Roger Clinton Sr.

Roger Clinton Sr. (July 23, 1908 – November 8, 1967) was an American automobile salesman. He was born in Yell County, Arkansas, to parents Allen W. Clinton (August 26, 1880 – June 14, 1965) and Eula Cornwell (May 29, 1882 – October 10, 1975). Clinton operated a Buick dealership in Yell County with his brother and a partner, Earl T. Ricks.

In 1950, Clinton married Virginia Cassidy Blythe, who was the mother of William Jefferson Clinton, the future President of the United States. Virginia's first husband, William Jefferson Blythe Jr., had died in a car accident in 1946, three months prior to the birth of their son, William Jefferson Blythe III, later known as Bill Clinton. When married to Virginia, Roger Clinton was described by Bill Clinton as "a handsome, hell-raising, twice-divorced man from Hot Springs, Arkansas."

The Clinton family resided at the southern end of Hope, Arkansas. Following his marriage, Roger Clinton sold his Buick dealership and moved the family to a 400-acre farm near Hot Springs. After approximately a year on the farm, around 1955, they relocated to Hot Springs itself. In 1956, Roger Clinton and Virginia Blythe had their only child together, Roger Clinton Jr.

Roger Clinton Sr. and Virginia Cassidy divorced in 1962 but remarried shortly afterward. Subsequently, his stepson, William Jefferson Blythe III, adopted the surname Clinton at the Garland County Courthouse. The name change was partly motivated by the wish for Roger and his brother to share the same last name in school, and Bill Clinton later stated that he adopted the name out of respect for his stepfather. In his autobiography "My Life," Bill Clinton expressed that his motivation might have been to do something kind for Roger Sr.

Later in life, Roger Clinton Sr. reportedly struggled with alcoholism, which was characterized by abusive behavior towards his family. Despite Bill Clinton’s affection for his stepfather, Roger's issues with alcohol, gambling, and family abuse led Bill to intervene on multiple occasions, sometimes physically, which resulted in Roger's arrests.

Bill Clinton visited Roger Clinton Sr. during his illness at Duke Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, traveling approximately 200 miles over several weekends. This was after Roger Sr. became ill with cancer. Roger Clinton Sr. was ultimately diagnosed with cancer and, after a period in the hospital, he requested to return home to die. He passed away from cancer at the age of 59 on November 8, 1967.