Bill Clinton's Success and Achievements in Timeline

A success timeline featuring the most significant achievements of Bill Clinton.

Bill Clinton, the 42nd U.S. President (1993-2001), is a prominent American politician and lawyer. A Democrat, he served as Arkansas's Attorney General (1977-1979) and Governor (1979-1981, 1983-1992). Clinton's presidency was defined by centrist 'Third Way' policies, establishing him as a 'New Democrat'.

Sections (7)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals Legacy & Impact

1968: Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford

In 1968, Bill Clinton won a Rhodes Scholarship to University College, Oxford, initially studying philosophy, politics, and economics.

1976: Elected Attorney General of Arkansas

In 1976, Bill Clinton ran for Arkansas attorney general and was elected with no opposition in the general election.

1978: Election as Governor of Arkansas

In 1978, Bill Clinton defeated Republican candidate Lowe to become the governor of Arkansas.

1982: Defeats Frank White for Governor

In 1982, Bill Clinton defeated Frank White to win the election for Governor.

1982: Election as Governor a Second Time

In 1982, Bill Clinton was elected governor of Arkansas for a second time and held the office for ten years.

September 1983: Passage of Arkansas Education Reform

In September 1983, the Arkansas education reforms passed after Bill Clinton called a special legislative session, considered the longest in Arkansas history. This was considered the greatest achievement of his governorship.

1984: Defeats Woody Freeman for Governor

In 1984, Bill Clinton defeated Woody Freeman to win the election for Governor.

1986: Defeats Frank White for Governor

In 1986, Bill Clinton defeated Frank White to win the election for Governor.

1990: Defeats Sheffield Nelson for Governor

In 1990, Bill Clinton defeated Sheffield Nelson to win the election for Governor.

1992: Factors Contributing to Clinton's Victory

According to Seymour Martin Lipset, several factors contributed to Bill Clinton's 1992 election victory, including voters' perception of poor economic conditions, a strong third-party candidate, a liberal backlash against a conservative White House, and Clinton's ability to unite his party and win over diverse groups.

1992: Elected President of the United States

In 1992, Bill Clinton was elected president of the United States, defeating incumbent George H. W. Bush and independent Ross Perot.

1992: Time's Man of the Year

In 1992, Bill Clinton was selected as Time's "Man of the Year".

1992: Presidential Election Victory

In 1992, Bill Clinton won the presidential election against incumbent George H. W. Bush and Ross Perot, ending twelve years of Republican rule of the White House. The Democrats gained full control of the United States Congress.

September 1993: Oslo Accords signed at the White House

In September 1993, secret negotiations mediated by Clinton led to a historic declaration of peace, the Oslo Accords, which were signed at the White House on September 13 between Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Chairman Yasser Arafat.

November 30, 1993: Signing of the Brady Bill

On November 30, 1993, President Clinton signed the Brady Bill into law. This mandated federal background checks for firearm purchasers and imposed a five-day waiting period until the NICS system was implemented.

1993: Signing of the Family and Medical Leave Act

In 1993, Bill Clinton signed the Family and Medical Leave Act, requiring large employers to allow employees to take unpaid leave for pregnancy or a serious medical condition. This action received bipartisan support and was popular with the public.

1993: Signing of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act

In 1993, Bill Clinton signed the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, which cut taxes for 15 million low-income families, made tax cuts available to 90 percent of small businesses, and raised taxes on the wealthiest 1.2 percent of taxpayers. It also mandated budget balancing through spending restraints.

January 1, 1994: Signing of NAFTA into law

On January 1, 1994, Clinton signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) into law. He consistently supported the treaty's ratification by the U.S. Senate, despite disagreement within the Democratic Party.

1994: Israel-Jordan peace treaty

In 1994, the Israel–Jordan peace treaty was established, as a result of Clinton's attempts to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

1994: Honorary Degree from Oxford

In 1994, while president, Bill Clinton received an honorary Doctor of Civil Law degree and a fellowship from the University of Oxford for his work towards world peace.

1995: Clinton's approval rating recovers.

In mid-1995, President Clinton's approval rating upticked as a result of a rebounding economy and the growing unpopularity of congressional Republicans.

1996: First Decline in New HIV/AIDS Diagnoses

1996 marked the first year since the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic that the number of new HIV/AIDS diagnoses declined.

1996: Re-election as President

In 1996, Bill Clinton won re-election as President, defeating Bob Dole and Ross Perot.

1996: Clinton's Re-election Chances Improve

In 1996, Clinton's chances of being re-elected initially seemed slim, but rebounded due to a growing unpopularity of congressional Republicans, public opinion of Clinton upticked, and early polls found he had a lead of up to 20 points over his likely Republican opponent Bob Dole.

1997: Significant Decline in AIDS-Related Deaths

In 1997, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported a significant 47% decline in the number of AIDS-related deaths compared to the previous year. The decline was attributed to the growing effectiveness of new drug therapy such as highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), promoted by the Clinton Administration's Department of Health and Human Services.

1998: Implementation of NICS system

In 1998 the NICS (National Instant Criminal Background Check System) was implemented, as required by the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, originally signed into law on November 30, 1993, by President Clinton.

1998: Clinton's Role in the Good Friday Agreement

In 1998, Bill Clinton played a key role in the peace talks that produced the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland.

1998: Time's Man of the Year

In 1998, Bill Clinton was selected as Time's "Man of the Year", along with Ken Starr.

February 12, 1999: Senate Acquits Clinton of Impeachment Charges

On February 12, 1999, the Senate acquitted Bill Clinton of both charges of perjury and obstruction of justice, failing to reach the two-thirds majority required for conviction.

December 1999: Gallup's List of Most Widely Admired People

In December 1999, Bill Clinton was among eighteen included in Gallup's List of Most Widely Admired People of the 20th Century.

March 2000: Independent Counsel Finds No Crime in FBI Files Controversy

In March 2000, Independent Counsel Robert Ray determined there was no credible evidence of any crime regarding the White House's access to FBI files.

October 10, 2000: Signing of United States–China Relations Act of 2000

On October 10, 2000, Clinton signed into law the United States–China Relations Act of 2000, granting permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) trade status to China. He asserted that free trade would gradually open China to democratic reform.

2001: NAACP President's Award

In 2001, Bill Clinton received the NAACP President's Award.

2001: Medal for Distinguished Public Service & Clinton Presidential Center Opening

In 2001, Bill Clinton was presented with the Medal for Distinguished Public Service. Also in 2001, The Clinton Presidential Center was opened in Little Rock, Arkansas.

2003: Grammy Award

In 2003, Bill Clinton, along with Mikhail Gorbachev and Sophia Loren, received the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children for Wolf Tracks and Peter and the Wolf.

June 2004: Official White House Portrait Unveiled

In June 2004, Bill Clinton's official White House portrait, commissioned by the White House Historical Association, was unveiled. It was painted by Simmie Knox.

2005: Grammy Award for My Life Audiobook

In 2005, the audiobook edition of Bill Clinton's autobiography, My Life, read by Clinton himself, won the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album.

My Life

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2007: Grammy Nomination for Giving Audiobook

In 2007, Bill Clinton received a Grammy nomination for his audiobook Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World.

Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World

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2011: Awarded National Order of Honour and Merit

In 2011, Haitian president Michel Martelly awarded Bill Clinton with the National Order of Honour and Merit to the rank of Grand Cross for his initiatives in Haiti and especially his contribution to the reconstruction of the country after the earthquake of January 12, 2010.

2011: Repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

In 2011, the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy was finally repealed, thus removing open sexual orientation as a reason for dismissal from the armed forces.