Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton followed her Monday, Supreme Court-focused speech by shopping on State Street with Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4.
Clinton spent over $100 at Anthology after her “lifelong friend” Verveer suggested it to her, according to The Capital Times. But the Verveer-Clinton family friendship goes back before Verveer was even born.
Verveer said his parents, Melanne and Philip, attended Georgetown University as undergraduates with Bill Clinton. He said Philip and Bill were elected to student government together and have been friends ever since.
Years later in the 1992 race for the White House, Melanne worked for the Clinton-Gore campaign. After the election, she spent the next eight years in the White House.
“When Clinton was first elected she was appointed as an assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff to the first lady,” Mike said. “Then ultimately my mom was promoted to chief of staff to the first lady.”
When Clinton was later appointed secretary of state by President Barack Obama in 2009, she appointed Melanne to be the first ambassador-at-large for Global Women’s Issues and Philip was appointed Ambassador and U.S. Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy.
Melanne is now the executive director of the Georgetown School of Foreign Service Institute for Women, Peace and Security, while Philip serves as legal counsel for the Federal Communications Commission chairman in Washington D.C.
Mike said he supports the Clinton campaign, and that it has been nice to see the Clintons when they have come to Madison over the years.
Before attending UW-Madison, he interned at the U.S. Capitol in high school. But after moving here his freshman year, he never looked back.
“I really love Madison and wanted to make it my home and stay here on my own,” Verveer said. “People made remarks like ‘Oh you’re probably going to move to Washington when Hillary is elected president and get a job there.’ And I said no I’m not I am going to stay here. I find my work in city hall to be very rewarding and so I certainly have no plans to give it up anytime soon.”
