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Barack Obama
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"Barack" and "Obama" redirect here. For other uses,
see Barack (disambiguation), Obama (disambiguation),
and Barack Obama (disambiguation).

Barack Hussein Obama II (/bǝˈrɑːk huːˈseɪn

oʊˈbɑːmǝ/ ( listen) bǝ-RAHK hoo-SAYN oh-BAH-mǝ;
[1] born August 4, 1961) is an American politician
who served as the 44th president of the United
States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the
Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-
American president of the United States.[2] He
previously served as a U.S. senator from Illinois from
2005 to 2008 and as an Illinois state senator from
1997 to 2004.

Barack Obama

Official portrait, 2012

44th President of the United States

In office
January 20, 2009 – January 20, 2017

Vice President Joe Biden

Preceded by George W. Bush

Succeeded by Donald Trump

United States Senator

from Illinois

In office
January 3, 2005 – November 16, 2008

Preceded by Peter Fitzgerald

Succeeded by Roland Burris

Member of the Illinois Senate

from the 13th district

In office
January 8, 1997 – November 4, 2004

Preceded by Alice Palmer

Succeeded by Kwame Raoul

Personal details

Born Barack Hussein Obama II

August 4, 1961 (age 60)
Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.

Political party Democratic

Spouse(s) Michelle Robinson (m. 1992)

Children Malia • Sasha

Parent(s) Barack Obama Sr.

Ann Dunham

Relatives Family of Barack Obama

Residence(s) Kalorama (Washington,

D.C.)

Education Punahou School

Alma mater Columbia University (BA)

Harvard University (JD)

Occupation Politician • lawyer •

author

Awards List of honors and

awards

Signature

Website Official website

Obama Foundation

White House Archives

Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. After

graduating from Columbia University in 1983, he
worked as a community organizer in Chicago. In
1988, he enrolled in Harvard Law School, where he
was the first black president of the Harvard Law
Review. After graduating, he became a civil rights
attorney and an academic, teaching constitutional
law at the University of Chicago Law School from
1992 to 2004. Turning to elective politics, he
represented the 13th district in the Illinois Senate
from 1997 until 2004, when he ran for the U.S.
Senate. Obama received national attention in 2004
with his March Senate primary win, his well-received
July Democratic National Convention keynote
address, and his landslide November election to the
Senate. In 2008, a year after beginning his
campaign, and after a close primary campaign
against Hillary Clinton, he was nominated by the
Democratic Party for president. Obama was elected
over Republican nominee John McCain in the
general election and was inaugurated alongside his
running mate Joe Biden, on January 20, 2009. Nine
months later, he was named the 2009 Nobel Peace
Prize laureate, a decision that drew a mixture of
praise and criticism.

Obama signed many landmark bills into law during

his first two years in office. The main reforms
include: the Affordable Care Act (ACA or
"Obamacare"), although without a public health
insurance option; the Dodd–Frank Wall Street
Reform and Consumer Protection Act; and the Don't
Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010. The American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act and Tax Relief,
Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job
Creation Act served as economic stimuli amidst the
Great Recession. After a lengthy debate over the
national debt limit, he signed the Budget Control and
the American Taxpayer Relief Acts. In foreign policy,
he increased U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan,
reduced nuclear weapons with the United States–
Russia New START treaty, and ended military
involvement in the Iraq War. In 2011, Obama ordered
the drone-strike killing of Anwar al-Awlaki, a US
citizen and suspected al-Qaeda operative, leading to
controversy. He ordered military involvement in Libya
for the implementation of the UN Security Council
Resolution 1973, contributing to the overthrow of
Muammar Gaddafi. He also ordered the military
operation that resulted in the death of Osama bin
Laden.

After winning re-election by defeating Republican

opponent Mitt Romney, Obama was sworn in for a
second term on January 20, 2013. During this term,
he promoted inclusion for LGBT Americans. His
administration filed briefs that urged the Supreme
Court to strike down same-sex marriage bans as
unconstitutional (United States v. Windsor and
Obergefell v. Hodges); same-sex marriage was
legalized nationwide in 2015 after the Court ruled so
in Obergefell. He advocated for gun control in
response to the Sandy Hook Elementary School
shooting, indicating support for a ban on assault
weapons, and issued wide-ranging executive actions
concerning global warming and immigration. In
foreign policy, he ordered military interventions in
Iraq and Syria in response to gains made by ISIL
after the 2011 withdrawal from Iraq, promoted
discussions that led to the 2015 Paris Agreement on
global climate change, oversaw and ultimately
apologized for the deadly Kunduz hospital airstrike,
drew down U.S. troops in Afghanistan in 2016,
initiated sanctions against Russia following the
Annexation of Crimea and again after interference in
the 2016 U.S. elections, brokered the Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear deal with Iran,
and normalized U.S. relations with Cuba. Obama
nominated three justices to the Supreme Court:
Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan were confirmed
as justices, while Merrick Garland was denied
hearings or a vote from the Republican-majority
Senate. Obama left office on January 20, 2017, and
continues to reside in Washington, D.C.

During Obama's terms as president, the United

States' reputation abroad, as well as the American
economy, significantly improved. Scholars and
historians rank him among the upper to mid tier of
American presidents. Since leaving office, Obama
has remained active in Democratic politics, including
campaigning for candidates in the 2018 midterm
elections, appearing at the 2020 Democratic
National Convention and campaigning for Biden
during the 2020 presidential election. Outside of
politics, Obama has published three bestselling
books: Dreams from My Father (1995), The Audacity
of Hope (2006) and A Promised Land (2020).

Early life and career

Presidential campaigns

Presidency (2009–2017)

Post-presidency (2017–present)

Legacy

Bibliography

See also

References

Further reading

External links

Last edited 1 day ago by Iamreallygoodatc…

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