Bill Clinton In the 1980s, the United States of America had its first celebrity turned president, Ronald Reagan. A decade later one of its presidents, Bill Clinton, turned celebrity. President Clinton gained popularity as a political leader and as a celebrity during his eight years in office. His presidency was surrounded by beautiful people, scandal, and rock and roll. President Clinton was born William Jefferson Blythe III, on August 19, 1946. His father was killed three months before he was born, and in 1950 his mother, Virginia, married again to Roger Clinton. The young Bill did not take his stepfather’s name until he was fourteen years old, however. The family lived in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and Bill had a half-brother named Roger Clinton Jr.
Clinton went to college at Georgetown University, won a Rhodes Scholarship after graduation, and eventually ended up at Yale University where he earned a law degree. He also met his future wife, Hillary Rodham at Yale. The two married in 1975 and in 1980 they had their only child, Chelsea. Bill Clinton began his political career with an unsuccessful run for the House of Representatives in 1974. In 1976, he was elected as the Arkansas Attorney General, and in 1978, at the age of thirty-two, he was elected governor of Arkansas. In 1992, Clinton left his post as governor to run as the Democratic candidate for president of the United States. His campaign was marred by scandal when Gennifer Flowers claimed that she had a twelve year affair with the then Governor Clinton. Bill and his wife, Hillary, went on 60 Minutes to refute the claims, but Flowers had a convincing story and many people believe the affair actually occurred. Despite his problems, Bill Clinton became the Democratic candidate and went on to win the presidency from President George H W Bush. He became known as the Rock-n-Roll president when he had rock bands such as Fleetwood Mac play at his inaugural balls.
During Clinton’s presidency, the economic status of the country was very stable. Buoyed by the technology boom, the jobless rate was low. However, his presidency was rife with scandal. Claims were made against both him and his wife that they had been involved in illegal real estate business in what became known as “Whitewater Gate.” Three separate investigations failed to produce evidence that they were at fault. President Clinton’s biggest scandal ended in impeachment in 1998 by the House of Representatives for his perjury and obstruction of justice in an investigation into his affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. He forcefully declared that he “did not have sexual relations” with Lewinsky, but later admitted to having sexual contact with her, but not intercourse. Hillary Clinton stuck by him during this time, but reports of marital troubles abounded. Bill Clinton ended his presidency in 2001 and helped his wife win a seat in the Senate where she still serves. He wrote a best selling biography, My Life, in 2004. In 2005, Clinton formed an unlikely friendship with former rival George H W Bush when the two joined forces to help raise funds for the victims of Hurricane Katrina along the Gulf Coast. YUDDY | 
