July 20, 1993

Six months into Bill Clinton’s presidency, Vincent W. Foster Jr., a close friend of the Clintons from Little Rock (Pulaski County) and a deputy White House counsel, was found dead of a gunshot wound to the head in Fort Marcy Park. His death was ruled a suicide. Foster had handled Whitewater issues for the Clintons since the campaign and had become the focus of criticism in the media, mainly the Wall Street Journal. In his White House office, he left a bitter note about not having been meant for the spotlight in Washington DC, where “ruining people is considered sport.” Some conservative groups promoted theories about how the Clintons had had Foster murdered because he might have to reveal secrets.