Forty-second President - 1993-2001
Born: August 19, 1946, in Hope, Arkansas
Presidential Library and Museum: Little Rock, Arkansas
On On January 20, 2001, Bill Clinton watched as his successor, George W. Bush, took the oath of office. At age fifty-four, he became one of the youngest men to leave the presidency. The former president and Mrs. Clinton moved to Chappaqua, New York, and Mrs. Clinton entered the history books as the first former first lady to be elected to the U.S. Senate. After her own presidential bid, Hillary Clinton was appointed to another president’s cabinet, serving as Barack Obama’s secretary of state.
On February 12, 1997, Bill Clinton joined the ranks of other modern presidents in overseeing the creation of his presidential library. Mr. Clinton announced his selection of Little Rock, Arkansas, as the library’s future site. Little Rock is not the president’s hometown, but the Arkansas capital was his political epicenter in the years before he came to Washington. Bill Clinton served as the state’s attorney general for two years and as its governor for almost twelve years before being elected president in 1992.
Boyhood home of Bill Clinton
The Clinton Foundation broke ground for the Presidential Center on December 5, 2001, located on twenty-seven acres of downtown land along the south bank of the Arkansas River, which had been offered by the city of Little Rock. The center opened on November 18, 2004, with a ceremony that included speeches from former presidents George Bush and Jimmy Carter and the sitting president, George W. Bush. Bono of the rock band U2 performed and Nelson Mandela sent a video message as part of the rain-soaked ceremony.
Like most presidential libraries, President Clinton’s is operated by the National Archives and Records Administration. Its archives are the largest in American presidential history, holding over 78 million pages of personal papers and official documents and two million photographs. The complex also includes a museum with a full-scale replica of the Oval Office, a timeline of the Clinton presidency, and other exhibits about life in the Clinton White House. The complex is also home to the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service and will serve as a research and education facility on policy initiatives.
The Clinton presidential library is located in his home state of Arkansas
Although not an announced part of the Clinton library’s planning, it is likely that the site will serve, as have other presidential libraries, as Bill Clinton’s final resting place.
Bill Clinton was the only Democrat since Franklin Roosevelt to be elected to a second term in his own right. On December 19, 1998, he also made history as the second president to be impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives, which passed one count of perjury and another of obstruction of justice. The Senate later voted, largely along party lines, to acquit. Asked about his legacy during a 1997 interview for NBC’s Meet the Press, President Clinton remarked, “I think a president’s legacy is ultimately determined after he’s gone from office, and maybe after he’s gone from this earth, when people can read all the records and see the real significance of what happened with the benefit of hindsight and without any prejudice for or against [that individual].”
After leaving office in 2001, Bill Clinton has pursued an active post-presidency. He opened an office in Harlem and travels extensively for charity causes and public speaking engagements. In 2004, he published a best-selling autobiography, My Life. That year, he was diagnosed with heart disease, resulting in quadruple bypass surgery. In 2005, he formed the Clinton Global Initiative, an organization that aims to bring together government and business leaders, charities, and non-profit organizations to address issues such as poverty, health, education, and climate change.
Touring the William J. Clinton Presidential Center
The William J. Clinton Presidential Center is open daily except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Hours are Monday through Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Sunday 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Admission to the Clinton Center is $7.00 for adults, $5.00 for senior citizens, $5.00 for college students (with valid ID), $3.00 for youth ages six to seventeen, and free for children under six. Admission price for retired military personnel is $5.00 and active military is free. The Center offers four free admission days each year: President’s Day, the Fourth of July, the Saturday prior to President Clinton’s birthday (August 19), and the Saturday prior to the Center’s Grand Opening anniversary (November 18). Audio tours narrated by President Clinton can be purchased for an additional $3.00.
To reach the Clinton Center from north of Little Rock: From I-40, use the I-30 exit and get off Exit 141A Cantrell/Clinton Avenue (the first exit after crossing the Arkansas River). Follow the sign to 2nd Street/Ferry Road. Turn left on Ferry Road and then right on President Clinton Avenue.
To reach the Clinton Center from south of Little Rock: From I-30, take exit 140 (Ninth Street/Sixth Street) and continue on the service road until you reach Third Street. Turn right on Third Street, take the second left onto Dean Kumpuris Street, then turn right on President Clinton Avenue.
For additional information
William J. Clinton Presidential Center
1200 President Clinton Ave.
Little Rock, AR 72201
Phone: (501) 374-4242
www.clintonpresidentialcenter.com