the committee’s plan was opposed by conservatives and the health care industry, among others, and Congress ultimately failed to act on it.

What did the Clinton administration do in 1998?

Additionally, the Clinton administration helped broker a peace accord in Northern Ireland in 1998. That same year, America launched air attacks against Iraq ’s nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs. In 1999, the United States led a NATO effort to end ethnic cleansing in Kosovo.

What was the economy like during Clinton's second term?

During Clinton’s second term, the U.S. economy was healthy, unemployment was low and the nation experienced a major technology boom and the rise of the Internet. In 1998, the United States achieved its first federal budget surplus in three decades (the final two years of Clinton’s presidency also resulted in budget surpluses). In 2000, the president signed legislation establishing permanent normal trade relations with China.

When was Bill Clinton governor of Arkansas?

The following year, Bill Clinton was elected attorney general of Arkansas. In 1978, he was elected governor of the state. The Clintons’ only child, Chelsea, was born in February 1980. That fall, Clinton lost his bid for re-election as governor.

Did Hillary Clinton work for Arkansas?

While serving as Arkansas’ first lady, Hillary Clinton also worked as an attorney.

Who was the second president to be impeached?

On February 12, 1999, the U.S. Senate acquitted the president of the charges and he remained in office. Clinton was the second American president to be impeached. The first, Andrew Johnson (1808-75), was impeached in 1868 and also later acquitted.

What is the Clinton Global Initiative?

Through the William J. Clinton Foundation (founded in 1997 and later renamed the Clinton Foundation), he created the Clinton Climate Initiative , dedicated to supporting research to combat climate change; the Clinton Global Initiative, which connects entrepreneurs and world leaders to foster new ideas and action; and the Haiti Fund, dedicated to rebuilding Haiti in the aftermath of its devastating 2010 earthquake.

How tall was Bill Clinton when he snapped?

At the age of 14, already standing more than 6 feet tall, Clinton finally snapped. He told his stepfather, "If you want them, you'll have to go through me.".

What high school did Bill Clinton attend?

Clinton attended Hot Springs High School, a segregated all-white school, where he was a stellar student and a star saxophonist for the school band. The principal of Hot Springs High, Johnnie Mae Mackey, placed a special emphasis on producing students devoted to public service, and she developed a strong bond with the smart and politically-inclined Clinton.

What was Bill Clinton's job?

Seeking to increase his national profile, Clinton served as chairman of the National Governors Association from 1986-87. At the end of the decade he became chair of the Democratic Leadership Council, a group of moderate Democrats seeking to move the party in a centrist direction.

Where did Bill Clinton teach law?

Clinton began teaching at the University of Arkansas School of Law in Fayetteville and thrust himself into politics. In 1974, he challenged Republican incumbent John Paul Hammerschmidt for his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

What were Bill Clinton's first accomplishments?

Despite several notable accomplishments in his first years as president, including the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, the implementation of the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy for LGBT military personnel and the ratification of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Clinton's first years in office left him politically vulnerable. Through a task force headed by First Lady Hillary, Clinton endorsed a massive health care reform act that was designed to provide universal coverage. The bill failed to move through Congress, however, and became a massive political disaster, leading to Republicans regaining control of both houses of Congress in 1994.

When was Hillary Clinton elected to the Senate?

When Hillary Clinton was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2001, she became the first American first lady to win a public office seat. In 2016, she became the first woman in U.S. history to become the presidential nominee of a major political party.

What did Newt Gingrich promise?

After Republicans took control of Congress in the 1994 elections, incoming Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich promised a conservative "revolution" that would implement tax cuts, welfare reform, and major domestic spending cuts. Gingrich failed to deliver major conservative reforms in the first hundred days of the 104th Congress, but many observers continued to wonder if the Speaker would seize stewardship over domestic policy from the office of the president. Meanwhile, with conservatism on the rise and New Deal liberalism in retreat, Clinton hoped to forge a new consensus that did not totally reject government interventionism. In reaction to his party's electoral defeat, Clinton hired consultant Dick Morris, who advocated that Clinton pursue a policy of triangulation between conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats. By co-opting some of Republican ideas, Morris argued that Clinton could boost his own popularity while blocking the possibility of the drastic reforms advocated by some conservatives.

When did Bill Clinton become president?

Bill Clinton 's tenure as the 42nd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1993, and ended on January 20, 2001. Clinton, a Democrat from Arkansas, took office following a decisive victory over Republican incumbent president George H. W. Bush and independent businessman Ross Perot in ...

What was the health care law that Clinton signed?

Other health care legislation. Within a month of taking office, Clinton signed the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993. The act, which had been vetoed twice by Bush, guaranteed workers up to 12 weeks of unpaid medical leave for certain medical and family reasons, including pregnancy.

What was the cigarette tax rate in 1997?

In 1997, Clinton agreed to a deal with Republicans that lowered the tax rate on capital gains to 18 percent, implemented a $500 child tax credit, increased funding for children's health care, and raised the federal cigarette tax from 24 cents per pack to 39 cents per pack.

What was the first line item veto?

Further information: Line-item veto in the United States. Clinton secured passage of the Line Item Veto Act of 1996, becoming the first president to obtain that power although many had sought it. Its effect was very brief as the act was soon ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in Clinton v. City of New York.

What was Bill Clinton's second term?

Clinton's second term saw the first federal budget surpluses since the 1960s, but was partially overshadowed by his impeachment in 1998.

How many votes did the House of Representatives pass on the Clinton budget bill?

The House passed the final bill in a 218–216 vote.

Where was Bill Clinton born?

Main article: 1974 United States House of Representatives elections § Arkansas. Bill Clinton was born in Hope, Arkansas in 1946. After graduating from Georgetown University, he won a Rhodes scholarship to Oxford University. After receiving his Juris Doctor degree from Yale Law School in 1973, he decided to contest the 1974 congressional election ...

Who was Clinton challenged by?

He was challenged by George Jernigan, the secretary of state of Arkansas; and Clarence Cash, the deputy attorney general of Arkansas. Clinton easily won the primary contest, getting over 55% of the votes. Apart organizing his campaign, he coordinated Jimmy Carter's 1976 presidential campaign in Arkansas.

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.

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."

How long was Grant Snowden in prison?

Grant Snowden was acquitted, retried, convicted, and eventually freed by a federal appeals court after 12 years in prison.". Reno's "model case" was against Frank Fuster, co-owner of the Country Walk Babysitting Service in a suburb of Miami, Florida.

When was Reno appointed Attorney General?

On March 11, 1993 , the Senate confirmed Reno by a vote of 98 to 0. She was sworn in the next day, becoming the first woman to serve as U.S. Attorney General. As Attorney General, Reno oversaw the Justice Department and its 95,000 employees.

Where did Reno go to law school?

After graduating from Cornell, Reno enrolled at Harvard Law School, one of 16 women in a class of 500 students. She graduated from Harvard in 1963.

Where did Jane Reno build her house?

As the family expanded, they outgrew the house and couldn't afford a larger one. Jane Reno decided to build a new home herself near the Everglades, learning masonry, electrical work, and plumbing for the task. The Reno family moved to the house Jane built when Janet 8 was years old.

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.

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 ...

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.

When did Reno order a raid on the Miami home?

Reno became involved in negotiations and when they stalled in April 2000 she ordered a raid on the U.S. relatives’ Miami home that would ultimately return the young refugee back to his father in Cuba. Her controversial intervention enraged the Cuban American community in Miami.

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 use tear gas?

Reno was called upon to help resolve the situation. Reno approved the use of tear gas to flush the Branch Davidians from their compound outside of Waco, Texas. Unfortunately, it did not go as planned; a fire erupted and more than 70 Davidians (including Koresh and at least 20 children) died during the event.

Who appointed Reno as the first female attorney general?

Reno was thrust into the national spotlight in 1993 when President Bill Clinton appointed her to become the first female U.S. attorney general.

image

Who Is Bill Clinton?

Image
Bill Clinton was the 42nd president of the United States, serving from 1993 to 2001. In 1978 Clinton became the youngest governor in the country when he was elected governor of Arkansas. Elected U.S. president in 1992 and reelected in 1996, Clinton enacted legislation including the Family and Medical Leave Act and oversaw two terms of economic pros...
See more on biography.com

Early Life

  • Clinton was born William Jefferson Blythe III on August 19, 1946, in Hope, Arkansas. Clinton’s father, William Jefferson Blythe, died in a car crash three months before Clinton was born, leaving him in the care of his mother, Virginia Cassidy Blythe. To provide for her son, Virginia moved to New Orleans, Louisiana to study anesthesiology, while Clinton stayed with his grandparents, Eldridge and Edith Cassidy. While opposites in many ways — Eldridg…
See more on biography.com

Education

  • Clinton attended Hot Springs High School, a segregated all-white school, where he was a stellar student and a star saxophonist for the school band. The principal of Hot Springs High, Johnnie Mae Mackey, placed a special emphasis on producing students devoted to public service, and she developed a strong bond with the smart and politically-inclined Clinton.
See more on biography.com

Move to Arkansas

  • After graduating from Yale, the Clintons moved to Arkansas. Clinton began teaching at the University of Arkansas School of Law in Fayetteville and thrust himself into politics. In 1974, he challenged Republican incumbent John Paul Hammerschmidt for his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Clinton lost the race, but it was closer than expected, and the campaign marked him as a rising star of the Arkansas Democratic Party. Two years later…
See more on biography.com

Governor of Arkansas

  • In 1978, at the age of 32, Clinton easily defeated Republican Lynn Lowe in the Arkansas gubernatorial race to become the youngest governor in the country. He served one term before he was defeated by the incumbent; he was voted again to the governorship in 1982 and served for four consecutive terms. Working closely with his wife, Hillary, in his first term as governor Clinton set out on an ambitious agenda to reform the state's education and h…
See more on biography.com

1992 Presidential Election

  • In 1992 Clinton easily defeated his competitors in the Democratic primaries to become the party's nominee for the presidency, choosing Tennessee Senator Al Gore as his vice-presidential running mate. The Republican incumbent, President George H.W. Bush, was vulnerable in the election of 1992 because he had broken his celebrated campaign promise not to raise taxes and, especially, because the national economy was mired in rec…
See more on biography.com

Presidency and Accomplishments

  • Despite several notable accomplishments in his first years as president, including the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, the implementation of the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy for LGBT military personnel and the ratification of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Clinton's first years in office left him politically vulnerable. Through a task force headed by First Lady Hillary, Clinton endorsed a massive health care reform act that was d…
See more on biography.com

Affair with Monica Lewinsky

  • Clinton's second term in the White House was dominated by the Lewinsky scandal. The president at first denied, and then later admitted, that he had sexual relations with Lewinsky, his White House intern. A panel-appointed prosecutor, Kenneth Starr, exposed the affair after expanding an initial investigation of Clinton's Whitewater investments as Arkansas governor. In 1998, Starr produced an explicit report with salacious details, known as th…
See more on biography.com

Impeachment

  • Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives but not the Senate, which meant that he remained in office through both of his two terms. In December 1998, the Republican-dominated House of Representatives voted to impeach the president for perjury and obstruction of justice for his actions in the Lewinsky affair. However, in February 1999, following a five-week trial, the Senate voted to acquit Clinton on both articles of impe…
See more on biography.com

Post-Presidential Career

  • In the years since his presidency concluded in 2001, Clinton has remained active on the global stage. Despite facing an enormous backlash from the Lewinsky scandal, Clinton rejuvenated his image and remained popular among Democratic supporters. Assessments of Clinton’s successes and failures reflect the political divides of the moment, and history has yet to reveal the full consequences of many of his policies. Clinton himself offered his …
See more on biography.com