ABSTRACT
Hillary Rodham was born in Chicago, Illinois, on October 26, 1947, the oldest child and only daughter of Hugh Rodham and Dorothy Howell Rodham. The Rodhams later had two sons. Hillary's father ran a small textile business in Chicago. In 1950 the family moved to Park Ridge, Illinois, where Hillary grew up. It was a Chicago suburb, conservative, Republican, and very much a white bastion. The Rodhams emphasized education for their children, and Hillary soon demonstrated that she was a gifted student. Her mother encouraged her to choose any career that she wanted to pursue; her father stressed the need for high academic achievement.
