Born in Chicago, Illinois

October 26, 1947

Hillary Diane Rodham was born at Edgewater Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, and was raised in a United Methodist family.

Her father, Hugh Ellsworth Rodham, was a child of Welsh and English immigrants and operated a successful small business in the textile industry. Her mother, Dorothy Emma Howell, of English, Scottish, French Canadian, and Welsh descent, was a homemaker. She has two younger brothers, Hugh and Tony.

Maine East High School

September 1, 1961 - June 20, 1964

She attended Maine East High School, where she participated in student council, appeared on It's Academic, and was selected for National Honor Society.

Volunteered for Republican candidate Barry Goldwater

March 1, 1964

Raised in a politically conservative household, she volunteered for Republican candidate Barry Goldwater in the U.S. presidential election of 1964.

Maine South High School

September 1, 1964 - June 20, 1965

For her senior year she was redistricted to Maine South High School, where she was a National Merit Finalist and graduated in 1965.

Wellesley College

September 20, 1965 - June 25, 1969

Rodham enrolled in Wellesley College in 1965, where she majored in political science. During her freshman year, she served as president of the Rockefeller Republican-oriented Wellesley Young Republicans organization. and with them supported the elections of John Lindsay and Edward Brooke. However, due to her evolving views regarding the American Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War, she stepped down. She proclaimed herself "a mind conservative and a heart liberal." Rather than take then-popular radical actions against the political system, she sought to work for change within the system. In her junior year, Rodham became a supporter of the anti-war presidential nomination campaign of Democrat Eugene McCarthy. Following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., Rodham organized a two-day student strike and worked with Wellesley's black students to recruit more black students and faculty. In early 1968, she was elected president of the Wellesley College Government Association and served through early 1969; she was instrumental in keeping Wellesley from being embroiled by the student disruptions common to other colleges. A number of her fellow students thought she might someday become the first woman President of the United States. So she could better understand her changing political views, Professor Alan Schechter assigned Rodham to intern at the House Republican Conference and she attended the "Wellesley in Washington" summer program. Rodham was invited by moderate New York Republican Representative Charles Goodell to help Governor Nelson Rockefeller’s late-entry campaign for the Republican nomination. Rodham attended the 1968 Republican National Convention in Miami. However, she was upset by how Richard Nixon's campaign portrayed Rockefeller and what she perceived as the "veiled" racist messages of the convention, causing her to leave the Republican Party for good.

Rodham returned to Wellesley, and wrote her senior thesis about the tactics of radical community organizer Saul Alinsky under Professor Schechter (which, years later while she was First Lady, was suppressed at White House request and became the subject of speculation). In 1969, Rodham graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, with departmental honors in political science. Stemming from the demands of some students, she became the first student in Wellesley College history to deliver their commencement address. Her speech received a standing ovation lasting seven minutes. She was featured in an article published in Life magazine, due to the response to a part of her speech that criticized Senator Edward Brooke, who had spoken before her at the commencement.

Yale Law School

September 1, 1970 - July 1, 1973

Rodham then entered Yale Law School, where she served on the Board of Editors of the Yale Review of Law and Social Action.

She received a Juris Doctor degree from Yale in 1973, having spent an extra year in order to be with Clinton.

Bill Clinton

June 1, 1971 - Now

In the late spring of 1971, she began dating Bill Clinton, also a law student at Yale. When Hilliary moved to Oakland, CA for a summer, Clinton canceled his original summer plans in order to live with her in California; the couple continued living together in New Haven when they returned to law school. She received a Juris Doctor degree from Yale in 1973, having spent an extra year in order to be with Clinton. Clinton first proposed marriage to her following graduation, but she declined.

Chelsea born

Feburary 27, 1980

On February 27, 1980, Rodham gave birth to a daughter, Chelsea, her only child.

First Lady of the US

January 20, 1993 - January 20, 2001

When Bill Clinton took office as president in January 1993, Hillary Rodham Clinton became the First Lady of the United States, and announced that she would be using that form of her name. She was the first First Lady to hold a post-graduate degree and to have her own professional career up to the time of entering the White House. She was also the first to take up an office in the West Wing of the White House: the First Lady usually stays in the East Wing. She is regarded as the most openly empowered presidential wife in American history, save for Eleanor Roosevelt.

1st term as U.S. Senator

January 3, 2001 - November 7, 2006

Clinton secured a broad base of support, including endorsements from conservation groups and organized labor, but not the New York City police and firefighters' unions. By the date of the election, the campaigns of Clinton and Lazio, along with Giuliani's initial effort, had spent a record combined $90 million. Clinton won the election on November 7, 2000, with 55 percent of the vote to Lazio's 43 percent. She was sworn in as United States Senator on January 3, 2001.


Clinton strongly supported the 2001 U.S. military action in Afghanistan, saying it was a chance to combat terrorism while improving the lives of Afghan women who suffered under the Taliban government.


Clinton voted in favor of the October 2002 Iraq War Resolution, which authorized United States President George W. Bush to use military force against Iraq, should such action be required to enforce a United Nations Security Council Resolution after pursuing with diplomatic efforts.

2nd term as U.S. Senator

January 7, 2007 - Now

Clinton opposed the Iraq War troop surge of 2007 and supported a February 2007 non-binding Senate resolution against it, which failed to gain cloture.

2008 Presidential campaign

January 20, 2007 - Now

Clinton had been mentioned as a potential candidate for United States President since at least October 2002. On January 20, 2007, Clinton announced via her web site the formation of a presidential exploratory committee for the United States presidential election of 2008. She stated, "I'm in. And I'm in to win." No woman has ever been nominated by a major party for President of the United States.