Hillary Rodham Clinton has served as secretary of state, senator from New York, first lady of the United States, first lady of Arkansas, a practicing lawyer and law professor, activist, and volunteer—but the first thing her friends and family will tell you is that she’s never forgotten where she came from or who she’s been fighting for.
After law school, Hillary didn’t join a big law firm in Washington or New York. Instead, she went to work for the Children’s Defense Fund, going door-to-door in New Bedford, Massachusetts, gathering stories about the lack of schooling for children with disabilities. These testimonials contributed to the passage of historic legislation that required the state to provide quality education for students with disabilities. This commitment to public service and fighting for others—especially children and families—has stayed with her throughout her life.
Bill was first elected president in 1992 and re-elected in 1996. As first lady, Hillary tenaciously led the fight to reform our health care system so that all families would have access to the care they need at affordable prices. When the insurance companies and other special interests defeated that effort, Hillary didn’t give up. She worked with Republicans and Democrats to help create the successful Children’s Health Insurance Program, which provides health coverage to more than 8 million children and has helped cut the uninsured rate for children in half.
In 2000, Hillary was elected to the U.S. Senate. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Hillary pushed the Bush administration to secure $20 billion to rebuild New York and fought to provide health care for responders who were at Ground Zero. Hillary worked across the aisle to expand TRICARE, giving members of the Reserves and National Guard and their families better access to health care.
When Congress wouldn’t do enough for rural areas and small towns, Hillary didn’t back down. She launched an innovative partnership in New York with eBay and local colleges to provide small businesses with tech support, microloans, and training programs to sell their goods online. She helped expand broadband to remote areas of the state, and she launched Farm-to-Fork, an initiative to help New York farmers and producers sell their products to New York’s restaurants, schools, colleges, and universities.
In 2008, Hillary ran for president. When she came up short, she gave a powerful speech thanking her supporters and threw her support behind then-Senator Barack Obama. She campaigned hard to make sure there was a Democrat in the White House.
And when President Obama asked Hillary to serve as his secretary of state, she put aside their hard-fought campaign and answered the call to public service once again. After eight years of Bush foreign policy, Hillary was instrumental in the effort to restore America’s standing in the world. Even former Republican Secretary of State Henry Kissinger said she “ran the State Department in the most effective way that I’ve ever seen.”
Hillary ran for president in 2016, championing her belief that Americans are stronger together. In July 2016, she became the first woman to earn a major party’s nomination for president, and went on to earn 66 million votes.
In her concession speech on November 9, 2016, she called on supporters to “never stop believing that fighting for what’s right is worth it.” Inspired by the widespread activism after the election, Hillary founded Onward Together, an organization that works to advance progressive values by encouraging people to organize, get involved, and run for office.