Background

Ethnicity: His mother was mostly of English descent, with some German, Irish, Scottish, Swiss, and Welsh ancestry, while his father is said to be of Luo from Nyang’oma Kogelo, Kenya.

Obama was born on August 4, 1961, at Kapiʻolani Maternity & Gynecological Hospital in Honolulu, Hawaii. He is the first President to have been born in Hawaii. His mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, was born in Wichita, Kansas. His father, Barack Obama, Sr., was a Luo from Nyang’oma Kogelo, Kenya.

Education

Barack Obama graduated from high school in 1979 and moved to Los Angeles to attend Occidental College. In 1981, he transferred to Columbia College, Columbia University in New York City, where he majored in political science with a specialty in international relations. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1983.

From June 1985 to May 1988, he worked as a community organizer for low-income residents in the Roseland and the Altgeld Gardens communities.

He entered Harvard Law School in the fall of 1988 and graduated with a J.D. magna cum laude in 1991. As a student, he served as the president of the Harvard Law Review, and his election as the first black president of the Harvard Law Review gained national media attention.

Career

Obama was elected to the Illinois state senate in 1997, where he served as chairman of the Public Health and Welfare Committee.

He was the third African-American to deliver a keynote address at a Democratic National Convention when he took the stage at the 2004 convention in Boston, MA. A few months later, the former law professor at the University of Chicago became the fifth African-American US senator in history, winning with a landslide 70% of the vote.

On February 10, 2007, Obama entered the race for President of the United States. The competition for Democratic nominee was narrowed down fairly quickly to be a race between Obama, the first serious African American candidate, and Hillary Rodham Clinton, the first serious woman candidate for US president. In the end, Obama beat Clinton and then the Republican candidate, Senator John McCain.

Early in his first term in office, Obama signed into law economic stimulus legislation in response to the 2007-2009 recession in the United States in the form of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010.

He was re-elected president in November 2012, defeating Republican nominee Mitt Romney, and was sworn in for a second term on January 20, 2013

Obama found himself grappling with an international crisis in late August and September 2013 when it was discovered that Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad had used chemical weapons against civilians.

The president worked to persuade Congress and the international community at large to take action against Syria, but found a majority on Capitol Hill opposed to military involvement. Obama then announced an alternative solution by stating that if al-Assad agreed with the stipulations outlined in a proposal made by Russia to give up its chemical weapons, then a direct strike against the nation could be avoided. Al-Assad acknowledged the possession of chemical weapons and ultimately accepted the Russian proposal.

Echoes of the Cold War returned after civil unrest and protests in the capital city of Kiev led to the downfall of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in February 2014. Russian troops crossed into Ukraine to support pro-Russian forces and the annexation of the province of Crimea. In response, Obama ordered economic sanctions.

In August 2014, Obama ordered the first airstrikes against the self-proclaimed Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, which had seized large swathes of Iraq and Syria and conducted high-profile beheadings of foreign hostages. This, despite the pledge to keep combat troops out of the conflict.

In 2014, Obama reestablished diplomatic relations with Cuba for the first time in more than 50 years. The policy change came after the exchange of American citizen Alan Gross and another unnamed American intelligence agent for three Cuban spies.

In July 2015, Obama announced that, after lengthy negotiations, the United States and five world powers had reached an agreement with Iran over its nuclear program. The deal would allow inspectors entry into Iran to make sure the country kept its pledge to limit its nuclear program and enrich uranium at a much lower level than would be needed for a nuclear weapon.

In August 2015, the Obama administration announced The Clean Power Plan, a major climate change plan aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the first-ever national standards to limit carbon pollution from coal-burning power plants in the United States. President Obama called the plan the "single most important step that America has ever made in the fight against global climate change."

Under the new regulations, states will be allowed to create their own plans to reduce emissions and are required to submit initial plans by 2016 and final versions by 2018.

In November 2015, Obama further demonstrated his commitment to environmental issues as a primary player in the international summit held outside of Paris, France. Addressing the gathered representatives of nearly 200 countries, Obama acknowledged the United States’ position as the second-largest climate polluter and the nation’s primary responsibility to do something about it. The resulting Paris Agreement requires all participating nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to limit the rise of global temperatures over the ensuing century and also to allocate resources for the research and development of alternative energy sources.

He was re-elected president in November 2012, defeating Republican nominee Mitt Romney, and was sworn in for a second term on January 20, 2013.

Barack Obama's term came to an end on January 20, 2017, immediately after the inauguration of his successor, Donald Trump, and he left office with a 60% approval rating. Obama currently resides in Washington, D.C.

Achievements

• 

  Barack Obama is remembered as the 44th President of the United States, the first African American to assume the presidency.
  
  A 2017 C-SPAN Presidential Historians Survey ranked Obama as the 12th-best US president.
  
  He is the recipient of two Best Spoken Word Album Grammy Awards. He won the awards for the abridged audiobook versions of ‘Dreams from My Father’ (2006) and for ‘The Audacity of Hope’ (2008).
  
  In 2009, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Barack Obama "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples".
  
  The ‘Time’ magazine named Obama as its Person of the Year twice, in 2008 and in 2012.
  
  

Works

More photos

• book

  • Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance
  • The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream

Religion

Obama is a Protestant Christian whose religious views developed in his adult life. As President he has attended several different Christian churches. For the most part, he has attended Methodist churches. In his childhood Obama sometimes attended Sunday School at a First Unitarian Church of Honolulu.

Politics

The major domestic initiatives in his first term include the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act; the Don''t Ask, Don''t Tell Repeal Act of 2010; the Budget Control Act of 2011; and the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012.

In foreign policy, Obama ended U.S. military involvement in the Iraq War, increased troop levels in Afghanistan, signed the New START arms control treaty with Russia, ordered U.S. military involvement in Libya, and ordered the military operation that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden.

Obama found himself grappling with an international crisis in late August and September 2013 when it was discovered that Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad had used chemical weapons against civilians.

The president worked to persuade Congress and the international community at large to take action against Syria, but found a majority on Capitol Hill opposed to military involvement. Obama then announced an alternative solution by stating that if al-Assad agreed with the stipulations outlined in a proposal made by Russia to give up its chemical weapons, then a direct strike against the nation could be avoided. Al-Assad acknowledged the possession of chemical weapons and ultimately accepted the Russian proposal.

Echoes of the Cold War returned after civil unrest and protests in the capital city of Kiev led to the downfall of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in February 2014. Russian troops crossed into Ukraine to support pro-Russian forces and the annexation of the province of Crimea. In response, Obama ordered economic sanctions.

In August 2014, Obama ordered the first airstrikes against the self-proclaimed Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, which had seized large swathes of Iraq and Syria and conducted high-profile beheadings of foreign hostages. This, despite the pledge to keep combat troops out of the conflict.

In 2014, Obama reestablished diplomatic relations with Cuba for the first time in more than 50 years. The policy change came after the exchange of American citizen Alan Gross and another unnamed American intelligence agent for three Cuban spies.

In July 2015, Obama announced that, after lengthy negotiations, the United States and five world powers had reached an agreement with Iran over its nuclear program. The deal would allow inspectors entry into Iran to make sure the country kept its pledge to limit its nuclear program and enrich uranium at a much lower level than would be needed for a nuclear weapon.

In August 2015, the Obama administration announced The Clean Power Plan, a major climate change plan aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the first-ever national standards to limit carbon pollution from coal-burning power plants in the United States. President Obama called the plan the "single most important step that America has ever made in the fight against global climate change."

Under the new regulations, states will be allowed to create their own plans to reduce emissions and are required to submit initial plans by 2016 and final versions by 2018.

In November 2015, Obama further demonstrated his commitment to environmental issues as a primary player in the international summit held outside of Paris, France. Addressing the gathered representatives of nearly 200 countries, Obama acknowledged the United States’ position as the second-largest climate polluter and the nation’s primary responsibility to do something about it. The resulting Paris Agreement requires all participating nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to limit the rise of global temperatures over the ensuing century and also to allocate resources for the research and development of alternative energy sources.

Views

He became the first sitting U.S. president to publicly support allowing same-sex couples to legally marry.

Quotations: "You can’t let your failures define you. You have to let your failures teach you."

"Keep exploring. Keep dreaming. Keep asking why. Don’t settle for what you already know. Never stop believing in the power of your ideas, your imagination, your hard work to change the world."

"Don't be afraid to ask questions. Don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn't a sign of weakness, it's a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don't know something, and to learn something new."

"The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don’t wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope."

"Just because we have the best hammer does not mean that every problem is a nail."

Personality

Anyone, foe or friend, of Barack Obama’s will attest to his strong, charismatic, and powerful personality. Much was made of his laid-backed coolness – this was not a man easily ruffled and who stayed focused on what he considered important.

Adjectives often used to describe Obama are “calm,” “down to earth,” “scholarly,” “assured,” “confident.”

Physical Characteristics: Obama stands 6 feet,1.5 inches, although when photographed next to Bill Clinton who is listed as 6 feet 2.5 inches, Obama looks taller. Obama is an unusual presidential candidate in that he appeared to lose weight on the campaign trail. He probably best described himself at a Denver rally acknowledging the city’s mayor, John Hickenlooper. Obama said it was great being on a podium with another tall, skinny guy with a funny last name. Like George Herbert Walker Bush and Bill Clinton Obama is left-handed. His doctor pronounced Obama to be in “excellent” health, though noting a history of intermittent cigarette smoking.

Quotes from others about the person

• "Obama's legislative record, speeches, and the way he has run his campaign reveal, I think, a very even temperament, a very sound judgment, and an intelligent pragmatism." Andrew Sullivan
  
  "Barack Obama has failed America.[...] It breaks my heart to see what's happening in this country. These failing hopes make up President Obama's own misery index. It's never been higher." Mitt Romney

Interests

• Reading, visiting historic places

• Writers

  Ralph Waldo Emerson, Thomas Jefferson, Mark Twain, Abraham Lincoln, James Baldwin

• Sport & Clubs

  Basketball, golf

• Music & Bands

  Ready or Not, Fugees (1996), What's Going On, Marvin Gaye (1971), I'm On Fire, Bruce Springsteen (1985), Gimme Shelter, Rolling Stones (1969), Sinnerman, Nina Simone (1965), Touch the Sky, Kanye West (2006), You'd Be So Easy to Love, Frank Sinatra (rec. 1961), Think, Aretha Franklin (1968), City of Blinding Lights, U2 (2004),Yes We Can, will.i.am (2008)

Connections

Barack Obama met Michelle Robinson in 1989 while employed as a summer associate at the Chicago law firm of Sidley Austin. The couple started dating and eventually married in 1992. They are blessed with two daughters, Malia and Natasha.

Father:

Barack Obama Sr

Mother:

Ann Dunham

Spouse:

Michelle Obama

First lady of the United States

Daughter:

Malia Obama

She was born on July 4, 1998.

Daughter:

Natasha Obama

She was born on June 10, 2001.

colleague:

Joe Biden

Friend:

Oprah Winfrey

Friend:

George Clooney

Friend:

Will Smith

Friend:

Sarah Parker

Friend:

Alicia Keys

Friend:

Tom Hanks

Friend:

Beyoncé Knowles-Carter

References

• Obama: An Intimate Portrait
• Barack Obama: Quotable Wisdom
• Obama: The Historic Presidency of Barack Obama - 2,920 Days
• Obama: The Call of History
• Barack Obama: The Story