Hillary Diane Rodham was born in Chicago, Illinois, on October 26,
1947. The daughter of Dorothy Rodham and the late Hugh Rodham,
she and her two younger brothers, Hugh and Tony, grew up in Park
Ridge, Illinois, as part of a close-knit family.
Throughout her childhood, the foundations of her lasting commitment
to family, work, and service were established. It is this commitment
and the belief that we "all have an obligation to give something of
ourselves to our community," that has helped to shape her role and
actions as our nation's First Lady.
Upon taking office in 1993, President Clinton made health care
reform one of the highest priorities of his Administration. He asked
the First Lady to chair the Task Force on National Health Care
Reform, and she continues to be a leading advocate for improving
health care quality and providing health insurance for the uninsured
and the underinsured. Her deep commitment to children has led the
First Lady to champion an ambitious effort to increase immunizations
for preschool-age children, push for an expansion of children's health
insurance coverage, advocate for innovative prenatal care, and raise
awareness of the impact of tobacco on children.
In 1996, the First Lady authored "It Takes a Village and Other Lessons
Children Teach Us", a national call for all sectors of society to take
responsibility for our children. In her book, the First Lady emphasizes
that while parents are the most important influence in their children's
lives, and have the primary responsibility in raising them, society also
plays an important role in rearing our nation's children. She stresses
that ultimately children will thrive only if all of society provides for
them. In addition, since 1995, the First Lady has penned a weekly
syndicated newspaper column, "Talking It Over". In this column, she
draws upon her experiences as First Lady and on her observations of
women, children, and families she has met across the country and around
the world. Here, the First Lady reads to children in Maryland to
celebrate Read Across American Day.
The First Lady has also worked tirelessly to reform our nation's foster
care system and promote adoption. Through meetings with adoptive
families and children in foster care, writings and speeches, the First
Lady has focused on making it easier for children to move from foster
care to permanent homes, and on increasing the number of adoptions. The
First Lady played an important role in legislative reform, and was
central to the passage of the Adoption and Safe Family Act of 1997.
You Can Find Out More About The First Lady at Her HomePage.
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