Michelle Obama

Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama (née Robinson; born January 17, 1964) is an American attorney and author who served as First Lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017 as the wife of Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States.
Born in Chicago and raised on the South Side of the city, Obama is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School. In her early legal career, she worked at the law firm Sidley Austin where she met her future husband. She subsequently worked in nonprofits and as the associate dean of student services at the University of Chicago. Later, she served as vice president for community and external affairs of the University of Chicago Medical Center. Michelle married Barack in 1992, and they have two daughters.
Obama campaigned for her husband's 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns. She was the first African-American to serve as first lady. As first lady, Obama worked as an advocate for poverty awareness, education, nutrition, physical activity, and healthy eating. She has written four books, including her New York Times best-selling memoir Becoming (2018) and The Light We Carry (2022).
After leaving office, Obama ranked first in the Gallup poll for the most admired woman in the United States for three straight years. She holds significant cultural influence and continues to advocate for voter participation in elections. She has also pivoted to launching successful media ventures.

Born, in its opening lines

January 17, 1964

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

Described as

lawyer and former First Lady of the United States (2009-2017)

Other names

Michelle LaVaughn Obama, Michelle Robinson, Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Michelle LaVaughn Robinson

Born

January 17, 1964 · 7 references

Born in

Chicago · 2 references

Name at birth

Michelle LaVaughn Robinson

Citizen of

United States

Occupation

lawyer; writer; politician; podcaster; jurist · 2 references; sociologist · 1 reference

Positions held

First Lady of the United States (2009–2017); attorney at law; board member (2007); dean (1996–); executive director (2002–2005); vice president (2005–)

Political party

Democratic Party

Worked for

Princeton University

Education

Princeton University (–1985) · 1 reference; Whitney M. Young Magnet High School (–1981) · 1 reference; Harvard Law School (1985–1988) · 1 reference; Woodlawn High School; Livingston High School; Marymount University

Member of

National Honor Society; Trinity United Church of Christ (–2008); American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Awards

Grammy Award for Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording (2020); National Women's Hall of Fame (2022) · 1 reference; honorary degree from Spelman College (2011) · 1 reference; BBC 100 Women (2023) · 1 reference; Women of the Year (2023) · 1 reference

Spouse

Barack Obama (1992–) · 4 references

Children

Malia Obama · 1 reference; Sasha Obama

Father

Fraser Robinson III · 1 reference

Mother

Marian Shields Robinson · 1 reference

Siblings

Craig Robinson

Religion

United Church of Christ; Methodism

Lived in

Hyde Park; White House; South Shore; White Cloud

Height

1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)

Website

https://www.obama.org/

Wikipedias with a page

139

Wikidata item Q13133 (wikidata.org/wiki/Q13133), public domain (CC0). Copied November 14, 2026.