15 Things You Never Knew About the Clintons in the 90s

Earlier this year, former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic presidential candidate to succeed President Joe Biden. In a statement, they expressed their commitment to support her campaign. Bill and Hillary Clinton have managed to establish themselves in heart of American politics for more than 30 years.

In this slideshow, we explore their early years and things you may not have known about the Clintons.

Adopted Name: Bill’s mother, born Virginia Dell Cassidy, later married Roger Clinton Sr., from whom Bill took his last name. Despite a rocky relationship early on, Bill later expressed that he held a great respect for Roger.

Struggles at Home: Bill’s stepfather was an abusive alcoholic during the early year’s of Bill’s life. The former President was forced to step in on behalf of his family on multiple occasions, as Roger lashed out in drunken anger.

Trips of Reconciliation: Bill found reconciliation with his stepfather after driving to Duke Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina from Georgetown to visit Roger. Bill made multiple trips to visit him during Roger’s battle with cancer.

Governorship: Bill Clinton served as the Governor of Arkansas before becoming President. He originally grew up in the historic town of Hot Springs, Arkansas.

Presidential Tenure: Bill Clinton was the 42nd President of the United States, serving from 1993 to 2001. His presidency was one of great controversy, marked by several scandals.

Decades in Politics: Bill held positions of political influence spanning from 1977 to 2001. Beginning with her time as First Lady of Arkansas, Hillary held political positions from 1979 to 2013. The couple has continued to hold great political influence even today.

White House Pets: Bill and Hillary Clinton had a cat named Socks and a dog named Buddy during their time in the White House. Socks was adopted in 1991 and stayed with the Clintons’ secretary after they left the White House. Buddy, a Lab, was named after Clinton’s uncle and died in 2002.

Authorship: Bill has written or co-written several popular books, the most popular of which is Citizen: My Life After the White House. Hillary has also written multiple best-sellers, most recently publishing What Happened, a memoir outlining her experience as the Democratic presidential candidate in the 2016 election.

Family Discovery: Bill Clinton’s biological paternal half-siblings were unaware of their connection to Bill until Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign.

Family Loss: Bill Clinton’s father, William Jefferson Blythe Jr., died in a car crash before Bill was ever born.

Trailblazing: Hillary Clinton was the first former First Lady to hold political office, serving as both a Senator (2001 to 2009) and Secretary of State (2009 to 2013).

Historic Nomination: In 2016, Hillary Clinton became the first female presidential nominee from a major U.S. political party.

Presidential Love: Bill and Hillary Clinton are the first married couple to have both been nominated for President of the United States.

Grand-babies: Bill and Hillary have three grand-children: Charlotte, Aidan, and Jasper.