Bill Clinton

Bill Clinton grew up in Hope, Arkansas, played saxophone in his school band, and was inspired by meeting President John F. Kennedy as a teenager. After studying at Georgetown University, Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, and Yale Law School, he returned to Arkansas to teach law and enter politics. Clinton became attorney general and then governor, promoting education reform and business development.

In the 1992 presidential election Clinton described himself as a "New Democrat" who would blend market competition with social compassion. His early agenda included the Family and Medical Leave Act, which guaranteed unpaid leave for workers, and an unsuccessful attempt to reform health care. He signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), linking the U.S., Canada, and Mexico in a tariff-free zone, and the Brady Bill, which required background checks for handgun purchases.

By the mid-1990s Clinton embraced welfare reform through the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, pairing work requirements with support like the Earned Income Tax Credit. Cooperation with a Republican Congress produced balanced budgets and even surpluses as the "dot-com" technology boom accelerated. Clinton also expanded the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to cover millions of kids.

Abroad, Clinton mediated the Oslo Accords between Israelis and Palestinians, supported peace talks in Northern Ireland, and used NATO airstrikes to stop ethnic cleansing in the Balkans. He also ordered limited military actions in Somalia, Haiti, Sudan, and Afghanistan. His administration pursued globalization while launching initiatives to fight HIV/AIDS overseas.

Clinton's second term was dominated by investigations into his relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. He was impeached by the House of Representatives in 1998 on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice but acquitted by the Senate. After leaving office in 2001, he founded the Clinton Foundation, focusing on global health, climate resilience, and economic development.