Hillary Clinton will celebrate her 69th birthday on Wednesday, but that didn’t stop a crowd at a Florida rally from singing “Happy Birthday” to the Democratic candidate .
“Thank you,” Clinton replied to the rally with laughter. “Yeah, you know, you’re right. That last debate was like an early birthday present, right?”
When Clinton appeared on the cover of TIME for her 50th birthday in 1997, she predicted that the years ahead would see her going on “to do something else that I find challenging and interesting.” If the polls are any indication, her 70th year may turn out to be the most challenging and interesting yet.
Twice named as one of the 100 top lawyers in the U.S., Hillary serves on 17 civic and corporate boards. While in Arkansas as the Governor’s wife, she worked in legal private practice in a law firm. Her husband was voted Governor of Arkansas in 1978 at age 32. He was sworn into office as U.S. President 1/20/1993, 11:59 AM EST, Washington DC.
While in the White House, there were plenty of loud fights reported, a vivid feature in their relationship. Many claim that their intimacy and affection was never posed, but that they are deeply bonded in spite of all external influences. Hillary has stood by her man in the famous 1992 denial of Gennifer Flowers, and the 1998 denial of Monica Lewinsky, both of which Bill later retracted in a spirit of contrition. Denial has an expedient place in many marriages, indeed may be the key feature in some families.
On 8/13/1998, she heard the truth about her husband’s 18-month tryst with the White House intern who was six years older than their daughter, and four days later she held her head high during the public humiliation of his public admission that he had “misled people.” Her body English in photographs showed her deep anger, but according to friends, she turned inward, to her spiritual side.
Her religion has always been central to Hillary and she has read widely of different faiths, remaining a strong Methodist foundation. In the following weeks, when she was asked conversationally if she ‘d ever had a stress-test, she replied, dead-pan, “I’m having one now.”
Moving toward the year 2000, Clinton had given serious thought during the latter part of 1999 for the candidacy of running for the Senate. She had made the necessary phone calls and had moved from “Tell me why” to Tell me why not,” the only visible drawback at this time being a conflict of interest with the possible Pres. Campaign of Al Gore. She did indeed announce her candidacy in New York at 4:08 PM EST, 2/06/2000, in Purchase, NY. On 5/16/2000, Hillary received the nomination of the N.Y. Democratic Party for U.S. senator. As Mayor Guiliani dropped out of the race for health reasons, she ran against Rick A. Lazio (born 3/13/1958, Amityville, NY.) On 11/07/2000, she was elected a new Senator in New York.
When her husband handed out 240 pardons during his last few hours in the presidential office, 1/20/2001, some of the felons were connected to the supply of votes that Hillary won. In a statewide poll of 514 registered voters, forty-six percent of New York voters believe Sen. Hillary
Rodham Clinton did something unethical but not illegal in connection with the pardons. The New York Senator’s long-anticipated memoir, which brought her $8 million advance from the publisher, was released for sale on June 9, 2003. The book is entitled “Living History.”
With the headlines “I’m in,” Clinton announced on January 20,2007 via a video and text on her website her intent to form a presidential exploratory committee.
After a long and grueling race against other Democratic contenders, she pulled ahead of all except Barack Obama. She withdrew from the Presidential race with a formal announcement on June 4, 2008.
President-elect Barack Obama officially named her as his choice for Secretary of State on December 1, 2008. She was confirmed on January 21, 2009 and took her oath of office at 5:29 PM EST that afternoon. On her way to a meeting at the White House on June 17, 2009, she fell and fractured her right elbow. The next day she underwent surgery to repair the fracture.
Her beloved mother, Dorothy Rodham, died at age 92 on November 1, 2011 in Washington, DC.
In December 2012 she suffered from a blood clot behind her ear near the brain. She fully recovered, and on 1 February she handed in her resignation as secretary of state.
On 13 June 2015, she started an election campaign to become president of the US in the november 2016 elections.
