Hillary Rodham Clinton was born in Chicago and grew up in Park Ridge. She attended Wellesley College, where she was the first student ever chosen by peers to deliver the commencement speech.  After attending Yale Law School, she was twice chosen as one of the 100 most influential lawyers in America. She was First Lady of Arkansas for 12 years and of the United States for eight. She became the first First Lady elected to public office, as U.S. Senator. In 2008 Clinton ran for presidency of the United States but she narrowly lost to Senator Barack Obama.  On January 21, 2009 she took the oath of office as Secretary of State and became the first former First Lady to serve in a United States Cabinet.