Clinton is a city in Vermillion County, Indiana, United States. The population was 5,126 at the 2000 census. The city was established in 1829 and is named after DeWitt Clinton, who served as governor of New York from 1817 to 1823. Many of Clinton's original settlers were immigrants working in coal mines. Most of the immigrants were Italians trying to earn a living coal mining. Over time, the coal mining industry in Clinton died down but many of the Italian settlers stayed at Clinton.