Hillary Rodham Clinton served as the 67th US Secretary of State from January 21, 2009 until February 1, 2013, after nearly four decades in public service as an advocate, attorney, first lady, and senator.

As first lady, Clinton advocated for health care reform and led successful bipartisan efforts to improve the adoption and foster care systems, reduce teen pregnancy, and provide health care to millions of children through the Children’s Health Insurance Program. She also traveled to more than eighty countries as a representative of the United States, winning respect as a champion of human rights, democracy, civil society, and opportunities for women and girls around the world.

In 2000, Clinton made history as the only first lady to be elected to the United States Senate. She worked across party lines to expand economic opportunity and access to quality, affordable health care, including for wounded service members, veterans, and members of the National Guard and Reserves. After September 11, 2001, she advocated for rebuilding New York and addressing the health needs of first responders who risked their lives at Ground Zero.

In 2007 and 2008, Clinton made her historic campaign for president, winning 18 million votes, and more primaries and delegates than any woman had before.

In her four years as secretary of state, Clinton played a central role in restoring America’s standing in the world and strengthening its global leadership. Her “smart power” approach to foreign policy elevated American diplomacy and development and repositioned them for the 21st century—with new tools, technologies, and partners, including the private sector and civil society around the world. As America’s chief diplomat and the president’s principal foreign policy adviser, Clinton spearheaded progress on many of our greatest national security challenges, from reasserting the United States as a Pacific power to imposing crippling sanctions on Iran and North Korea to responding to the challenges and opportunities of the Arab Awakening to negotiating a ceasefire in the Middle East. She pushed the frontiers of human rights and demonstrated that giving women the opportunity to participate fully is vital to security, stability, and prosperity.