Hillary Clinton — Biography Reading Comprehension Lesson

Reading Passage

Hillary Clinton

Hillary Diane Rodham was born on October 26, 1947, in Chicago, Illinois, and grew up in the suburb of Park Ridge. She was an outstanding student and leader from an early age, excelling academically and serving as student council president at her high school. She graduated from Wellesley College in 1969, where she was elected president of student government and became the first student to deliver a commencement address there — a speech that attracted national attention. She then earned her law degree from Yale Law School in 1973, where she met fellow student Bill Clinton.

Hillary Rodham Clinton moved to Arkansas, married Bill Clinton in 1975, and built a successful legal career while he rose in Arkansas politics. She became the first female partner at the Rose Law Firm in Little Rock and was twice named one of the 100 most influential lawyers in America. When Bill Clinton was elected President of the United States in 1992, Hillary became First Lady. As First Lady, she took on a more active policy role than many predecessors, most notably leading a major (though ultimately unsuccessful) effort to reform the U.S. healthcare system in 1993–1994.

In 2000, Hillary Clinton made history by becoming the first First Lady to run for and win public office, winning election as U.S. Senator from New York — a state where she had never previously lived. She served two Senate terms, earning a reputation as a hard-working legislator who was effective across party lines. In 2007, she launched a campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination — one of the most competitive primary races in American history. Although she narrowly lost the nomination to Barack Obama, she won more primary votes than any other candidate. President Obama appointed her Secretary of State, a position she held from 2009 to 2013.

As Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton traveled to 112 countries, more than any previous Secretary of State, working to rebuild America’s global alliances, advance women’s rights internationally, and respond to crises including the Arab Spring and the mission that led to the death of Osama bin Laden. In 2016, she won the Democratic presidential nomination — becoming the first woman ever nominated for president by a major U.S. political party. She won nearly 3 million more popular votes than her Republican opponent Donald Trump but lost the Electoral College, and with it, the presidency.

Hillary Clinton has written several books, including her memoir Living History (2003) and What Happened (2017), about the 2016 campaign. Throughout her career, she has advocated for children’s rights, healthcare access, women’s equality, and global diplomacy. Regardless of political views, her career represents a series of historic firsts for women in American public life. She demonstrated that women could reach the highest levels of law, politics, and government — and her 2016 nomination broke what she called ‘the highest and hardest glass ceiling.’

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