Janet Reno was an American lawyer who served as United States Attorney General in the Clinton administration from 1993 to 2009, the first woman named to the position. She served for the second-longest tenure in the role.
She began her career at private law firms after earning degrees at Cornell University and Harvard Law School. Her introduction to government work was in 1971 as a Staff Member for the Judiciary Committee of the Florida House of Representatives. In 1978, she became the first woman to head a county prosecutor’s office in Florida. Despite being a Democrat, she was elected to the Office of State Attorney five times in the heavily conservative area. Reno served in this position until 1993 and helped establish the Miami Drug Court, which has served as a model for courts in other states. During her time in Florida, she handled cases ranging from political corruption to child abuse.
As Attorney General, she led the controversial decision to order agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to conduct the final raid on the compound of the Branch Davidian cult, led by David Koresh, near Waco, Texas.
"I am accountable. The buck stops with me, “ she said after the event, accepting full responsibility for the raid’s disastrous results.
Her candor and remorse earned her the respect of many Americans, and despite the controversy, she went on to become one of the most esteemed members of the Clinton administration’s first term.
After her tenure as Attorney General, Reno ran for Governor of Florida in 2002 but lost in the Democratic primary. Afterward, she toured the country giving speeches on criminal justice and became a Founding Member of the Board of Directors for the Innocence Project, which assists prisoners who may be exonerated through DNA testing.
In 2000, Reno was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame. She was also awarded the Justice Award by the American Judicature Society. Reno passed away from Parkinson’s Disease on November 7, 2016.