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's death 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's death in a car accident. His father worked as a heavy equipment salesman in Arkansas and his mother worked as a nurse-anesthetist. At the age of four, Clinton remained with her grandmother, Edith Cassidy, while her mother studied to pursue a profession. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an 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 be an early leader. His mother was usually in New Orleans to pursue her education, so his grandmother is the person who mainly 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 the wedding, the family moved to Hot Springs, Arkansas. At age 15, Bill changed his name to William Jefferson Clinton in an attempt to show solidarity with his stepfather. Roger Clinton was an alcoholic, and he and Bill's mother regularly argued violently. During this time, Clinton acted as a mediator for his mother and stepfather, settling their arguments. In high school, Bill was very bright and had an obvious passion for politics. In the small town, he was known as a young man with ambition and passion for the things he was interested in. Clinton's high school principal, Johnnie Mae Mackey, mentored him and it was through 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 that he would become the future president of the United States and, after that handshake, he was certain that she would confirm her prediction. Clinton later left Arkansas to attend college at Georgetown University in Washington DC. It was there that he majored in International Affairs. As a college student, Clinton was very involved in the anti-Vietnam War movement. He was also very involved in the civil rights movement. He served as class president for his freshman and sophomore classes, but lost the election his senior year because he seemed too political for his peers. At the beginning of his senior year, he served as a clerk on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Shortly before his graduation from Georgetown in 1968, Bill received a valuable Rhodes Scholarship to study abroad at the University of Oxford in England for two years. He graduated from Georgetown with a degree in international affairs. 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, the two were offered jobs on the staff of the House of Representatives committee that was considering putting under 2016.