Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
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| Secretary of State Hillary Clinton | |
|---|---|
 Gage Skidmore · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source | |
| Name | Hillary Rodham Clinton |
| Caption | Secretary of State Hillary Clinton |
| Office | 67th United States Secretary of State |
| President | Barack Obama |
| Term start | January 21, 2009 |
| Term end | February 1, 2013 |
| Predecessor | Condoleezza Rice |
| Successor | John Kerry |
| Birth date | October 26, 1947 |
| Birth place | Chicago |
| Party | Democratic Party |
| Spouse | Bill Clinton |
| Alma mater | Wellesley College, Yale Law School |
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton served as the 67th United States Secretary of State under Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, after a career as First Lady of the United States and a United States Senator from New York. Her tenure emphasized a diplomatic "pivot" to Asia-Pacific relations, advocacy for women's rights abroad, and engagement with multilateral institutions such as the United Nations. Clinton's background includes Wellesley College and Yale Law School and close ties to figures including Bill Clinton, Madeleine Albright, and Samantha Power.
Early life and education
Born in Chicago and raised in Park Ridge, Illinois, Clinton attended Maine North High School before matriculating at Wellesley College, where she studied political science and interned with Joseph O'Hara and participated in student government alongside future leaders. She delivered a notable commencement address at Wellesley College and then attended Yale Law School, where she met William J. Clinton and worked on legal projects connected to Children's Defense Fund-linked programs. During her Yale years she was involved with clinics addressing juvenile justice matters and collaborated with professors and peers who later entered public life such as Ruth Bader Ginsburg-era colleagues and contemporaries connected to Rosalynn Carter's initiatives.
Political career before State Department
Clinton's early career encompassed roles with the Rose Law Firm in Little Rock, Arkansas, advising on policy matters during Bill Clinton's tenure as Governor of Arkansas, and involvement with the Arkansas Children's Hospital board. As First Lady of the United States (1993–2001) she led initiatives linked to Health Care Reform debates involving figures like Hillary Rodham Clinton collaborators and faced opposition from Newt Gingrich and Bob Dole. Elected to the United States Senate from New York in 2000, she served on committees including Armed Services and worked with senators such as Chuck Schumer and Hillary's Senate colleagues on legislation intersecting with 9/11 Commission aftermath policies and Patriot Act debates. Her 2008 presidential campaign engaged opponents including Barack Obama and John Edwards, and her network included advisers from Brookings Institution and Center for American Progress.
Appointment and confirmation as Secretary of State
President Barack Obama nominated Clinton for Secretary of State in December 2008, succeeding Condoleezza Rice. Her confirmation process involved hearings before the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, chaired by John Kerry's predecessor activities and participation by members such as Senator John McCain, Senator Joe Biden-era colleagues, and Senator Hillary Clinton's former Senate allies. Confirmed by a bipartisan Senate vote, she assumed office on January 21, 2009, building a team that included former ambassadors like Thomas Pickering, policy experts from Council on Foreign Relations, and former National Security Council staff with ties to Susan Rice.
Major policies and initiatives (2013–2017)
During and immediately following her tenure, Clinton advanced initiatives emphasizing engagement with China, partnership frameworks with Japan, Australia, and South Korea, and deeper ties to ASEAN nations. She championed the Global Health Initiative and expanded programs with United States Agency for International Development professionals, collaborated with World Health Organization and GAVI for immunization efforts, and promoted economic diplomacy through World Bank and International Monetary Fund interactions. Clinton articulated support for the Iran nuclear deal's diplomatic groundwork and engaged in dialogues related to North Korea denuclearization with interlocutors from China and Russia. Her "smart power" doctrine integrated tools from United States Agency for International Development, United States Department of Defense, and civil society groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch to address crises in regions like Middle East hotspots involving Syria, Egypt, and Libya.
Key diplomatic crises and controversies
Clinton navigated multiple crises such as the 2012 attack on the United States diplomatic mission in Benghazi which involved Congressional investigations by committees including the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and public scrutiny from figures like Darrell Issa. Her use of a private email server for State Department correspondence prompted probes by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and debates in the United States Congress about records retention laws and Freedom of Information Act obligations. She also faced criticism over the 2011 NATO intervention in Libya alongside leaders like Nicolas Sarkozy and David Cameron, and debates over policies toward Egypt during the Arab Spring that included interactions with Hosni Mubarak-era actors and transitional authorities.
Organizational leadership and diplomacy style
Clinton emphasized team-based leadership drawing on senior diplomats including Hillary's senior staff such as Cheryl Mills and Jacob Lew-era Treasury coordination, prisming diplomacy through "smart power" that combined resources from USAID, the Department of Defense, and multilateral institutions like the United Nations Security Council. Her style involved high-profile public diplomacy engagements with audiences at Harvard Kennedy School, Chatham House, and Council on Foreign Relations events, frequent use of global travel to capitals such as Beijing, Moscow, Riyadh, and Brussels, and cultivation of relationships with figures like Angela Merkel, Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and Shinzō Abe.
Legacy and post-Secretary of State activities
After leaving office she continued influence through memoirs such as "Hard Choices", speaking engagements with organizations like The Clinton Foundation, advisory roles with United Nations-linked initiatives on women's empowerment, and a 2016 presidential campaign in which she faced Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders. Her post-tenure activities included fellowships at institutions like Columbia University and ongoing commentary on issues involving Russia's actions in Ukraine, bilateral relations with China, and multilateralism at forums such as the G20 and NATO summits. Her legacy remains debated across analyses from think tanks including Brookings Institution, American Enterprise Institute, and Council on Foreign Relations.