Political icon Janet Reno has passed away at age 78.
The former Florida attorney made history in 1993 as the first woman appointed to the position of U.S. Attorney General. Reno held the position for eight years under the Clinton Administration, where her tenure was characterized by many groundbreaking accomplishments, including the prosecution of terrorists responsible for the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
While presiding over the Justice Department during her years as Attorney General, Reno also played a pivotal leadership role in government during a time of economic growth and low crime rates in the U.S. Former Deputy Attorney General Jamie Gorelick described her as an authentic force in Washington, D.C. “She was the least air-brushed candidate we have ever had for a cabinet-level position,” Gorelick told NPR. “She was herself and she didn’t change herself for Washington.”
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Reno’s sister confirmed to the New York Times that she passed away on Monday in her Miami-Dade County, Florida home of complications from Parkinson’s disease. She was first diagnosed with the disease in November of 1995.