Hillary Clinton has been a powerful figure in American politics, although her husband, Bill Clinton, has been the politician. But in recent years she has been rising as a politician and presumptive presidential candidate, rather than being relegated to being an unofficial adviser to an unfaithful husband.
January 1998: Hillary Clinton stands by her husband Bill Clinton, at the time President of the United States, as he delivers his strongest denial over the affair with his former intern Monica Lewinsky. In her autobiography Living History, Hillary Clinton said she was 'dumbfounded, heartbroken and outraged' when Bill Clinton admitted having the affair to her.ReutersJanuary 1998: First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton (R) speaks with host Matt Lauer during an interview on NBC's "Today" program in New York on 27 January. At the time, she denounced the reports that Bill Clinton had an affair with Lewinsky, who was a 21-year-old White House intern at the time, as right-wing smear campaign.STR NewJune 1998: US First Lady Hillary Clinton speaks at Beijing Medical University, about improving healthcare in China. While Bill Clinton was president, Hillary was the face of democratic attempts at healthcare reform in the late 1990s.ReutersFebruary 1999: President Bill Clinton whispers to first lady Hillary Clinton during an event at the White House. The public had a mixed reaction to Hillary's decision to stay married to Bill Clinton: some admired her, some sympathised with her, others said she was staying in the marriage so she could continue to gain political influence. Regardless, her approval rates reached 70%.Win McNamee/File/ReutersNovember 2004: The Clintons and then-President George Bush attend the dedication ceremony for the William J. Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock. At this time, Hillary had been a US senator for more than three years.Jeff Mitchell JM/HB/ReutersJanuary 2007: Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) (R) stands in front of Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) as they arrive for President George Bush's annual State of the Union speech. Clinton had voted for a spending bill to forced Bush to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq. However, Bush vetoed the bill, and the Republicans offered a compromise bill, which Clinton refused to sign.Larry Downing/ReutersFebruary 2007: An audience member raises her hand to ask a question of Democratic presidential hopeful Senator Clinton. Early in the race, Barack Obama was seen as Clinton's strongest competitor because he had opposed the Iraq War from the beginning while Clinton had supported it.Brian Snyder/ReutersMarch 2007: Former US President Bill Clinton listens to his wife speaking at a campaign fundraiser in Washington. President Clinton campaigned for Hillary, as she had campaigned for him during his presidential campaign.Jim Young/ReutersSeptember 2007: Then-senator Barack Obama (L) and Senator Clinton, listen to Bill Richardson, governor of New Mexico speak during the 30th annual Harkin Steak Fry in Indianola, Iowa. Hillary had met with heavy criticism during her campaign, for dismissing Obama as having nothing to offer, apart from being a 'black candidate'.Joshua Lott/ReutersSeptember 2007: The Democratic Presidential Debate saw then-senator Barack Obama (L), Senator Clinton, and Bill Richardson, governor of New Mexico speak. Hillary Clinton performed badly at the debate, further harming her campaign. The other candidates were Obama, former senator John Edwards and representative Dennis Kucinich.Joshua Lott/ReutersMay 2008: US Democratic presidential candidate Senator Hillary Clinton addresses supporters, as her daughter Chelsea, and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, listen to her at the North Carolina and Indiana primary election night rally in Indianapolis, Indiana. By the autumn, Clinton withdrew from the presidential campaign, and threw her support behind Barack Obama. It took the Clintons five years to settle the $25m (£15.4m) debt from the campaign.Jeff Haynes/ReutersMarch 2009: President Barack Obama looks over his shoulder as Hillary Clinton walks in to a meeting with China's President Hu Jintao at Winfield House, the US Ambassador's residence. When Obama was elected president, he appointed Hillary Clinton his Secretary of State. As the representative and head of foreign policy, it is one of the most coveted, and powerful, posts in the American government.Jason Reed/ReutersMay 2011: Hillary Clinton, President Obama, Vice-President Joe Biden, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, along with the US national security team, wait in the White House situation room as the mission to capture Osama bin Laden.Ho New/ReutersOctober 2011: Hillary Clinton with Libyan soldiers, as she departs from Tripoli in Libya. President Obama had come to rely on Hillary's expertise in foreign affairs. It was Hillary's decision to favour military action in Libya during its civil war, which led to US intervention.Kevin Lamarque/ReutersJanuary 2013: Hillary Clinton testifies to a Senate Foreign Relations Committee about the attacks on US diplomatic sites in Benghazi, Libya. Hillary was blamed for the deterioration in security that led to the attacks: responsibility which she accepted. Hillary resigned as Secretary of State when President Obama was re-elected.Kevin Lamarque/ReutersSeptember 2014: At the 37th Harkin Steak Fry in Indianola, Iowa, Hillary Clinton, and her supporters, gave the strongest hints yet that she will run for president at the end of President Obama's term.Jim Young/Reuters
