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Presidency of Bill Clinton

Personal data
Date of birthAugust 19, 1946(age 70)
Place of birthHope, Arkansas
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseHillary Rodham Clinton(Then Hillary Clinton)
ChildrenChelsea Clinton
Alma materGeorgetown University
University College, Oxford
Yale Law School
OccupationLawyer
ReligionBaptist
42nd President of the United States
In officeJanuary 20, 1993 - January 20, 2001
PresidentAlbert Gore, Jr.
Vice PresidentAlbert Gore, Jr.
Succeeded byGeorge W. Bush
Preceded byGeorge H. W. Bush

Presidency of Bill Clinton

Alignright
NameClinton
PresidentBill Clinton
President Start1993
President End2001
Vice PresidentAl Gore
Vice President Start1993
Vice President End2001
StateWarren Christopher
State Start1993
State End1997
State 2Madeleine Albright
State Start 21997
State End 22001
TreasuryLloyd Bentsen
Treasury Start1993
Treasury End1994
Treasury 2Robert Rubin
Treasury Start 21995
Treasury End 21999
Treasury 3Lawrence Summers
Treasury Start 31999
Treasury End 32001
DefenseLes Aspin
Defense Start1993
Defense End1994
Defense 2William Perry
Defense Start 21994
Defense End 21997
Defense 3William Cohen
Defense Start 31997
Defense End 32001
JusticeJanet Reno
Justice Start1993
Justice End2001
InteriorBruce Babbitt
Interior Start1993
Interior End2001
AgricultureMike Espy
Agriculture Start1993
Agriculture End1994
Agriculture 2Daniel Glickman
Agriculture Start 21995
Agriculture End 22001
CommerceRon Brown
Commerce Start1993
Commerce End1996
Commerce 2Mickey Kantor
Commerce Start 21996
Commerce End 21997
Commerce 3William Daley
Commerce Start 31997
Commerce End 32000
Commerce 4Norman Mineta
Commerce Start 42000
Commerce End 42001
LaborRobert Reich
Labor Start1993
Labor End1997
Labor 2Alexis Herman
Labor Start 21997
Labor End 22001
Health And Human ServicesDonna Shalala
Health And Human Services Start1993
Health And Human Services End2001
EducationRichard Riley
Education Start1993
Education End2001
Housing And Urban DevelopmentHenry Cisneros
Housing And Urban Development Start1993
Housing And Urban Development End1997
Housing And Urban Development 2Andrew Cuomo
Housing And Urban Development Start 21997
Housing And Urban Development End 22001
TransportationFederico Peña
Transportation Start1993
Transportation End1997
Transportation 2Rodney Slater
Transportation Start 21997
Transportation End 22001
EnergyHazel O'Leary
Energy Start1993
Energy End1997
Energy 2Federico Peña
Energy Start 21997
Energy End 21998
Energy 3Bill Richardson
Energy Start 31998
Energy End 32001
Veterans AffairsJesse Brown
Veterans Affairs Start1993
Veterans Affairs End1997
Veterans Affairs 2Togo West
Veterans Affairs Start 21998
Veterans Affairs End 22000
Veterans Affairs 3Hershel W. Gober, act.
Veterans Affairs Start 32000
Veterans Affairs End 32001
Chief Of StaffMack McLarty
Chief Of Staff Start1993
Chief Of Staff End1994
Chief Of Staff 2Leon Panetta
Chief Of Staff Start 21994
Chief Of Staff End 21997
Chief Of Staff 3Erskine Bowles
Chief Of Staff Start 31997
Chief Of Staff End 31998
Chief Of Staff 4John Podesta
Chief Of Staff Start 41998
Chief Of Staff End 42001
Environmental ProtectionCarol Browner
Environmental Protection Start1993
Environmental Protection End2001
Management And BudgetLeon Panetta
Management And Budget Start1993
Management And Budget End1994
Management And Budget 2Alice Rivlin
Management And Budget Start 21994
Management And Budget End 21996
Management And Budget 3Franklin Raines
Management And Budget Start 31996
Management And Budget End 31998
Management And Budget 4Jacob Lew
Management And Budget Start 41998
Management And Budget End 42001
National Drug ControlLee Brown
National Drug Control Start1993
National Drug Control End1995
National Drug Control 2Barry McCaffrey
National Drug Control Start 21996
National Drug Control End 22001
TradeMickey Kantor
Trade Start1993
Trade End1997
Trade 2Charlene Barshefsky
Trade Start 21997
Trade End 22001

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The United States Presidency of Bill Clinton, also known as the Clinton Administration, was the executive branch of the federal government of the United States from January 20, 1993 to January 20, 2001. Clinton was the first Democratic president since Franklin D. Roosevelt to win a second full term. Clinton was also the first president since FDR and the last until current President Barack Obama to have not served in the military in any capacity; of his predecessors, all served in some capacity during World War II, apart from Harry Truman, who served in World War I, and Jimmy Carter, who served six years in the Navy upon graduating from the Naval Academy.

The administration faced political opposition in 1994 when Republicans took control of both houses of Congress but Clinton was reelected in 1996, after a failed attempt at health care reform. The administration had a mixed record on taxes but produced the first federal budget surpluses since 1969, for fiscal years 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001, leading to a decrease in the public debt (though the gross federal debt continued to increase). Clinton supported the North American Free Trade Agreement, which he signed into law in 1994. His presidency saw the passage of welfare reform in Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act which ended Aid to Families with Dependent Children and reduced much needed welfare programs. This received support from both political parties. He also signed the reversal of the Glass-Steagall Act which was designed to prevent financial institutions from getting too big to fail. He also signed the Commodity Futures Modernization Act which legalized over-the-counter derivatives. Clinton saw the escalation of the War on Drugs prompting a swell in the prison population from 1.4 to 2 million.

Socially, the administration began with efforts by Clinton to allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military, which culminated in a compromise known as "Don't ask, don't tell", theoretically allowing gays and lesbians to serve in the military if they did not disclose their sexual orientation (the policy was repealed in 2010). However Bill Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act, considered by many to be a blow to the LGBT rights movement. A couple of measures were introduced to improve the effectiveness of the social safety net, including an increase in the number of child care places, a signficant expansion of the EITC program, and the introduction of new programs such as SCHIP, and a child tax credit.

The administration took office less than two years after the fall of the Soviet Union, and the administration's foreign policy addressed conflicts in Somalia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Haiti through militarism and economic exploitation. The Clinton presidency also saw the passage and signing of the Iraq Liberation Act of 1998 which was a bipartisan measure expressing support for regime change in Iraq. Clinton's sanctions and bombings of Iraq culminated in the death 500,000 Iraqi children. On three separate occasions, in 1996, 1998, and 2000, the administration unsuccessfully attempted to capture or assassinate Osama Bin Laden, who was eventually killed by U.S. special forces in 2011.

Clinton considered himself a "New Democrat" and was a founding member of the Democratic Leadership Council, a centrist group of Democrats, who promoted moderate policies. Clinton left office with the highest end of office approval rating of any president since World War II, but he was the first US president to be impeached since Andrew Johnson, and only the second in US history, as a result of the Lewinsky scandal, though like Johnson, he was acquitted by the Senate.


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