Hillary Clinton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hillary Clinton
Clinton in 2016
67th United States Secretary of State
In office January 21, 2009 – February 1, 2013
President	Barack Obama
Deputy	John Negroponte James Steinberg William J. Burns
Preceded by	Condoleezza Rice
Succeeded by	John Kerry
United States Senator from New York
In office January 3, 2001 – January 21, 2009
Preceded by	Daniel Patrick Moynihan
Succeeded by	Kirsten Gillibrand
First Lady of the United States
In role January 20, 1993 – January 20, 2001
President	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	Barbara Bush
Succeeded by	Laura Bush
First Lady of Arkansas
In role January 11, 1983 – December 12, 1992
Governor	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	Gay Daniels White
Succeeded by	Betty Tucker
In role January 9, 1979 – January 19, 1981
Governor	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	Barbara Pryor
Succeeded by	Gay Daniels White
11th Chancellor of Queen's University Belfast
Incumbent
Assumed office January 2, 2020
President	Ian Greer
Preceded by	Thomas J. Moran
Personal details
Born	Hillary Diane Rodham (1947-10-26) October 26, 1947 (age 77) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Political party	Democratic (1968–present)
Other political affiliations	Republican (1965–1968)
Spouse	Bill Clinton ​ (m. 1975)​
Children	Chelsea Clinton
Parents	Hugh Rodham Dorothy Howell
Relatives	Clinton family
Residences	Chappaqua, New York, U.S. Washington, D.C., U.S.
Education	Wellesley College (BA) Yale University (JD)
Awards	List of honors and awards
Signature

Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton (born October 26, 1947) is an American politician. She is married to former President of the United States Bill Clinton. She served as the First Lady of the United States when her husband was President.

Hillary Clinton made history as the first former First Lady elected to the U.S. Senate. She represented New York from 2001 to 2009. Later, she became the 67th U.S. Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013 under President Barack Obama. In 2016, Clinton was the Democratic Party's candidate for President of the United States. She lost the election to Donald Trump. She is a member of the Democratic Party.

Early Life and Education

Hillary Diane Rodham was born in Chicago, Illinois. She grew up in Park Ridge, a suburb near Chicago. Her parents were Hugh E. Rodham and Dorothy Emma Howell Rodham. She has Welsh, English, French, and French Canadian family roots. Hillary has two younger brothers, Hugh and Tony.

She attended Maine East High School and Maine South High School. After graduating in 1965, she went to Wellesley College in Massachusetts.

In 1969, Rodham started studying at Yale Law School. She earned her Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from Yale in 1973. A J.D. is a law degree that helps you become a lawyer. After law school, she spent a year studying children and medicine at the Yale Child Study Center.

First Lady of the United States (1993-2001)

Hillary and Bill Clinton at the White House in 1993

As First Lady, Hillary Clinton worked to improve the health care system. She wanted to make changes that would help more Americans. However, her plans faced challenges and were not approved.

During this time, her husband, President Clinton, faced public questions about his actions. This was a difficult period for the Clinton family.

Serving as a Senator (2001-2009)

When Hillary Clinton decided to run for the U.S. Senate, she chose to represent New York. Some people criticized this because she had not lived in New York before. Despite this, she won the election and was re-elected for a second term in 2006.

Before the war in Iraq began, she voted to support it. She later said she regretted that vote.

2008 Presidential Campaign

State-by-state popular votes in the Democratic primaries and caucuses, shaded by percentage won: Obama in purple, Clinton in green.

Hillary Clinton started her 2008 presidential campaign by raising a lot of money. However, she later faced financial challenges. She eventually lost the Democratic Party's nomination to Barack Obama. After the primaries, she actively supported Obama in his campaign.

United States Secretary of State (2009-2013)

Clinton being sworn in as United States Secretary of State, January 2009

In late 2008, President-elect Obama asked Hillary Clinton to be his next U.S. Secretary of State. She accepted the offer.

As Secretary of State, Clinton focused on women's rights and human rights around the world. She traveled more than any previous Secretary of State. She also encouraged using social media to share America's views globally.

Clinton decided not to serve a second term as Secretary. After President Obama was re-elected in 2012, John Kerry took over her role. Clinton left office on February 1, 2013.

2016 Presidential Campaign

In 2016, Hillary Clinton became the first woman from a major political party to run for President of the United States. She won the Democratic Party's nomination, even though she faced strong competition from Senator Bernie Sanders.

In the general election, Clinton won more individual votes (the popular vote) than her opponent, Donald Trump. However, she lost the election based on the Electoral College votes.

After the 2016 Election

In April 2017, Clinton announced she would not seek public office again. In 2018, she received an honorary degree from Queen's University Belfast. She became the chancellor of that university on January 2, 2020.

In January 2023, Columbia University announced that Clinton would join them. She became a professor at the School of International and Public Affairs. She also became a presidential fellow at Columbia World Projects.

Personal Life

Hillary Rodham married Bill Clinton on October 11, 1975. They met while studying at Yale Law School and later worked together at the University of Arkansas Law School. Their only child, Chelsea Clinton, was born on February 27, 1980.

Honors and Recognition

In January 2025, United States President Joe Biden gave Hillary Clinton the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This is a very high honor for civilians.

Hillary Clinton Quotes

• "...so much of what happens in life is out of your control, but how you respond to it is in your control."
• "Always aim high, work hard, and care deeply about what you believe in."
• "Every moment wasted looking back, keeps us from moving forward."
• "Fear is always with us, but we just don't have time for it. Not now."

Interesting Facts About Hillary Clinton

• In 1964, at age 17, Hillary helped the Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater.
• She earned her Juris Doctor degree from Yale University in 1973.
• She worked on the case to impeach President Richard Nixon after the Watergate scandal.
• She was First Lady during her husband, Bill Clinton's, impeachment process.
• While First Lady, she helped create the 1993 Health Security Act.
• Hillary was the first spouse of an American President to have her own office in the West Wing of the White House.
• Under the Obama administration, she helped increase trade between the U.S. and China.
• As Secretary of State, she traveled to 112 different countries.
• Hillary is a fan of the Chicago Cubs baseball team.

Books by Hillary Clinton

• It Takes a Village: And Other Lessons Children Teach Us (1996)
• Dear Socks, Dear Buddy: Kids' Letters to the First Pets (1998)
• An Invitation to the White House: At Home with History (2000)
• Living History (2003)
• Hard Choices (2014)
• Stronger Together: A Blueprint for America's Future (2016)
• What Happened (2017)
• The Book of Gutsy Women: Favorite Stories of Courage and Resilience (2019)
• Grandma's Gardens (2020)
• State of Terror (2021)
• Something Lost, Something Gained: Reflections on Life, Love, and Liberty (2024)

See Also

In Spanish: Hillary Clinton para niños