Nedra Pickler, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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WASHINGTON - Hillary Clinton's nomination as secretary of state is another milestone for a former first lady who was the first to win elective office, the first to run for president herself and now the first to be chosen for a cabinet position.

Although she lost her White House bid this year, Clinton is continuing a climb through the ranks of public service that began even before her marriage to Bill Clinton, who would become president.

She came to Washington after graduating from Yale Law School to advise the House Judiciary Committee on the impeachment proceedings against president Richard Nixon. She earned a reputation for hard work and mastery of her research topic, but left the capital for Arkansas, where her boyfriend was running for office.

She would follow him from the Arkansas governor's office to the White House, where she was more than an average first lady handling ceremonial roles. She spearheaded the Clinton health care plan, which failed to gain congressional approval and helped Republicans win control of the Senate and House in 1994.

As her husband left office, Clinton ran for an open seat representing New York in the U.S. Senate, marking the first time a first lady ever ran for elective office. Even though she had moved only recently to the state, Clinton won with 55 per cent of the vote, and she earned a reputation for reaching across the aisle to build alliances in both parties.

She entered the 2008 Democratic presidential primary as the clear front-runner, but Obama overtook her. The two fought a marathon race that didn't end until every state held a primary or caucus, with Clinton doggedly persisting even when Obama built a significant delegate lead and her chances for victory were minuscule.

Clinton backed Obama in the general election, endorsing him in symbolic Unity, N.H., and travelling across the country in support of his candidacy. A week after Obama won, he secretly met with Clinton in Chicago to discuss the secretary of state job.

She agreed to take it with the support of her husband, who agreed to take several steps to avoid conflicts of interest, including disclosure of donors to his library and international foundation.