First Lady of the United States from 1993 through 2001 (the wife of 42nd U.S. President and former Arkansas governor Bill Clinton), Hillary Rodham Clinton served as New York state senator beginning in 2001, then made a bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008, but lost to Senator Barack Obama of Illinois after a grueling battle and innumerable public debates. The daughter of a drapery manufacturer, Rodham Clinton came of age in Park Ridge, IL, and attended Wellesley College, where she made history as the first student to deliver a commencement address in the history of the said institution. By Clinton's collegiate years, she had evolved into a left-wing spokesperson and an ardent feminist. Progressive causes and beliefs would ultimately shape, mold, and characterize the majority of her political life, marked by a noble but unsuccessful attempt to achieve socialized health care during her husband's eight-year administration; during her bid for the Democratic nomination, she resurrected that issue, and made alleviation for the flagging economy and a withdrawal from the controversial Iraq War central to her campaign. Cinematically, Clinton relegated herself more or less exclusively to participation in nonfiction films -- including news magazine features and #92;documentaries. Projects to which she contributed included the 1999 Lifetime television #92;documentary Intimate Portrait: Jane Alexander, the 2007 #92;documentary Darfur Now, and the same year's #92;documentary 14 Women. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide