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Bill and Chelsea

Bill Clinton, whose daughter was perhaps his only friend in his darkest days, says walking Chelsea down the aisle is the “most important job I’ll ever have.” Rebecca Dana and Lloyd Grove on their unshakable bond.

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Donald R. Broyles / AP Photo,DONALD R. BROYLES
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On Feb. 27, 1980, then-Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary Rodham welcomed their first and only child, Chelsea Victoria.

Donald R. Broyles / AP Photo
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A 6-year-old Chelsea Clinton accompanies her dad, Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton, to cast his vote during the Democratic primary in Little Rock in May 1986.

Danny Johnston / AP Photo
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As the media-dubbed "Boy Governor" began his presidential campaign in May 1992, he still made time for his wife and 12-year-old daughter Chelsea, whom he gathered with in their Little Rock kitchen for lunch after speaking at a Memorial Day service.

PF Bentley /Landov
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After the final presidential debate in October 1992, preteen Chelsea kissed her dad, who was leading in the polls, as he hugged the two most important women in his life.

J. David / AKE, AFP / Getty Images
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At the inaugural celebration in Arlington, Virginia, in January 1993, nearly 13-year-old Chelsea hugged her new president-elect dad. It was the start of years of attention for the gawky teen, who was often mocked by the media.

Greg Gibson / AP Photo
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Despite her status as a political princess, Chelsea’s parents fought to protect their daughter from the harsh criticism of television satirists and ruthless members of the press.

Consolidated News Pictures / Getty Images
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The Clintons celebrated eight Christmases in the White House. Here, during their second holiday season in December 1994, the president hugged his daughter as they sang carols on Washington's Ellipse during the annual Pageant of Peace.

Robert Giroux / AFP / Getty Images
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During a trip to Jackson, Wyoming, in 1995, the president and his daughter spent some time in the wild taking part in one of their favorite pastimes, horseback riding. Here, at a Rockefeller family-owned ranch, he rides Buster in a cowboy hat, while Chelsea sits atop Peanut.

AP Photo
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The Clintons retreated to Camp David on Thanksgiving Day in 1995. Fifteen-year-old Chelsea looks on as her parents carve the turkey.

The White House, Sharon Farmer / AP Photo
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President Clinton dances with Chelsea, then a senior in high school, during the Arkansas Ball in 1997 in Washington.

Doug Mills / AP Photo
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The first family is all smiles after Chelsea's high-school graduation ceremony in June 1997 at Sidwell Friends School in Washington. As expected, the president addressed his daughter's graduating class with a personal sendoff, telling them, "A part of us longs to hold you once more."

The White House / AP Photo
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After seven years in the White House, Stanford University junior Chelsea had the first family photo-op wave down. She boarded Air Force One with her father in November 2000 en route to Southeast Asia to attend the annual Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit.

Stephen Jaffe / Getty Images
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Now in his second term in the White House, the president and Chelsea take a jog along a bike path on Martha's Vineyard in August 1997. Like many of the Clintons’ outings, the run was highly buzzed about, as it was the first time he ran in public after knee surgery the previous March.

Ruth Fremson / AP Photo
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Three years after her father’s presidency ended, Chelsea—who had graduated from Stanford, earned her master’s degree from Oxford, and was working for a consulting firm in New York—and Bill shared a moment at the dedication ceremony for the William J. Clinton Presidential Center in their hometown of Little Rock in November 2004.

Jeff Mitchell / Landov / Reuters
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Though the time on the campaign trail was long over for former President Bill Clinton, he and daughter Chelsea supported the family's matriarch on her presidential campaign in April 2007.

Seth Wenig / AP Photo
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As Hillary continued campaigning for the presidency in 2008, former President Clinton and Chelsea held Rwandan babies as they visited a rural health-care clinic in August. The two traveled around the world visiting Clinton Foundation projects in four African countries.

Justin Sullivan / Getty Images For The Clinton Foundation
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Chelsea sits with her father as they listen to Hillary speak in June 2008. After treading multiple campaign trails together, the two will take their important walk down the aisle this weekend.

Jason Reed / Landov / Reuters

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