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| Janet Reno |
By JIM PURCELL
According to the Associated Press, reporting from Miami less than two hours ago, former U.S. Attorney General Janet Wood Reno,78, died during the early morning hours today, Monday, November 7. Reportedly, she died from complications that arose as a result of Parkinson's disease.
Ms. Reno served as the attorney general between 1993-2000, after being nominated by then-President Bill Clinton. Notably, Ms. Reno was the first woman ever to serve in that position within the U.S. Government.
Ms. Reno was born in Miami, to parents who were both reporters for the Miami Herald. She attended public school in Miami-Dade County, Florida, and was a valedictorian and a debating champion at Coral Gables High School.
Ms. Reno then enrolled in Cornell University, in 1956, in Ithica, New York. There she became president of the Women's Self-Government Association and majored in chemistry. After her bachelor's degree was completed, Ms. Reno entered Harvard Law School, in 1963, where she earned her law degree.
In 1978, Ms. Reno was appointed as state attorney for Dade County and was then elected to the Office of State Attorney in 1978. At the time she was nominated for the post of U.S. attorney general, she was actually President Clinton's third choice. Previously, two of his nominee's, Zoe Baird and Kimba Woods, failed to be approved because both had employed undocumented immigrants as nannies.
During Ms. Reno's tenure as U.S. attorney, there were several high-profile situations that have since become pages in the nation's history. These include: the 51-day siege in Waco, Texas with Branch Davidians; bringing suit against Microsoft for violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act; prosecution of 21 persons of the Montana Freemen after an 81-day armed standoff; the capture and conviction of Theodore Kaczynski, also known as the "Unabomber"; and the capture and conviction of Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols in the wake of the Oklahoma City bombing, among others.
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