Hugh Ellsworth Rodham (April 2, 1911 – April 7, 1993) was an American businessman. He was the father of

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

Early life and education

Hugh Ellsworth Rodham was born on April 2, 1911, in

Scranton, Pennsylvania Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 U.S. census, Scranton is the largest city in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Wyoming V ...

, the son of Hugh Rodham (1879–1965) and Hannah Jones (1882–1952). His parents were from the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

– his father emigrated from

Oxhill, County Durham Oxhill is a small village in County Durham, in England. It is located to the west of Stanley, County Durham, Stanley, on the bottom of the hill which leads up to New Kyo and Annfield Plain to it's east. Down the hill to the north are the Sea to ...

, England, at a young age with his family, him being the son of a

coal miner Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...

, while his mother was born in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, to immigrant parents from

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

, one of whom was from Merthyr Tydfil; she was also descended from

parents.Clinton, Hillary Rodham. ''

Living History Living history is an activity that incorporates historical tools, activities and dress into an interactive presentation that seeks to give observers and participants a sense of stepping back in time. Although it does not necessarily seek to ree ...

''. Simon & Schuster, 2003. . pp. 4–9. Rodham attended Pennsylvania State University and was a third-string

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Lik ...

for the

Penn State Nittany Lions football The Penn State Nittany Lions team represents the Pennsylvania State University in college football. The Nittany Lions compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big Ten Conference, which they joined in 1993 af ...

team. pp. 16–18. He joined the

Delta Upsilon Delta Upsilon (), commonly known as DU, is a collegiate men's fraternity founded on November 4, 1834 at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It is the sixth-oldest, all-male, college Greek Letter Organizations#Greek letters, Greek-let ...

fraternity. He graduated with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

degree in

physical education Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explorat ...

from the College of Education in 1935, at the height of the Great Depression.

Career

Rodham briefly worked for his father's employer,

Scranton Lace Company The Scranton Lace Company, also known as the Scranton Lace Curtain Company and Scranton Lace Curtain Manufacturing Company, was an American lace manufacturer in Scranton, Pennsylvania. History The company was established by the Scranton Board of ...

, then freighthopped to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

without telling his parents. Rodham found work there selling

drapery Drapery is a general word referring to cloths or textiles (Old French , from Late Latin ). It may refer to cloth used for decorative purposes – such as around windows – or to the trade of retailing cloth, originally mostly for clothin ...

fabric Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not th ...

s around the Midwest, sending the money he made back home. In

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, Rodham served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. He became a

chief petty officer A chief petty officer (CPO) is a senior non-commissioned officer in many navies and coast guards. Canada "Chief petty officer" refers to two ranks in the Royal Canadian Navy. A chief petty officer 2nd class (CPO2) (''premier maître de deuxi ...

stationed at the Great Lakes Naval Station, performing training duties for sailors headed for the

Pacific Ocean theater of World War II The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

. After the war, he established a successful career in the

textile Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

supply industry, starting with Rodrik Fabrics, a drapery fabric business located in Chicago's famous

Merchandise Mart The Merchandise Mart (or the Merch Mart, or the Mart) is a commercial building located in downtown Chicago, Illinois. When it was opened in 1930, it was the largest building in the world, with of floor space. The Art Deco structure is locate ...

building. His company made

draperies Drapery is a general word referring to cloths or textiles (Old French , from Late Latin ). It may refer to cloth used for decorative purposes – such as around windows – or to the trade of retailing cloth, originally mostly for clothin ...

and window shades; customers included offices, hotels, airlines, and theaters. He later opened a fabric print plant building on the North Side. During the 1940s, Rodham and his wife Dorothy lived in the Edgewater neighborhood of Chicago. Rodham entered politics once. Hoping to work his way into favor with the

Cook County Democratic Party The Cook County Democratic Party is a political party which represents voters in 50 wards in the city of Chicago and 30 suburban townships of Cook County. The organization has dominated Chicago politics (and consequently, Illinois politics) si ...

political machine in order to capitalize on a downtown investment he had made, he ran for Chicago alderman as a Democratic-leaning

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

in 1947. The contest, held in Chicago's 49th Ward, was won by Frank Keenan, a Democratic ward committeeman running on the regular Democratic line, with 17,073 votes; a Republican, Joseph Reubens, finished second with 5,509 votes. Rodham finished fifth out of eight candidates with only 382 votes, or 1.5 percent of the total votes cast. See also According to some family members, this episode led to his strong dislike of the Democratic Party for the rest of his life. Rodham was a staunch supporter of Barry Goldwater's 1964 presidential campaign and remained a committed

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

until his death. Even after his daughter married Democrat

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

, he (according to Bill Clinton) "never gave up hope that his son-in-law would join him in the Republican Party and support a cut in the

capital gains tax A capital gains tax (CGT) is the tax on profits realized on the sale of a non-inventory asset. The most common capital gains are realized from the sale of stocks, bonds, precious metals, real estate, and property. Not all countries impose a c ...

."The Rodham Family Biography
AllPolitics, CNN.com, 1996. In late 1992, following son-in-law Bill Clinton's election as president, Rodham made a cameo appearance on the television comedy ''

Hearts Afire ''Hearts Afire'' is an American television sitcom created by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, starring John Ritter and Markie Post that aired on CBS from September 14, 1992, to February 1, 1995. The series' title is taken from a line in the Earth, ...

'', whose producers were friends of the Clintons.

Personal life

In 1937, while Rodham was making a sales call at a textile company, he met Dorothy Emma Howell (1919–2011), who was applying for a job at that company. After a lengthy courtship, they married in early 1942. The Rodhams had three children: Hillary (born 1947), Hugh (born 1950), and

Tony Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...

(1954–2019). In 1950, they moved to the more affluent Chicago suburb of

Park Ridge, Illinois Park Ridge is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, and a Chicago suburb. Per the 2020 census, the population was 39,656. It is located northwest of downtown Chicago. It is close to O'Hare International Airport, major expressways, a ...

. The family still maintained ties to Scranton: all three children were christened there, and they spent summers in a rural region that overlooks Lake Winola, located in Overfield Township in the

Endless Mountains The Endless Mountains are a geographical, geological, and cultural region in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The Endless Mountains region includes Bradford, Sullivan, Susquehanna, and Wyoming counties. The highest peak in the region is the North Kn ...

area of Pennsylvania. staying in a cottage that in 1921, Hugh and his father had built themselves.

Death

Hugh Rodham died in

Little Rock, Arkansas ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

, on Wednesday, April 7, 1993, five days after his 82nd birthday, three weeks after suffering a stroke, and less than three months after Bill Clinton's inauguration as 42nd President of the United States. Following a private memorial service in Little Rock attended by the Clintons, he was buried in the Washburn Street Cemetery in his native Scranton, Pennsylvania, in a private funeral also attended by the Clinton family.

References

External links

Hugh E. Rodham Memorial
at Find A Grave {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodham, Hugh E. 1911 births 1993 deaths 20th-century American politicians American people of English descent American people of Welsh descent American textile industry businesspeople Arkansas Republicans Businesspeople from Pennsylvania Illinois Republicans Military personnel from Pennsylvania Penn State Nittany Lions football players Pennsylvania Republicans Penn State College of Education alumni Politicians from Little Rock, Arkansas People from Park Ridge, Illinois Players of American football from Pennsylvania Sportspeople from Little Rock, Arkansas Sportspeople from Scranton, Pennsylvania United States Navy chiefs Rodham family United States Navy personnel of World War II