William Jefferson Clinton was born William Jefferson Blythe III on August 19, 1946. He was born in Hope, Arkansas, and raised in Hot Springs, Arkansas. His father was William Jefferson Blythe, Jr., a traveling salesman, who died in a car accident three months before Bill was born. In 1950 his mother married Roger Clinton who was originally Bill's uncle.
It was not until Bill turned 14 that he formally adopted his stepfather's surname of Clinton.Clinton claims his stepfather was a gambler and an alcoholic who regularly abused his mother and, at times, his half-brother, Roger, Jr.
In Hot Springs, Clinton attended St. John's Catholic Elementary School, Ramble Elementary School, and Hot Springs High School.He was an active student leader,avid reader, and musician. He was in the chorus and played the saxophone, winning first chair in the state band's saxophone section. He briefly dedicating his life to music. It was at the age of 16 when Bill new he wanted to be in the public life. He new he was a good muscian but he belived he could never be a John Coltrane or Stan Getz.
In 1963 there were two influential moments in Clinton's life which helped him make the decision to becoming a public figure. First was his visit to the White House were he had the chance to meet president John F. Kennedy. The second was when he got to listenin to Martin Luther King Jr's 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech. He actually memorized the speech.
With the help of scholarships, Bill attended the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington D.C., recieving a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service degree in 1968. It was at Georgetown, that he tried for the Arkansas Senaor J. William Fulbright. While in college he became a brother of Alpha Phi Omega and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Before graduation.
With the aid of scholarships, Clinton attended the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington D.C., receiving a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service (B.S.F.S.) degree in 1968. It was at Georgetown, that he interned for Arkansas Senator J. William Fulbright. While in college he became a brother of Alpha Phi Omega and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Upon graduation he won a Rhodes Scholarship to University College, Oxford where he studied government. He developed an interest in rugby, playing at Oxford and later for the Little Rock Rugby club in Arkansas. While at Oxford he also participated in Vietnam War protests, including organizing an October 1969 Moratorium event.
