William Jefferson Clinton was born on August 19, 1946 in Hope, Arkansas. He was originally born William Jefferson Blythe III, named after his father, to Virginia Cassidy Blythe and William Jefferson Blythe Jr. Clinton was born shortly after his father died in a car accident. His father worked as William Jefferson Clinton was born on August 19, 1946 in Hope, Arkansas. He was originally born William Jefferson Blythe III, named after his father, to Virginia Cassidy Blythe and William Jefferson Blythe Jr. Clinton was born shortly after his father died in a car accident. His father worked as a heavy equipment salesman in Arkansas and his mother worked as a nurse anesthesiologist. At the age of four, Clinton was left with his grandmother, Edith Cassidy, while his mother studied to practice her profession. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Clinton's grandparents ran a small store in a predominantly African-American neighborhood. Both his mother and grandmother made it their mission to shape his character, teaching him to become an early leader. His mother was usually in New Orleans continuing her education, so his grandmother primarily raised him. In the 1950s, when Bill Clinton was eight years old, his mother remarried Roger Clinton, who worked as a car dealer. Along with a new stepfather, Bill also had a new half-brother, Roger Jr. After marriage, the family moved to Hot Springs, Arkansas. At the age of 15, Bill changed his name to William Jefferson Clinton in an effort to show solidarity with his stepfather. Roger Clinton was an alcoholic and he and Bill's mother had regular violent arguments. During this period, Clinton acted as a mediator for her mother and stepfather, ending their arguments. In high school, Bill was very bright and had an obvious passion for politics. In the small town, he was known as an ambitious young man who was passionate about the things that interested him. Clinton's high school principal, Johnnie Mae Mackey, mentored him and it was under her guidance that he was sent to Washington, D.C. to become an Arkansas delegate of Boy's Nation. During his time at Boy's Nation, Bill met current President John F. Kennedy and is photographed shaking his hand in the White House Rose Garden. Clinton's mother always believed he would become the future president of the United States, and after that handshake, he was sure he would prove her prediction correct. Clinton then left Arkansas to attend Georgetown University in Washington DC. It was there that he specialized in international affairs. As a student, Clinton was very involved in the movement against the Vietnam War. He was also very involved in the civil rights movement. He served as class president for his freshman and sophomore classes, but lost elections during his junior year because he seemed too political to his peers. Early in his junior year, he worked on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee as a clerk. Just before graduating from Georgetown in 1968, Bill received a Rhodes Scholarship to study abroad at the University of Oxford in England for two years. He graduated from Georgetown with a BS in International Business. In 1970, Clinton returned to school at Yale, where he later met his future wife, Hillary Rodham, who was a law student. After graduating in 1973, both men were offered positions on the House of Representatives committee that. 2016.