Bill Clinton William Jefferson " Bill " Clinton ( born William Jefferson Blythe III ; August 19 , 1946 ) is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001 . Inaugurated at age 46 , he was the third - youngest president . He took office at the end of the Cold War , and was the first president from the baby boomer generation . Clinton has been described as a New Democrat . Many of his policies have been attributed to a centrist Third Way philosophy of governance . Before becoming president he was the Governor of Arkansas for five two - year terms , serving from 1979 to 1981 and from 1983 to 1992 . He was also the state ' s Attorney General from 1977 to 1979 . Born and raised in Arkansas , Clinton became both a student leader and a skilled musician . He is an alumnus of Georgetown University , where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Kappa Kappa Psi and earned a Rhodes Scholarship to attend the University of Oxford . He is married to Hillary Rodham Clinton , who served as United States Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013 and who was a Senator from New York from 2001 to 2009 . Both Clintons received law degrees from Yale Law School , where they met and began dating . As Governor of Arkansas , Clinton overhauled the state ' s education system , and served as Chair of the National Governors Association . Clinton was elected president in 1992 , defeating incumbent George H . W . Bush . Clinton presided over the longest period of peacetime economic expansion in American history , and signed into law the North American Free Trade Agreement . After failing to pass national health care reform , the Democratic House was ousted when the Republican Party won control of the Congress in 1994 for the first time in 40 years . Two years later , Clinton became the first Democrat since Franklin D . Roosevelt to be elected president twice . He passed welfare reform and the State Children ' s Health Insurance Program , providing health coverage for millions of children . In 1998 , he was impeached for perjury before a grand jury and obstruction of justice during a lawsuit against him , both related to a scandal involving a White House intern . He was acquitted by the U . S . Senate and served his complete term of office . The Congressional Budget Office reported a budget surplus between the years 1998 and 2000 , the last three years of Clinton ' s presidency . Clinton left office with the highest end - of - office approval rating of any U . S . president since World War II . Since then , he has been involved in public speaking and humanitarian work . Based on his philanthropic worldview , Clinton created the William J . Clinton Foundation to promote and address international causes such as prevention of AIDS and global warming . In 2004 , he published his autobiography " My Life " . He has remained active in politics by campaigning for Democratic candidates , most notably for his wife ' s campaign for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination , and then Barack Obama ' s presidential campaigns in 2008 and 2012 . In 2009 , he was named United Nations Special Envoy to Haiti , and after the 2010 Haiti earthquake he teamed with George W . Bush to form the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund . Since leaving office , Clinton has been rated highly in public opinion polls of U . S . presidents . Early life and career . Clinton was born William Jefferson Blythe III on August 19 , 1946 , at Julia Chester Hospital in Hope , Arkansas . His father , William Jefferson Blythe , Jr . , was a traveling salesman who died in an automobile accident three months before Bill was born . His mother , Virginia Dell Cassidy ( 1923 – 1994 ) , traveled to New Orleans to study nursing soon after he was born . She left Bill in Hope with grandparents Eldridge and Edith Cassidy , who owned and ran a small grocery store . At a time when the Southern United States was segregated racially , Bill ' s grandparents sold goods on credit to people of all races . In 1950 , Bill ' s mother returned from nursing school and married Roger Clinton , Sr . , who owned an automobile dealership in Hot Springs , Arkansas with his brother . The family moved to Hot Springs in 1950 . Although he assumed use of his stepfather ' s surname , it was not until Billy ( as he was known then ) turned fifteen that he formally adopted the surname Clinton as a gesture toward his stepfather . Clinton says he remembers his stepfather as a gambler and an alcoholic who regularly abused his mother and half - brother , Roger Clinton , Jr . , to the point where he intervened multiple times with the threat of violence to protect them . In Hot Springs , Bill attended St . John ' s Catholic Elementary School , Ramble Elementary School , and Hot Springs High School – where he was an active student leader , avid reader , and musician . He was in the chorus and played the tenor saxophone , winning first chair in the state band ' s saxophone section . He briefly considered dedicating his life to music , but as he noted in his autobiography " My Life " : Clinton ' s interest in law also began in Hot Springs High , when in his Latin class he took up the challenge to argue the defense of the ancient Roman Senator Catiline in a mock trial . After a vigorous defense that made use of his " budding rhetorical and political skills " , he told the Latin teacher Mrs . Elizabeth Buck that it " made him realize that someday he would study law . " Clinton has named two influential moments in his life that contributed to his decision to become a public figure , both occurring in 1963 . One was his visit as a Boys Nation senator to the White House to meet President John F . Kennedy . The other was listening to Martin Luther King , Jr . ' s 1963 " I Have a Dream " speech , which impressed him enough that he later memorized it . College and law school years . With the aid of scholarships , Clinton attended the Edmund A . Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington , D . C . , receiving a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service ( B . S . ) degree in 1968 . He spent the summer of 1967 , the summer before his senior year , intern ing for Arkansas Senator J . William Fulbright . While in college , he became a brother of Alpha Phi Omega and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa . Clinton was also a member of the Order of DeMolay , a youth group affiliated with Freemasonry , but he never became a Freemason . He is a member of Kappa Kappa Psi honorary band fraternity . Upon graduation , he won a Rhodes Scholarship to University College , Oxford where he studied Philosophy , Politics and Economics , though because he had switched programs and had left early for Yale University , he did not receive a degree there . He developed an interest in rugby union , playing at Oxford and later for the Little Rock Rugby club in Arkansas . While at Oxford he also participated in Vietnam War protests and organized an October 1969 Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam event . Clinton ' s political opponents charge that to avoid being drafted into the Vietnam War during his college years , he used the political influence of a U . S . Senator , who employed him as an aide . Col . Eugene Holmes , an Army officer who was involved in Clinton ' s case , issued a notarize d statement during the 1992 presidential campaign : " I was informed by the draft board that it was of interest to Senator Fulbright ' s office that Bill Clinton , a Rhodes Scholar , should be admitted to the ROTC program . . . I believe that he purposely deceived me , using the possibility of joining the ROTC as a ploy to work with the draft board to delay his induction and get a new draft classification . " Although legal , Clinton ' s actions were criticized by conservatives and some Vietnam veterans during his presidential campaign in 1992 . After Oxford , Clinton attended Yale Law School and earned a Juris Doctor ( J . D . ) degree in 1973 . In a Yale library in 1971 he met fellow law student Hillary Rodham , who was a year ahead of him . They began dating and soon were inseparable . After only about a month , Clinton postponed his plans to be a coordinator for the George McGovern campaign for the 1972 United States presidential election in order to move in with her in California . They married on October 11 , 1975 , and their only child , Chelsea , was born on February 27 , 1980 . Clinton did eventually move to Texas with Rodham to take a job leading George McGovern ' s effort there in 1972 . He spent considerable time in Dallas , at the campaign ' s local headquarters on Lemmon Avenue , where he had an office . Clinton worked with future two - term mayor of Dallas , Ron Kirk , future governor of Texas , Ann Richards , and then unknown television director ( and future filmmaker ) Steven Spielberg . Political career 1978 – 1992 . Governor of Arkansas . After graduating from Yale Law School , Clinton returned to Arkansas and became a law professor at the University of Arkansas . A year later , he ran for the House of Representatives in 1974 . The incumbent , Republican John Paul Hammerschmidt , defeated Clinton in the general election by a 52 percent to 48 percent margin . With only minor opposition in the primary and no opposition at all in the general election , Clinton was elected Arkansas Attorney General in 1976 . Clinton was elected Governor of Arkansas in 1978 , having defeated the Republican candidate Lynn Lowe , a farmer from Texarkana . He became the youngest governor in the country at 32 . Due to his youthful appearance , Clinton was often called the " Boy Governor " , a referent that continues to be used to refer to him during his gubernatorial era on occasion . He worked on educational reform and Arkansas ' s roads , with wife Hillary leading a successful committee on urban health care reform . However , his term included an unpopular motor vehicle tax and citizens ' anger over the escape of Cuban refugees ( from the Mariel boatlift ) detained in Fort Chaffee in 1980 . Monroe Schwarzlose of Kingsland in Cleveland County , polled 31 percent of the vote against Clinton in the Democratic gubernatorial primary of 1980 . Some suggested Schwarzlose ' s unexpected voter turnout foreshadowed Clinton ' s defeat in the general election that year by Republican challenger Frank D . White . As Clinton once joked , he was the youngest ex - governor in the nation ' s history . Clinton joined friend Bruce Lindsey ' s Little Rock law firm of Wright , Lindsey and Jennings . In 1982 , he was again elected governor and kept this job for ten years . Beginning with the 1986 election , Arkansas had changed its gubernatorial term of office from 2 to 4 years . During his term he helped transform Arkansas ' s economy and significantly improve the state ' s educational system . He became a leading figure among the New Democrats . The New Democrats , organized as the Democratic Leadership Council ( DLC ) , were a branch of the Democratic Party that called for welfare reform and smaller government , a policy supported by both Democrats and Republicans . He gave the Democratic response to President Reagan ' s 1985 State of the Union Address and served as Chair of the National Governors Association from 1986 to 1987 , bringing him to an audience beyond Arkansas . Clinton 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 . In the early 1980s , Clinton made reform of the Arkansas education system a top priority . The Arkansas Education Standards Committee , chaired by Clinton ' s wife , attorney and Legal Services Corporation chair Hillary Rodham Clinton , succeeded in reforming the education system , transforming it from the worst in the nation into one of the best . Many have considered this the greatest achievement of the Clinton governorship . Clinton and the committee were responsible for state educational improvement programs , notably more spending for schools , rising opportunities for gifted children , an increase in vocational education , raising of teachers ' salaries , inclusion of a wider variety of courses , and compulsory teacher testing for aspiring educators . He defeated four Republican candidates for governor : Lowe ( 1978 ) , White ( 1982 and 1986 ) , and businessmen Woody Freeman of Jonesboro , ( 1984 ) and Sheffield Nelson of Little Rock ( 1990 ) . The Clintons ' personal and business affairs during the 1980s included transactions that became the basis of the Whitewater controversy investigation that later dogged his presidential administration . After extensive investigation over several years , no indictments were made against the Clintons related to the years in Arkansas . According to some sources , Clinton was in his early years a death penalty opponent who switched positions . During Clinton ' s term , Arkansas performed its first executions since 1964 ( the death penalty had been re - enacted on March 23 , 1973 ) . As Governor , he oversaw four executions : one by electric chair and three by lethal injection . Later , as president , Clinton was the first President to pardon a death - row inmate since the federal death penalty was reintroduced in 1988 . Democratic presidential primaries of 1988 . In 1987 , there was media speculation Clinton would enter the race after then - New York Governor Mario Cuomo declined to run and Democratic front - runner Gary Hart withdrew owing to revelations of marital infidelity . Clinton decided to remain as Arkansas governor ( following consideration for the potential candidacy of Hillary Rodham Clinton for governor , initially favored – but ultimately vetoed – by the First Lady ) . For the nomination , Clinton endorsed Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis . He gave the nationally televised opening night address at the 1988 Democratic National Convention , but his speech , which was 33 minutes long and twice as long as it was expected to be , was criticized for being too long and poorly delivered . Presenting himself as a moderate and a member of the New Democrat wing of the Democratic Party , he headed the moderate Democratic Leadership Council in 1990 and 1991 . 1992 presidential campaign . In the first primary contest , the Iowa caucus , Clinton finished a distant third to Iowa Senator Tom Harkin . During the campaign for the New Hampshire primary , reports of an extramarital affair with Gennifer Flowers surfaced . As Clinton fell far behind former Massachusetts Senator Paul Tsongas in the New Hampshire polls , following New Hampshire primary , but after trailing badly in the polls and coming within single digits of winning , the media viewed it as a victory . News outlets labeled him " The Comeback Kid " for earning a firm second - place finish . Winning the big prizes of Florida and Texas and many of the Southern primaries on Super Tuesday gave Clinton a sizable delegate lead . However , former California Governor Jerry Brown was scoring victories and Clinton had yet to win a significant contest outside his native South . With no major Southern state remaining , Clinton targeted New York , which had many delegates . He scored a resounding victory in New York City , shedding his image as a regional candidate . Having been transformed into the consensus candidate , he secured the Democratic Party nomination , finishing with a victory in Jerry Brown ' s home state of California . During the campaign , questions of conflict of interest regarding state business and the politically powerful Rose Law Firm , at which Hillary Rodham Clinton was a partner , arose . Clinton argued the questions were moot because all transactions with the state had been deducted before determining Hillary ' s firm pay . Further concern arose when Bill Clinton announced that , with Hillary , voters would be getting two presidents " for the price of one " . While campaigning for U . S . President , the then Governor Clinton returned to Arkansas to see that Ricky Ray Rector would be executed . After killing a police officer and a civilian , Rector shot himself in the head , leading to what his lawyers said was a state where he could still talk but did not understand the idea of death . According to Arkansas state and Federal law , a seriously mentally impaired inmate cannot be executed . The courts disagreed with the allegation of grave mental impairment and allowed the execution . Clinton ' s return to Arkansas for the execution was framed in a " The New York Times " article as a possible political move to counter " soft on crime " accusations . Because Bush ' s approval ratings were in the 80 percent range during the Gulf War , he was described as unbeatable . However , when Bush compromised with Democrats to try to lower Federal deficits , he reneged on his , hurting his approval rating . Clinton repeatedly condemned Bush for making a promise he failed to keep . By election time , the economy was souring and Bush saw his approval rating plummet to just slightly over 40 percent . Finally , conservatives were previously united by anti - communism , but with the end of the Cold War , the party lacked a uniting issue . When Pat Buchanan and Pat Robertson addressed Christian themes at the Republican National Convention – with Bush criticizing Democrats for omitting God from their platform – many moderates were alienated . Clinton then pointed to his moderate , " New Democrat " record as governor of Arkansas , though some on the more liberal side of the party remained suspicious . Many Democrats who had supported Ronald Reagan and Bush in previous elections switched their support to Clinton . Clinton and his running mate , Al Gore , toured the country during the final weeks of the campaign , shoring up support and pledging a " new beginning " . Clinton won the 1992 presidential election ( 43 . 0 percent of the vote ) against Republican incumbent George H . W . Bush ( 37 . 4 percent of the vote ) and billionaire populist Ross Perot , who ran as an independent ( 18 . 9 percent of the vote ) on a platform focusing on domestic issues ; a significant part of Clinton ' s success was Bush ' s steep decline in public approval . Clinton ' s election ended twelve years of Republican rule of the White House and twenty of the previous twenty - four years . The election gave Democrats full control of the United States Congress , the first time one party controlled both the executive and legislative branches since Democrats held the 95th United States Congress during the Jimmy Carter presidency in the late 1970s . Presidency , 1993 – 2001 . During his presidency , Clinton advocated for a wide variety of legislation and programs , much of which was enacted into law or was implemented by the executive branch . Some of his policies , such as the North American Free Trade Agreement and welfare reform , have been attributed to a centrist Third Way philosophy of governance , while on other issues his stance was left - of - center . Clinton presided over the longest period of peacetime economic expansion in American history . The Congressional Budget Office reported budget surpluses of $ 69 billion in 1998 , $ 126 billion in 1999 , and $ 236 billion in 2000 , during the last three years of Clinton ' s presidency . At the end of his presidency , Clinton moved to New York and helped his wife win election to the U . S . Senate there . First term , 1993 – 1997 . Clinton was inaugurated as the 42nd President of the United States on January 20 , 1993 . Shortly after taking office , Clinton signed the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 on February 5 , which required large employers to allow employees to take unpaid leave for pregnancy or a serious medical condition . This action had bipartisan support , and proved quite popular with the public . On February 15 , 1993 , Clinton made his first address to the nation , announcing his plan to raise taxes to cap the budget deficit . Two days later , in a nationally televised address to a joint session of Congress , Clinton unveiled his economic plan . The plan focused on reducing the deficit rather than on cutting taxes for the middle class , which had been high on his campaign agenda . Clinton ' s advisers pressured him to raise taxes on the theory that a smaller federal budget deficit would reduce bond interest rates . On May 19 , 1993 , Clinton fired seven employees of the White House Travel Office , causing the White House travel office controversy even though the Travel Office staff served at the pleasure of the President , who could dismiss them without cause . The White House responded to the controversy by claiming the firings were done because of financial improprieties that had been revealed by a brief FBI investigation . Critics contended the firings had been done to allow friends of the Clintons to take over the travel business and that the involvement of the FBI was unwarranted . Clinton signed the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 in August of that year , which passed Congress without a Republican vote . It cut taxes for fifteen million low - income families , made tax cuts available to 90 percent of small businesses , and raised taxes on the wealthiest 1 . 2 percent of taxpayers . Additionally , through the implementation of spending restraints , it mandated the budget be balanced over a number of years . Clinton made a major speech to Congress regarding a health care reform plan on September 22 , 1993 , aimed at achieving universal coverage through a national health care plan . This was one of the most prominent items on Clinton ' s legislative agenda , and resulted from a task force headed by Hillary Clinton . Though at first well received in political circles , it was eventually doomed by well - organized opposition from conservatives , the American Medical Association , and the health insurance industry . However , John F . Harris , a biographer of Clinton ' s , states the program failed because of a lack of coordination within the White House . Despite the Democratic majority in Congress , the effort to create a national health care system ultimately died when compromise legislation by George J . Mitchell failed to gain a majority of support in August 1994 . It was the first major legislative defeat of Clinton ' s administration . In November 1993 , David Hale , the source of criminal allegations against Bill Clinton in the Whitewater controversy , alleged that Clinton , while governor of Arkansas , pressured him to provide an illegal $ 300 , 000 loan to Susan McDougal , the partner of the Clintons in the Whitewater land deal . A U . S . Securities and Exchange Commission investigation did result in convictions against the McDougals for their role in the Whitewater project , but the Clintons themselves were never charged , and Clinton maintains innocence in the affair . Clinton signed the Brady Bill into law on November 30 , 1993 , which imposed a five - day waiting period on handgun purchases . He also expanded the Earned Income Tax Credit , a subsidy for low - income workers . In December of that year , allegations by Arkansas state troopers Larry Patterson and Roger Perry were first reported by David Brock in the American Spectator . Later known as Troopergate , the allegations by these men were that they arranged sexual liaisons for Bill Clinton back when he was governor of Arkansas . The story mentioned a woman named " Paula " , a reference to Paula Jones . Brock later apologized to Clinton , saying the article was politically motivated " bad journalism " and that " the troopers were greedy and had slimy motives . " That month , Clinton implemented a Department of Defense directive known as " Don ' t Ask , Don ' t Tell " , which allowed gay men and women to serve in the armed services provided they kept their sexuality a secret , and forbade the military from inquiring about an individual ' s sexual orientation . The policy was developed as a compromise after Clinton ' s proposal to allow gays to serve openly in the military met with staunch opposition from prominent Congressional Republicans and Democrats , including Senators John McCain ( R - AZ ) and Sam Nunn ( D - GA ) . According to David Mixner , Clinton ' s support for the compromise led to a heated dispute with Vice President Al Gore , who felt that " the President should lift the ban . . . even though [ his executive order ] was sure to be overriden by the Congress " . Some gay - rights advocates criticized Clinton for not going far enough and accused him of making his campaign promise to get votes and contributions . Their position was that Clinton should have integrated the military by executive order , noting that President Harry Truman used executive order to racially desegregate the armed forces . Clinton ' s defenders argue that an executive order might have prompted the Senate to write the exclusion of gays into law , potentially making it harder to integrate the military in the future . Later in his presidency , in 1999 , Clinton criticized the way the policy was implemented , saying he did not think any serious person could say it was not " out of whack " . The policy remained controversial , and was finally repealed in 2011 , removing open sexual preference as a reason for dismissal from the armed forces . On January 1 , 1994 , Clinton signed the North American Free Trade Agreement into law . Throughout his first year in office , Clinton consistently supported ratification of the treaty by the U . S . Senate . Clinton and most of his allies in the Democratic Leadership Committee strongly supported free trade measures ; there remained , however , strong disagreement within the party . Opposition came chiefly from anti - trade Republicans , protectionist Democrats and supporters of Ross Perot . The bill passed the house with 234 votes against 200 opposed ( 132 Republicans and 102 Democrats voting in favor ; 156 Democrats , 43 Republicans , and 1 independent against ) . The treaty was then ratified by the Senate and signed into law by the President . Clinton ' s 1994 Omnibus Crime Bill made many changes to U . S . law , including the expansion of the death penalty to include crimes not resulting in death , such as running a large - scale drug enterprise . During Clinton ' s re - election campaign he said , " My 1994 crime bill expanded the death penalty for drug kingpins , murderers of federal law enforcement officers , and nearly 60 additional categories of violent felons . " The Clinton administration also launched the first official White House website , whitehouse . gov , on October 21 , 1994 . It was followed by three more versions , resulting in the final edition launched in 2000 . The White House website was part of a wider movement of the Clinton administration toward web - based communication . According to Robert Longley , " Clinton and Gore were responsible for pressing almost all federal agencies , the U . S . court system and the U . S . military onto the Internet , thus opening up America ' s government to more of America ' s citizens than ever before . On July 17 , 1996 , Clinton issued Executive Order 13011 – Federal Information Technology , ordering the heads of all federal agencies to utilize information technology fully to make the information of the agency easily accessible to the public . " After two years of Democratic Party control , the Democrats lost control of Congress in the mid - term elections in 1994 , for the first time in forty years . Law professor Ken Gormley ' s book " The Death of American Virtue " reveals that Clinton escaped a 1996 assassination attempt in the Philippines by terrorists working for Osama bin Laden . During his visit to the Asia - Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Manila in 1996 , he was saved shortly before his car was due to drive over a bridge where a bomb had been planted . Gormley said he was told the details of the bomb plot by Lewis Merletti , the Director of the United States Secret Service . Clinton was scheduled to visit a local politician in central Manila , when secret service officers intercepted a message suggesting that an attack was imminent . A transmission used the words " bridge " and " wedding " , supposedly a terrorist ' s code words for assassination . The motorcade was re - routed and the US agents later discovered a bomb planted under the bridge . The report said the subsequent US investigation into the plot " revealed that it was masterminded by a Saudi terrorist living in Afghanistan named Osama bin Laden " . Gormley said , " It remained top secret except to select members of the US intelligence community . At the time , there were media reports about the discovery of two bombs , one at Manila airport and another at the venue for the leaders ' meeting " . The White House FBI files controversy of June 1996 arose concerning improper access by the White House to FBI security - clearance documents . Craig Livingstone , head of the White House Office of Personnel Security , improperly requested , and received from the FBI , background report files without asking permission of the subject individuals ; many of these were employees of former Republican administrations . In March 2000 , Independent Counsel Robert Ray determined that there was no credible evidence of any crime . Ray ' s report further stated , " there was no substantial and credible evidence that any senior White House official was involved " in seeking the files . On September 21 , 1996 , Clinton signed into law the Defense of Marriage Act ( DOMA ) , which defines marriage for federal purposes as the legal union of one man and one woman , allowing individual states to refuse to recognize gay marriages performed in other states . Paul Yandura , speaking for the White House gay and lesbian liaison office , said that Clinton ' s signing of DOMA " was a political decision that they made at the time of a re - election . " In defense of his actions , Clinton has said that DOMA was an attempt to " head off an attempt to send a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage to the states " , a possibility he described as highly likely in the context of a " very reactionary Congress . " Administration spokesman Richard Socarides said , " . . . the alternatives we knew were going to be far worse , and it was time to move on and get the president re - elected . " Others were more critical . The veteran gay rights and gay marriage activist Evan Wolfson has called these claims " historic revisionism " . In a July 2 , 2011 editorial " The New York Times " opined , " The Defense of Marriage Act was enacted in 1996 as an election - year wedge issue , signed by President Bill Clinton in one of his worst policy moments . " Despite DOMA , Clinton , who was the first President to select openly gay persons for Administration positions , is generally credited as the first President to publicly champion gay rights . During his Presidency , Clinton controversially issued two substantial executive orders on behalf of gay rights , the first lifting the ban on security clearances for LGBT federal employees and the second outlawing discrimination based on sexual orientation in the federal civilian workforce . Under President Clinton ' s leadership , federal funding for HIV / AIDS research , prevention and treatment more than doubled . And Clinton also pushed for passing hate crimes laws for gays and for the private sector Employment Non - Discrimination Act , which , buoyed by his lobbying , failed to pass the Senate by a single vote in 1996 . Advocacy for these issues , paired with the politically unpopular nature of the gay rights movement at the time , led to enthusiastic support for Clinton ' s election and reelection by the Human Rights Campaign . Clinton came out for gay marriage in July 2009 and urged the Supreme Court to overturn DOMA in 2013 . He was later honored by GLAAD for his prior pro - gay stances and his reversal on DOMA . As part of a 1996 initiative to curb illegal immigration , Clinton signed the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act ( IIRIRA ) on September 30 , 1996 . Appointed by Clinton , the U . S . Commission on Immigration Reform recommended reducing legal immigration from about 800 , 000 people a year to about 550 , 000 . The 1996 United States campaign finance controversy was an alleged effort by the People ' s Republic of China ( PRC ) to influence the domestic policies of the United States , before and during the Clinton administration , and involved the fundraising practices of the administration itself . The Chinese government denied all accusations . Second term , 1997 – 2001 . In the 1996 presidential election , Clinton was re - elected , receiving 49 . 2 percent of the popular vote over Republican Bob Dole ( 40 . 7 percent of the popular vote ) and Reform candidate Ross Perot ( 8 . 4 percent of the popular vote ) , becoming the first Democratic incumbent since Lyndon Johnson to be elected to a second term and the first Democrat since Franklin D . Roosevelt to be elected President more than once . The Republicans lost a few seats in the House and gained a few in the Senate , but retained control of both houses of the 105th United States Congress . Clinton received 379 , or over 70 percent of the Electoral College votes , with Dole receiving 159 electoral votes . In the January 1997 State of the Union address , Clinton proposed a new initiative to provide coverage to up to five million children . Senators Ted Kennedy – a Democrat – and Orrin Hatch – a Republican – teamed up with Hillary Rodham Clinton and her staff in 1997 , and succeeded in passing legislation forming the State Children ' s Health Insurance Program ( SCHIP ) , the largest ( successful ) health care reform in the years of the Clinton Presidency . That year , Hillary Clinton shepherded through Congress the Adoption and Safe Families Act and two years later she succeeded in helping pass the Foster Care Independence Act . He negotiated the passage of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 by the Republican Congress . In October 1997 , he announced he was getting hearing aids , due to hearing loss attributed to his age , and his time spent as a musician in his youth . Impeachment . In a lame - duck session of Congress after the 1998 elections , the House voted to impeach Clinton , based on alleged acts of perjury and obstruction of justice related to the Lewinsky scandal . This made Clinton only the second U . S . president to be impeached ( the first being Andrew Johnson ) . Impeachment proceedings were based on allegations that Clinton had illegally lied about and covered up his relationship with 22 - year - old White House intern Monica Lewinsky . After the Starr Report was submitted to the House providing what it termed " substantial and credible information that President Clinton Committed Acts that May Constitute Grounds for an Impeachment " , the House began impeachment hearings against Clinton before the mid - term elections . To hold impeachment proceedings , the Republican leadership called a lame - duck session in December 1998 . While the House Judiciary Committee hearings ended in a straight party - line vote , there was lively debate on the House floor . The two charges passed in the House ( largely with Republican support , but with a handful of Democratic votes as well ) were for perjury and obstruction of justice . The perjury charge arose from Clinton ' s testimony before a grand jury that had been convened to investigate perjury he may have committed in his sworn deposition during Paula Jones ' s sexual harassment lawsuit . The obstruction charge was based on his actions to conceal his relationship with Lewinsky before and after that deposition . The Senate later voted to acquit Clinton on both charges . The Senate refused to meet to hold an impeachment trial before the end of the old term , so the trial was held over until the next Congress . Clinton was represented by Washington law firm Williams & Connolly . The Senate finished a twenty - one - day trial on February 12 , 1999 , with the vote of 55 Not Guilty / 45 Guilty on the perjury charge and 50 Not Guilty / 50 Guilty on the obstruction of justice charge . Both votes fell short of the Constitutional two - thirds majority requirement to convict and remove an officeholder . The final vote was generally along party lines , with no Democrats voting guilty , and only a handful of Republicans voting not guilty . Clinton controversially issued 141 pardons and 36 commutations on his last day in office on January 20 , 2001 . Most of the controversy surrounded Marc Rich and allegations that Hillary Clinton ' s brother , Hugh Rodham , accepted payments in return for influencing the president ' s decision - making regarding the pardons . Some of Clinton ' s pardons remain a point of controversy . Military and foreign events . Many military events occurred during Clinton ' s presidency . The Battle of Mogadishu occurred in Somalia in 1993 . During the operation , two U . S . helicopters were shot down by rocket - propelled grenade attacks to their tail rotor s , trapping soldiers behind enemy lines . This resulted in an urban battle that killed 18 American soldiers , wounded 73 others , and one was taken prisoner . There were many more Somali casualties . Some of the American bodies were dragged through the streets – a spectacle broadcast on television news programs . In response , U . S . forces were withdrawn from Somalia and later conflicts were approached with fewer soldiers on the ground . In 1995 , U . S . and NATO aircraft attacked Bosnian Serb targets to halt attacks on U . N . safe zones and to pressure them into a peace accord . Clinton deployed U . S . peacekeepers to Bosnia in late 1995 , to uphold the subsequent Dayton Agreement . Capturing Osama bin Laden had been an objective of the United States government from the presidency of Bill Clinton until bin Laden ' s death in 2011 . It was asserted by Mansoor Ijaz that in 1996 while the Clinton Administration had begun pursuit of the policy , the Sudanese government allegedly offered to arrest and extradite Bin Laden as well as to provide the United States detailed intelligence information about growing militant organizations in the region , including Hezbollah and Hamas , and that U . S . authorities allegedly rejected each offer , despite knowing of bin Laden ' s involvement in bombings on American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania . However , the 9 / 11 Commission found that although " former Sudanese officials claim that Sudan offered to expel Bin Laden to the United States " , " we have not found any reliable evidence to support the Sudanese claim . " In 1998 , two years after the warning , the Clinton administration ordered several military missions to capture or kill bin Laden that failed . In response to the 1998 Al - Qaeda bombings of U . S . embassies in East Africa that killed a dozen Americans and hundreds of Africans , Clinton ordered cruise missile strikes on terrorist targets in Afghanistan and Sudan . First was a Sudanese Pharmaceutical company suspected of assisting Osama Bin Laden in making chemical weapons . The second was Bin Laden ' s terrorist training camps in Afghanistan . Clinton was subsequently criticized when it turned out that a pharmaceutical plant in Sudan ( originally alleged to be a chemical warfare plant ) had been destroyed . To stop the ethnic cleansing and genocide of Albanians by anti - guerilla military units in the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia ' s province of Kosovo , Clinton authorized the use of U . S . Armed Forces in a NATO bombing campaign against Yugoslavia in 1999 , named Operation Allied Force . General Wesley Clark was Supreme Allied Commander of NATO and oversaw the mission . With United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 , the bombing campaign ended on June 10 , 1999 . The resolution placed Kosovo under UN administration and authorized a peacekeeping force to be deployed to the region . NATO announced that its forces had suffered zero combat deaths , and two deaths from an Apache helicopter crash . Opinions in the popular press criticized pre - war genocide statements by the Clinton administration as greatly exaggerated . A U . N . Court ruled genocide did not take place , but recognized , " a systematic campaign of terror , including murders , rapes , arsons and severe maltreatments " . The term " ethnic cleansing " was used as an alternative to " genocide " to denote not just ethnically motivated murder but also displacement , though critics charge there is no difference . Slobodan Milošević , the President of Yugoslavia at the time , was eventually charged with the " murders of about 600 individually identified ethnic Albanians " and " crimes against humanity . " In Clinton ' s 1998 State of the Union Address , he warned Congress of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein ' s possible pursuit of nuclear weapons : To weaken Saddam Hussein ' s grip of power , Clinton signed H . R . 4655 into law on October 31 , 1998 , which instituted a policy of " regime change " against Iraq , though it explicitly stated it did not provide for direct intervention on the part of American military forces . The administration then launched a four - day bombing campaign named Operation Desert Fox , lasting from December 16 to 19 , 1998 . At the end of this operation Clinton announced that " So long as Saddam remains in power , he will remain a threat to his people , his region , and the world . With our allies , we must pursue a strategy to contain him and to constrain his weapons of mass destruction program , while working toward the day Iraq has a government willing to live at peace with its people and with its neighbors . " American and British aircraft in the Iraq no - fly zones attacked hostile Iraqi air defenses 166 times in 1999 and 78 times in 2000 . Clinton ' s November 2000 visit to Vietnam was the first by a U . S . President since the end of the Vietnam War . Clinton remained popular with the public throughout his two terms as President , ending his presidential career with a 65 percent approval rating , the highest end - of - term approval rating of any President since Dwight D . Eisenhower . Further , the Clinton administration signed over 270 trade liberalization pacts with other countries during its tenure . On October 10 , 2000 , Clinton signed into law the U . S . – China Relations Act of 2000 , which granted permanent normal trade relations ( PNTR ) trade status to People ' s Republic of China . The president asserted that free trade would gradually open China to democratic reform . Clinton also oversaw a boom of the U . S . economy . Under Clinton , the United States had a projected federal budget surplus for the first time since 1969 . After initial successes such as the Oslo accords of the early 1990s , Clinton attempted to address the Arab – Israeli conflict . Clinton brought Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat together at Camp David . Following the peace talk failures , Clinton stated Arafat " missed the opportunity " to facilitate a " just and lasting peace . " In his autobiography , Clinton blames Arafat for the collapse of the summit . The situation broke down completely with the start of the Second Intifada . Judicial appointments . Clinton appointed the following justices to the Supreme Court : Along with his two Supreme Court appointments , Clinton appointed 66 judges to the United States Courts of Appeals , and 305 judges to the United States district courts . His 373 judicial appointments are the second most in American history behind those of Ronald Reagan . Clinton also experienced a number of judicial appointment controversies , as 69 nominees to federal judgeships were not processed by the Republican - controlled Senate Judiciary Committee . In all , 84 percent of his nominees were confirmed . Public opinion . Clinton ' s job approval rating fluctuated in the 40s and 50s throughout his first term . In his second term , his rating consistently ranged from the high - 50s to the high - 60s . After his impeachment proceedings in 1998 and 1999 , Clinton ' s rating reached its highest point . According to a poll conducted by CBS in conjunction with the New York Times , he finished with an approval rating of 68 percent , which matched those of Ronald Reagan and Franklin D . Roosevelt as the highest ratings for departing presidents in the modern era . As he was leaving office , a CNN / USA TODAY / Gallup poll revealed 45 percent said they would miss him . While 55 percent thought he " would have something worthwhile to contribute and should remain active in public life " , 68 percent thought he would be remembered for his " involvement in personal scandal " , and 58 percent answered " No " to the question " Do you generally think Bill Clinton is honest and trustworthy ? " Forty - seven percent of the respondents identified themselves as being Clinton supporters . The same percentage said he would be remembered as either " outstanding " or " above average " as a president , while 22 percent said he would be remembered as " below average " or " poor " . The Gallup Organization published a poll in February 2007 , a correspondents to name the greatest president in U . S . history ; Clinton came in fourth place , capturing 13 percent of the vote . In a 2006 Quinnipiac University Polling Institute poll asking respondents to name the best president since World War II , Clinton ranked number two behind Ronald Reagan . However , in the same poll , when respondents were asked to name the worst president since World War II , Clinton was placed number three behind Richard Nixon and George W . Bush . In May 2006 , a CNN poll comparing Clinton ' s job performance with that of his successor , George W . Bush , found that a strong majority of respondents said Clinton outperformed Bush in six different areas questioned . ABC News characterized public consensus on Clinton as , " You can ' t trust him , he ' s got weak morals and ethics and he ' s done a heck of a good job . " After leaving office , Clinton ' s Gallup Poll rating of 66 percent was the highest approval rating of any postwar , three points ahead of both Reagan and John F . Kennedy . In March 2010 , a Newsmax / Zogby poll asking Americans which of the current living former presidents they think is best equipped to deal with the problems the country faces today , found that a wide margin of respondents would pick Bill Clinton . Clinton received 41 percent of the vote , while George W . Bush received 15 percent , George H . W . Bush received 7 percent , and Jimmy Carter received 5 percent . Public image . As the first baby boomer president , Clinton was the first president in a half - century not to have been alive during World War II . Authors Martin Walker and Bob Woodward state Clinton ' s innovative use of sound bite - ready dialogue , personal charisma , and public perception - oriented campaigning was a major factor in his high public approval ratings . When Clinton played the saxophone on " The Arsenio Hall Show " , he was described by some religious conservatives as " the MTV president . " Opponents sometimes referred to him as " Slick Willie " , a nickname first applied while he was governor of Arkansas and lasting throughout his presidency . Standing at a height of ( 1 . 88 m ) , Clinton is tied with five others as the fourth - tallest president in the nation ' s history . His folksy manner led him to be nicknamed " Bubba " , especially in the Southern U . S . Since 2000 , he has frequently been referred to as " The Big Dog " or " Big Dog . " His prominent role in campaigning for President Obama during the 2012 presidential election and his widely - publicised speech at the 2012 Democratic National Convention , where he officially nominated Obama and criticized Republican nominee Mitt Romney and Republican policies in detail , earned him the nickname " Explainer - in - Chief " . Clinton drew strong support from the African American community and made improving race relations a major theme of his presidency . In 1998 , Nobel laureate Toni Morrison called Clinton " the first Black president " , saying , " Clinton displays almost every trope of blackness : single - parent household , born poor , working - class , saxophone - playing , McDonald ' s - and - junk - food - loving boy from Arkansas " . Noting that Clinton ' s sex life was scrutinized more than his career accomplishments , Morrison compared this to the stereotyping and double standards that blacks typically endure . Shortly after he took office , conservative newspaper owner Richard Mellon Scaife organized a fundraising campaign to smear Clinton ' s image in the media . Leading the Arkansas Project , Scaife and other associates sought to find sources in Clinton ' s home state of Arkansas who would be willing to dish out negative allegations against the President . In 1994 , Paula Jones brought a sexual harassment lawsuit against Clinton , claiming he made unwanted advances in 1991 , which he denied . In April 1998 , the case was initially dismissed by Republican Judge Susan Webber Wright as lacking legal merit . But Jones appealed Webber Wright ' s ruling , and her suit gained traction following Clinton ' s admission to having an affair with Monica Lewinsky in August 1998 . In 1998 lawyers for Paula Jones released court documents contending a pattern of sexual harassment by then Governor Clinton . Main lawyer for the President , Robert S . Bennett , called the filing " " an organized campaign to smear the President of the United States " " . He later agreed to an out - of - court settlement and paid $ 850 , 000 . His attorney Bob Bennett stated that he only made the settlement so he could end the lawsuit for good and move on with his life . During the deposition for the Jones lawsuit , which was held at the White House , Clinton denied having sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky a denial that became the basis for an impeachment charge of perjury . In 1992 , Gennifer Flowers stated that she had a relationship with Clinton that began in 1980 . Flowers at first denied that she had an affair with Clinton , but later changed her story . After Clinton at first denied having a relationship with Flowers on " 60 Minutes " , he later admitted that he had a sexual encounter with Flowers . In 1998 , Kathleen Willey alleged that Clinton groped her in a hallway in 1993 . An independent counsel determined Willey gave " false information " to the FBI , inconsistent with sworn testimony related to the Jones allegation . Also in 1998 , Juanita Broaddrick alleged Clinton had raped her though she did not remember the exact date , which may have been 1978 . In another 1998 event , Elizabeth Ward Gracen recanted a six - year - old denial and stated she had a one night stand with Clinton in 1982 . Gracen later apologized to Hillary Clinton . Throughout the year , however , Gracen eluded a subpoena from Kenneth Starr to testify her claim in court . Post - presidential career . Bill Clinton continues to be active in public life , giving speeches , fundraising , and founding charitable organizations . Altogether , Clinton has spoken at the last six Democratic National Conventions , dating to 1988 . Activities up until 2008 campaign . In 2002 , Clinton warned that pre - emptive military action against Iraq would have unwelcome consequences , and later claimed to have opposed the Iraq War from the start ( though some dispute this ) . In 2005 , Clinton criticized the Bush administration for its handling of emissions control , while speaking at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Montreal . The William J . Clinton Presidential Center and Park in Little Rock , Arkansas was dedicated in 2004 . Clinton released a best - selling autobiography , " My Life " in 2004 . In 2007 , he released " " , which also became a " The New York Times " Best Seller and garnered positive reviews . In the aftermath of the 2004 Asian tsunami , U . N . Secretary - General Kofi Annan appointed Clinton to head a relief effort . After Hurricane Katrina , Clinton joined with fellow former President George H . W . Bush to establish the Bush - Clinton Tsunami Fund in January 2005 , and the Bush - Clinton Katrina Fund in October of that year . As part of the tsunami effort , these two ex - presidents appeared in a url = http : / / www . washingtonpost . com / wp - dyn / articles / A39788 - 2005Jan26 . html | title = Senior Bush , Clinton to Appear at Super Bowl | work = The Washington Post | first = Mark | last = Maske | date = January 27 , 2005 | accessdate = April 26 , 2010 } } < / ref > and traveled to the affected areas . They also spoke together at the funeral of [ [ Boris Yeltsin in 2007 . [ [ File : Clinton pres library . jpg | thumb | [ [ William J . Clinton Presidential Center and Park ] ] , dedicated in 2004 ] ] Based on his philanthropic worldview , Clinton created the [ [ William J . Clinton Foundation ] ] to address issues of global importance . This foundation includes the Clinton Foundation HIV and AIDS Initiative ( CHAI ) , which strives to combat that disease , and has worked with the Australian government toward that end . The Clinton Global Initiative ( CGI ) , begun by the Clinton Foundation in 2005 , attempts to address world problems such as global [ [ public health ] ] , poverty alleviation and religious and [ [ ethnic conflict ] ] . In 2005 , Clinton announced through his foundation an agreement with manufacturers to stop selling sugared drinks in schools . Clinton ' s foundation joined with the [ [ Large Cities Climate Leadership Group ] ] in 2006 to improve cooperation among those cities , and he met with foreign leaders to promote this initiative . The foundation has received donations from a number of governments all over the world , including Asia and the Middle East . In 2008 , Foundation director [ [ Inder Singh ( philanthropist ) | Inder Singh ] ] announced that deals to reduce the price of anti - malaria drugs by 30 percent in developing nations . Clinton also spoke in favor of [ [ California Proposition 87 ( 2006 ) | California Proposition 87 ] ] on [ [ energy development | alternative energy ] ] , which was voted down . 2008 presidential election . During the [ [ Democratic Party presidential primaries , 2008 | 2008 Democratic presidential primary campaign ] ] , Clinton vigorously advocated on behalf of his wife , Hillary Clinton . Through speaking engagements and fundraisers , he was able to raise $ 10 million toward her campaign . Some worried that as an ex - president , he was too active on the trail , too negative to Clinton rival Barack Obama , and alienating his supporters at home and abroad . Many were especially critical of him following his remarks in the South Carolina primary , which Obama won . Later in the 2008 primaries , there was some infighting between Bill and Hillary ' s staffs , especially in Pennsylvania . Considering Bill ' s remarks , many thought that he could not rally Hillary supporters behind Obama after Obama won the primary . Such remarks lead to apprehension that the party would be split to the detriment of Obama ' s election . Fears were allayed August 27 , 2008 , when Clinton enthusiastically endorsed Obama at the 2008 Democratic National Convention , saying that all his experience as president assures him that Obama is " ready to lead " . After Hillary Clinton ' s presidential campaign was over , Bill Clinton continued to raise funds to help pay off her campaign debt . After the 2008 election . [ [ File : Obama and Bill Clinton . jpg | thumb | Clinton with President Barack Obama and Senior Advisor [ [ Valerie Jarrett ] ] in July 2010 ] ] In 2009 , Clinton travelled to North Korea on behalf of [ [ 2009 imprisonment of American journalists by North Korea | two American journalists imprisoned in North Korea ] ] . [ [ Euna Lee ] ] and [ [ Laura Ling ] ] had been imprisoned for illegally entering the country from China . [ [ Jimmy Carter ] ] had made a similar visit in 1994 . After Clinton met with North Korean leader [ [ Kim Jong - il ] ] , Kim issued a pardon . Since then , Clinton has been assigned a number of other diplomatic missions . He was named United Nations [ [ Special Envoy of the Secretary - General | Special Envoy ] ] to Haiti in 2009 . In response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake , U . S . President Barack Obama announced that Clinton and [ [ George W . Bush ] ] would coordinate efforts to raise funds for Haiti ' s recovery . Clinton continues to visit Haiti to witness the inauguration of refugee villages , and to raise funds for victims of the earthquake . In 2010 , Clinton announced support of , and delivered the keynote address for , the inauguration of [ [ NTR Foundation | NTR ] ] , Ireland ' s first environmental foundation . At the 2012 Democratic National Convention , Clinton gave a widely praised speech nominating Barack Obama . Post - presidential health concerns . In September 2004 , Clinton received a quadruple bypass surgery . In March 2005 , he underwent surgery for a partially collapsed lung . On February 11 , 2010 , he was rushed to [ [ Columbia Presbyterian Hospital ] ] in New York City after complaining of chest pains , and had two [ [ coronary stent ] ] s implanted in his heart . After this experience , Clinton adopted the plant - based whole foods ( [ [ veganism | vegan ] ] ) diet recommended by doctors [ [ Dean Ornish ] ] and [ [ Caldwell Esselstyn ] ] . Clinton has reportedly begun practicing Buddhist meditation in order to help him relax and complete a healthier lifestyle . < ref name = " http : / / www . dailymail . co . uk / news / article - 2183101 / Bill - Clinton - turns - art - Buddhist - meditation - relax . html " > < / ref > Honors and accolades . [ [ File : William S . Cohen presents President Clinton the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service . jpg | thumb | left | [ [ United States Secretary of Defense | Secretary of Defense ] ] [ [ William Cohen | Cohen ] ] presents President Clinton the DoD Medal for Distinguished Public Service . ] ] [ [ File : Bill Clinton statue . jpg | thumb | Bill Clinton statue in Pristina , the capital of the [ [ Republic of Kosovo ] ] ] ] Various colleges and universities have awarded Clinton [ [ honorary degrees ] ] , including Doctorate of Law degrees and [ [ Doctor of Humane Letters ] ] degrees . Schools have been named for Clinton , and statues have been built to pay him homage . U . S . states where he has been honored include Missouri , Arkansas , Kentucky , and New York . He was presented with the [ [ Medal for Distinguished Public Service ] ] by [ [ United States Secretary of Defense | Secretary of Defense ] ] [ [ William S . Cohen ] ] in 2001 . The [ [ Clinton Presidential Center ] ] was opened in Little Rock , Arkansas in his honor on December 5 , 2001 . He has been honored in various other ways , in countries that include the Czech Republic , Papua New Guinea , Germany , and Kosovo . The [ [ Republic of Kosovo ] ] , in gratitude for his help during the [ [ Kosovo War ] ] , renamed a major street in the capital city of Pristina as [ [ Bill Clinton Boulevard ] ] and added a monumental Clinton statue . In 1993 , Clinton was selected as " Time magazine " " [ [ Time Person of the Year | Man of the Year ] ] " , and again in 1998 , along with [ [ Ken Starr ] ] . From a poll conducted of the American people in December 1999 , Clinton was among eighteen included in [ [ Gallup ' s List of Widely Admired People ] ] of the 20th century . He was honored with a [ [ Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children ] ] , a [ [ J . William Fulbright ] ] Prize for International Understanding , a [ [ TED ( conference ) | TED ] ] Prize ( named for the confluence of technology , entertainment and design ) , and was named as an Honorary [ [ GLAAD Media Award ] ] recipient for his work as an advocate for the [ [ LGBT ] ] community . External links . 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