Dorothy Rodham, mother of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and former President Bill Clinton's mother-in-law, died Tuesday at age 92 after an illness.
The family said Rodham died shortly after midnight, surrounded by her family in Washington.
The secretary of state cancelled a planned trip to London and Istanbul to be at her mother's side.
Dorothy Rodham was a witness to her daughter's political victories and defeats. She avoided the spotlight and rarely gave interviews about herself or her daughter and son-in-law, the former president.
A notable exception was her daughter's 2008 bid for the Democratic nomination for president. She appeared with her daughter in primary states, particularly at events focusing on women's issues.
Clinton cited her mother in at least one ad during the campaign, saying that her mother had taught her to stand up for herself and to stand up for those who needed help.
As Clinton battled Barack Obama for the nomination in April 2008, Rodham joined her daughter and granddaughter at a campaign event at Haverford College. Then 88, Rodham didn't speak at the event, but Hillary Clinton noted that her mother lived with her and "always has a lot of great ideas about what we need to be doing," drawing chuckles from the audience.
In a debate during the 2008 campaign, Hillary Clinton called her mother her inspiration.
"I owe it to my mother, who never got a chance to go to college, who had a very difficult childhood, but who gave me a belief that I could do whatever I set my mind," she said.
The Clinton family plans a private memorial service.
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