William Jefferson Blythe Jr. of her daughter Sharon. Blythe's divorce from Wanetta Alexander was granted in court on April 13, 1944. Seven months before that, on September 4, 1943, Blythe had bigamously "married" Virginia Dell Cassidy of Bodcaw, Arkansas. Blythe and Cassidy remained married until his death in a car crash on May 17, 1946. Three months after Blythe's death, on August 19, 1946, Cassidy gave birth to their only child, William Jefferson Blythe III, who as a teen took his stepfather's surname and became known as Bill Clinton, the future 42nd President of the United States. Cassidy had no knowledge of Blythe's previous
William Jefferson Blythe Jr. marriages until decades later when "The Washington Post" ran an extensive story in 1993, based on birth and marriage registry records, to mark Father's Day. Blythe was a traveling heavy equipment salesman for most of his brief career. It was while he worked as a travelling salesman that he met and married all his four wives. Some time after his fourth wedding, which happened in September 1943, Blythe shipped out for military service during World War II. He was stationed in Egypt and Italy. He worked in a motor pool, repairing jeeps and tanks. After the war ended, Blythe returned