Barack Obama

Described as

44th President of the United States (2009–2017)

Other names

Barack Hussein Obama II, Barack Hussein Obama, Barack H. Obama, Barack Hussein Obama, Jr., Barack H Obama, Barak Obama, Barry Obama, Barack Obama II, B. H. Obama, B. H. Obama II, Barry Soetoro, Barakat-ul-Husayn Obama

Born

August 4, 1961 · 12 references

Born in

Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children · 1 reference

Name at birth

Barack Hussein Obama II · 1 reference

Citizen of

United States · 4 references

Occupation

politician · 2 references; lawyer (1991–) · 1 reference; political writer (1995–) · 1 reference; community organizer (1985–1988) · 1 reference; statesperson · 2 references; jurist · 1 reference; podcaster · 2 references; academic · 2 references

Positions held

President of the United States (2009–2017) · 1 reference; member of the State Senate of Illinois (1997–2004) · 2 references; United States senator (2005–2008) · 1 reference; President-elect of the United States (2008–2009) · 2 references

Political party

Democratic Party · 1 reference

Worked for

Business International Corporation (1983–1984) · 2 references; New York Public Interest Research Group (1985) · 1 reference; Gamaliel Foundation; Sidley Austin (1991) · 1 reference; University of Chicago · 2 references

Education

State Elementary School Menteng 01 (1970–1971) · 2 references; Punahou School (1971–1979) · 2 references; Occidental College (1979–1981) · 2 references; Columbia University (1981–1983); Harvard Law School (1988–1991) · 2 references; Noelani Elementary School (1966–1967) · 1 reference

Member of

American Academy of Arts and Sciences · 2 references; American Philosophical Society · 2 references; 109th United States Congress · 1 reference; 110th United States Congress · 1 reference; Congressional Black Caucus · 2 references

Known for

A Promised Land · 2 references

Awards

Nobel Peace Prize (2009) · 2 references; Grammy Award for Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording (2 times) (2005, 2006) · 1 reference; Presidential Medal of Distinction (2013) · 1 reference; Time Person of the Year (2 times) (2008, 2012) · 2 references; NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work, Nonfiction (2007) · 1 reference; NAACP Image Award – Chairman's Award (2005) · 1 reference; German Media Award (2016) · 1 reference; King Abdulaziz Medal (2009) · 1 reference; Order of Sikatuna (2014) · 1 reference; National Medal of Science · 2 references; honorary doctorate from the University of Notre Dame; honorary doctor of the Northwestern University; honorary doctor of the University of Johannesburg; Order of the Rajamitrabhorn · 1 reference; Romy · 1 reference

Field

civil rights · 2 references; constitutional law · 2 references

Spouse

Michelle Obama (1992–) · 3 references

Children

Sasha Obama · 2 references; Malia Obama · 2 references

Father

Barack Obama Sr. · 2 references

Mother

Stanley Ann Dunham · 1 reference

Siblings

Auma Obama · 1 reference; Maya Soetoro-Ng · 2 references; Bernard Obama · 2 references; George Hussein Onyango Obama · 2 references; Mark Okoth Obama Ndesandjo · 2 references; David Ndesandjo · 2 references; Abo Obama · 2 references; Malik Obama · 2 references

Religion

Protestantism; Congregational churches (–2008) · 1 reference

Lived in

White House (2009–2017) · 1 reference; Tebet (1967–1970) · 2 references; Menteng (1970–1971) · 2 references; Honolulu (1971–1979) · 2 references; Los Angeles (1979–1981) · 2 references

Nickname

Barry (–1980) · 1 reference

Height

1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) (2016) · 1 reference

Website

https://barackobama.com · 2 references

Wikipedias with a page

342

Wikidata item Q76 (wikidata.org/wiki/Q76), public domain (CC0). Copied November 13, 2026.

Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American retired politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American to serve as president. Obama represented Illinois in the United States Senate from 2005 to 2008 and served as an Illinois state senator from 1997 to 2004.
Born in Honolulu, Obama graduated from Columbia University in 1983 and later worked as a community organizer in Chicago. In 1988, Obama enrolled at Harvard Law School, where he was the first Black president of the Harvard Law Review. He became a civil rights attorney and an academic, teaching constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992 to 2004. In 1996, Obama was elected to represent the 13th district in the Illinois Senate. In 2000, Obama ran for Illinois's 1st congressional district, but came in second to the incumbent Representative, Bobby Rush. Following his loss in the House race, he kept his position he held in the State Senate until 2004, when he successfully ran for the U.S. Senate. In the 2008 presidential election, after a close primary campaign against Hillary Clinton, he was nominated by the Democratic Party for president. Obama selected Joe Biden as his running mate and defeated Republican nominee John McCain and his running mate Sarah Palin.
Obama was awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize for efforts in international diplomacy, a decision that drew both praise and criticism. During his first term, his administration responded to the 2008 financial crisis with measures including the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to address the Great Recession; a partial extension of the Bush tax cuts; legislation to reform health care; and the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, a major financial regulation reform bill. Obama also appointed Supreme Court justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, the former being the first Hispanic American on the Supreme Court. Obama also oversaw the end of the Iraq War and ordered Operation Neptune Spear, the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, who was the leader of al-Qaeda and was responsible for the September 11 attacks. He downplayed Bush's counterinsurgency model by expanding air strikes and making extensive use of special forces, while encouraging greater reliance on host-government militaries. Obama also ordered the 2011 military intervention in Libya to implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973, which contributed to the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi.
Obama defeated Republican opponent Mitt Romney and his running mate Paul Ryan in the 2012 presidential election. In his second term, Obama advocated for gun control in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, took steps to combat climate change by signing the Paris Agreement on climate change and an executive order to limit carbon emissions, and presided over the implementation of the Affordable Care Act and other legislation passed during his first term. Obama also initiated sanctions against Russia following its invasion in Ukraine and again after Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections. He ordered military intervention in Iraq after gains made by ISIL following the 2011 withdrawal from Iraq, negotiated the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (a nuclear agreement with Iran), and normalized relations with Cuba. The number of American soldiers in Afghanistan decreased during Obama's second term, though U.S. soldiers remained in the country throughout his presidency. He also promoted inclusion for LGBTQ Americans, becoming the first sitting U.S. president to publicly support same-sex marriage.
Obama has continued to be politically active since he left office in 2017, campaigning for candidates in American elections, including Biden's successful presidential bid in the 2020 presidential election. Outside politics, Obama has published three books: Dreams from My Father (1995), The Audacity of Hope (2006), and A Promised Land (2020). Historians and political scientists rank Obama highly in historical rankings of U.S. presidents. As of 2026, he is the youngest-living former U.S. president.

Born, in its opening lines

August 4, 1961

From the Wikipedia article “Barack Obama” (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama), by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Copied November 13, 2026; not changed.