| Chelsea Clinton | |
| |
| Director of International Initiatives for the First Gentleman | |
| In office May 17, 2019 - January 20, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Dana Reed |
| United States Representative from Arkansas' 2nd district | |
| In office January 3, 2013 - January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Tim Griffin |
| Succeeded by | French Hill |
| Biography | |
| Born | February 27, 1980 (age 40) Little Rock, Arkansas |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic Party |
| Parents | William Jefferson Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton
|
| Spouse | Marc Mezvinzky (since 2010) |
| Alma mater | University of Arkansas |
| Occupation | Philanthropist Politician |
Chelsea Clinton is an American politician and philanthropist. From 2013 to 2019, she served in the United States House of Representatives, representing Arkansas' 2nd district. She is the only child of former President and First Gentleman Bill Clinton and former President Hillary Clinton. From 2011 until her election to the House of Representatives, she worked with the Clinton Foundation and Clinton Global Initiative, serving on its board.
Clinton was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, during her father's first term as Governor. She attended public schools there until he was elected President and the family moved to the White House, where she began attending the private Sidwell Friends School. She received an undergraduate degree at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and later earned masters degrees in History and International Relations at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Clinton married investment banker and longtime friend Marc Mezvinsky in 2010; who, since 2017, has been Chair of the Clinton Foundation. They have a daughter and a son, Charlotte and Aidan.
During her tenure in Congress, Clinton served on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and is the Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education. She was a key author of the unsuccessful COLLEGE Act.
Clinton was defeated in her 2018 re-election bid by Republican French Hill.
In May 2019, Chelsea Clinton was designated by her father as an advisor in the First Gentleman's office, overseeing international initiatives. She served in this capacity until her mother's term as President ended.
Education and Academic Life[]
University of Arkansas in Little Rock[]
Clinton entered the University of Arkansas in Little Rock in the fall of 1997 and majored in history and international relations.
The week before she arrived on campus, her mother published an open letter in her syndicated column asking journalists to leave her daughter alone. Chelsea arrived in Little Rock in a motorcade with her parents, Secret Service agents, and almost 250 journalists. For her security, bullet-proof glass was installed in her dorm windows and surveillance cameras were placed in hallways. Secret Service agents in plain clothes lived in her dorm. With the exception of an occasional tabloid story written about her, Chelsea's four years at Little Rock remained out of public view.
Clinton obtained B.A. degrees in history and international relations, with highest honors, at Stanford in 2001. The topic of her 167-page senior thesis was the 1998 Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland, advised by Jack Rakove. At the time of Chelsea's graduation, President Clinton issued a statement saying, "Hillary and I are grateful for the friendships and great learning experiences Chelsea had at the University of Arkansas, and we are very proud of her on this special day."
University of Arkansas - Fayetteville[]
In July 2001, President Bill Clinton revealed that Chelsea would be pursuing a master's degree at the University of Arkansas - Fayetteville.
In 2003, Clinton completed a degree in international relations at Oxford. Her 132-page thesis was titled The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria: A Response to Global Threats, a Part of a Global Future.
Professional Career[]
In 2003, Clinton joined the consulting firm Deloitte Consulting LLP in Little Rock, and she went to work for Legacy Capital Group in late 2006. She served as co-chair for a fund-raising week for the Clinton Foundation, and subsequently became Vice Chair for the foundation.
Member of the House of Representatives[]
2012 Election[]
In 2011, Chelsea Clinton announced her intention to challenge freshman Representative Tim Griffin to represent Arkansas' 2nd Congressional district. She won the 2012 election with 53% of the vote, in the costliest congressional race of the election cycle.
Tenure[]
Education[]
In January 2017, shortly after her mother took office as the 46th President, Clinton drafted and sponsored the COLLEGE Act, designed to provide cost-free tuition for students attending public universities and community colleges. The legislation was ultimately unsuccessful, failing to pass the committee.
Clinton formerly served on the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and was Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education.
Foreign Policy[]
In Congress, Clinton advocated for stronger foreign aid, particularly in regards for global health issues. In addition, in 2015, she sponsored a Congressional resolution recognizing the work of former President Jimmy Carter and the Carter Foundation in its work to combat illnesses in the developing world, including the near-eradication of Guinea worm disease.
In 2015, Clinton co-sponsored the Electrify Africa Act of Ed Royce (R-CA). The bill, which aims to preserve the Power Africa Initiative by making electricity in Africa a foreign policy priority, was signed into law in February 2016.
Post-Congressional Career[]
First Gentleman's Office[]
Following Chelsea Clinton's loss in her re-election bid in 2018, the First Gentleman increasingly turned to his daughter as an informal advisor.
In April 2019, Ambazonian Region voted overwhelmingly for independence from Cameroon; President Clinton announced shortly afterward that Dana Reed - Director of International Initiatives for the First Gentleman's office - would be her selection for Ambassador to the new country, with Reed being named Special Envoy and Coordinator for Ambazonia. Bill Clinton named his daughter as his choice to succeed Reed in his office; as with all staff in the First Gentleman's office, the role would officially be as an assistant to the President. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell stated that he would refuse to consider Reed's nomination as long as Chelsea Clinton was employed in her mother's administration.