Betty Currie
Encyclopedia
Betty Currie is the former personal secretary
for Bill Clinton
(during his tenure as President of the United States). She became well-known as a figure in the Lewinsky scandal
for her alleged handling of gifts given to Monica Lewinsky
by President Clinton.
, Mississippi
and moved to Waukegan
, Illinois
as a child. After leaving high school, she worked in the clerical field at the Naval Station Great Lakes
in Illinois. She later moved to Washington, DC and worked at the Navy Department
, the Postal Service, US Agency for International Development
, the Peace Corps
, and the Department of Health and Human Services.
Currie's rise in the government bureaucracy began when Joseph Blatchford
became Peace Corps Director in 1969 and needed a new secretary. "The job was a crucial one. It had 10,000 people spread out over 68 countries, and I needed a reliable, efficient person," he says. "I didn't ask if she was a Republican or Democrat. I wasn't interested because she was so good." Currie stayed with Blatchford when he moved to ACTION, the federal agency that ran the Peace Corps, and she stayed there through three directors, Blatchford, Balzano, and Brown, building her own network among the people who sit just outside the big corner offices.
Her association with the Peace Corps has continued with her appointment to the Board of Directors of the National Peace Corps Association in 2006.
After initially retiring from government service, she met John D. Podesta
who encouraged her to return in 1984 to run offices for the Mondale and then again for the 1988 Dukakis Presidential campaigns and later join the Clinton campaign where she worked with James Carville
in the famous "War Room" in Little Rock, Arkansas
.
After Clinton's election to the presidency, Currie served as his personal secretary during both of his terms. She still keeps in touch with the Clinton family, having donated $750 to Mrs. Clinton’s campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008.
investigation in relation to Clinton's statement in the Paula Jones
case. Currie testified on January 28, May 7 and May 14, 1998.
Lewinsky had testified that Currie had arranged a meeting at Lewinsky's apartment to pick up gifts given to her by Clinton, showed up at her Watergate apartment and said, "I believe you have something for me." Currie denied this charge and claimed that Lewinsky had arranged the meeting. Regardless of who instigated the meeting, Currie took the gifts in question home and stored them under her bed. The gifts included, among other things, a hat pin, two brooches, a blanket, a marble bear figurine, T shirt from Martha's Vineyard
, and Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass
. Lewinsky gave Clinton about 30 gifts; the poetry book was of interest as Bill had given a copy to Hillary also. The gifts were picked up after Jones' lawyers had subpoena
ed them.
It was also revealed that Currie had asked Clinton's friend Vernon Jordan
to help Lewinsky find a job in New York on December 8, 1997.
Currie also testified that Clinton had recently called her in to work on a Sunday, on January 18, 1998, and pointedly said to her, regarding Lewinsky and himself, "We were never alone, right?" among other leading questions. This, added to similar incidents involving other potential witnesses, led to Clinton's subsequent impeachment charge of obstruction of justice.
Currie was not one of the four witnesses who gave video depositions during the Senate trial.
During the scandal, it was also reported by the Washington Post that Currie was receiving spiritual counseling from Jesse Jackson
.
with her husband. She has a grown daughter.
Socks
, Chelsea Clinton
’s White House cat
, lived with her from the time she left the White House until Socks was euthanized after a long battle with cancer in February 2009.
She was appointed to the Alcohol Beverage Board of St. Mary's County Maryland, serving at her first meeting on Thursday April 10, 2008.
In December 2008 Currie once again returned to Washington, answering phones for the co-chairman of President-elect Barack Obama’s
transition, John Podesta. She did not to return to the White House after President Obama's inauguration.
Secretary
A secretary, or administrative assistant, is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication & organizational skills. These functions may be entirely carried out to assist one other employee or may be for the benefit...
for Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
(during his tenure as President of the United States). She became well-known as a figure in the Lewinsky scandal
Lewinsky scandal
The Lewinsky scandal was a political sex scandal emerging in 1998 from a sexual relationship between United States President Bill Clinton and a 25-year-old White House intern, Monica Lewinsky. The news of this extra-marital affair and the resulting investigation eventually led to the impeachment of...
for her alleged handling of gifts given to Monica Lewinsky
Monica Lewinsky
Monica Samille Lewinsky is an American woman with whom United States President Bill Clinton admitted to having had an "improper relationship" while she worked at the White House in 1995 and 1996...
by President Clinton.
Life and career
Currie was born in EdwardsEdwards, Mississippi
Edwards is a town in Hinds County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,347 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
and moved to Waukegan
Waukegan, Illinois
Waukegan is a city and county seat of Lake County, Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 87,901. The 2010 population was 89,078. It is the ninth-largest city in Illinois by population...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
as a child. After leaving high school, she worked in the clerical field at the Naval Station Great Lakes
Naval Station Great Lakes
Naval Station Great Lakes is the home of the United States Navy's only boot camp, located near the city of North Chicago, Illinois, in Lake County. Important tenant commands include the Recruit Training Command, Training Support Center and Navy Recruiting District Chicago...
in Illinois. She later moved to Washington, DC and worked at the Navy Department
United States Department of the Navy
The Department of the Navy of the United States of America was established by an Act of Congress on 30 April 1798, to provide a government organizational structure to the United States Navy and, from 1834 onwards, for the United States Marine Corps, and when directed by the President, of the...
, the Postal Service, US Agency for International Development
United States Agency for International Development
The United States Agency for International Development is the United States federal government agency primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid. President John F. Kennedy created USAID in 1961 by executive order to implement development assistance programs in the areas...
, the Peace Corps
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...
, and the Department of Health and Human Services.
Currie's rise in the government bureaucracy began when Joseph Blatchford
Joseph Blatchford
Joseph Blatchford was the third Director of the United States Peace Corps succeeding Jack Vaughn. Blatchford was appointed Peace Corps Director in 1969 by President Richard Nixon.-Early life and education:...
became Peace Corps Director in 1969 and needed a new secretary. "The job was a crucial one. It had 10,000 people spread out over 68 countries, and I needed a reliable, efficient person," he says. "I didn't ask if she was a Republican or Democrat. I wasn't interested because she was so good." Currie stayed with Blatchford when he moved to ACTION, the federal agency that ran the Peace Corps, and she stayed there through three directors, Blatchford, Balzano, and Brown, building her own network among the people who sit just outside the big corner offices.
Her association with the Peace Corps has continued with her appointment to the Board of Directors of the National Peace Corps Association in 2006.
After initially retiring from government service, she met John D. Podesta
John Podesta
John David Podesta was the fourth and final White House Chief of Staff under President Bill Clinton, from 1998 until 2001. He is the president of the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank in Washington, D.C., and is also a Visiting Professor of Law at the Georgetown University Law...
who encouraged her to return in 1984 to run offices for the Mondale and then again for the 1988 Dukakis Presidential campaigns and later join the Clinton campaign where she worked with James Carville
James Carville
Chester James Carville, Jr. is an American political consultant, commentator, educator, actor, attorney, media personality, and prominent liberal pundit. Carville gained national attention for his work as the lead strategist of the successful presidential campaign of then-Arkansas governor Bill...
in the famous "War Room" in Little Rock, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
.
After Clinton's election to the presidency, Currie served as his personal secretary during both of his terms. She still keeps in touch with the Clinton family, having donated $750 to Mrs. Clinton’s campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008.
Lewinsky scandal
Currie testified in front of the grand jury responsible for the perjuryPerjury
Perjury, also known as forswearing, is the willful act of swearing a false oath or affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to a judicial proceeding. That is, the witness falsely promises to tell the truth about matters which affect the outcome of the...
investigation in relation to Clinton's statement in the Paula Jones
Paula Jones
Paula Corbin Jones is a former Arkansas state employee who sued U.S. President Bill Clinton for sexual harassment. The lawsuit was dismissed before trial on the grounds that Jones failed to demonstrate any damages...
case. Currie testified on January 28, May 7 and May 14, 1998.
Lewinsky had testified that Currie had arranged a meeting at Lewinsky's apartment to pick up gifts given to her by Clinton, showed up at her Watergate apartment and said, "I believe you have something for me." Currie denied this charge and claimed that Lewinsky had arranged the meeting. Regardless of who instigated the meeting, Currie took the gifts in question home and stored them under her bed. The gifts included, among other things, a hat pin, two brooches, a blanket, a marble bear figurine, T shirt from Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard is an island located south of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, known for being an affluent summer colony....
, and Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass
Leaves of Grass
Leaves of Grass is a poetry collection by the American poet Walt Whitman . Though the first edition was published in 1855, Whitman spent his entire life writing Leaves of Grass, revising it in several editions until his death...
. Lewinsky gave Clinton about 30 gifts; the poetry book was of interest as Bill had given a copy to Hillary also. The gifts were picked up after Jones' lawyers had subpoena
Subpoena
A subpoena is a writ by a government agency, most often a court, that has authority to compel testimony by a witness or production of evidence under a penalty for failure. There are two common types of subpoena:...
ed them.
It was also revealed that Currie had asked Clinton's friend Vernon Jordan
Vernon Jordan Jr.
Vernon Eulion Jordan, Jr. is a lawyer and business executive in the United States. He served as a close adviser to President Bill Clinton and has become known as an influential figure in American politics...
to help Lewinsky find a job in New York on December 8, 1997.
Currie also testified that Clinton had recently called her in to work on a Sunday, on January 18, 1998, and pointedly said to her, regarding Lewinsky and himself, "We were never alone, right?" among other leading questions. This, added to similar incidents involving other potential witnesses, led to Clinton's subsequent impeachment charge of obstruction of justice.
Currie was not one of the four witnesses who gave video depositions during the Senate trial.
During the scandal, it was also reported by the Washington Post that Currie was receiving spiritual counseling from Jesse Jackson
Jesse Jackson
Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. is an African-American civil rights activist and Baptist minister. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as shadow senator for the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1997. He was the founder of both entities that merged to...
.
Post-Clinton years
Currie has retired and lives in St. Mary's County, MarylandMaryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
with her husband. She has a grown daughter.
Socks
Socks (cat)
Socks was the pet cat of U.S. President Bill Clinton's family during his presidency. An adopted stray cat, he was the only pet of the Clintons during the early years of the administration, and his likeness hosted the children's version of the White House website...
, Chelsea Clinton
Chelsea Clinton
Chelsea Victoria Clinton is a television journalist, currently serving as Special Correspondent for NBC News, and philanthropist, working through the Clinton Global Initiative. She is the only child of former U.S...
’s White House cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
, lived with her from the time she left the White House until Socks was euthanized after a long battle with cancer in February 2009.
She was appointed to the Alcohol Beverage Board of St. Mary's County Maryland, serving at her first meeting on Thursday April 10, 2008.
In December 2008 Currie once again returned to Washington, answering phones for the co-chairman of President-elect Barack Obama’s
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
transition, John Podesta. She did not to return to the White House after President Obama's inauguration.
External links
- The HistoryMakers: Betty Currie
- Washington Post Caught Between Loyalty and Principle, Sunday, October 4, 1998; Page A1
- NY Times THE PRESIDENT'S TRIAL: THE DEPOSITION; Hearing Lewinsky on the Affidavit, the Job, the Gifts (but Not the Sex) February 1, 1999, National Desk, Late Edition - Final, Section A, Page 20, Column 1
- CNN Sources: Lewinsky Sent Gifts Back To White House, Sunday February 15, 1998
- CNN Will The Secretary Stick To The Script? March 16, 1998