About Barack Obama About Barack Obama Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek. —President Obama President Barack Obama is the 44th President of the United States. He was born on August 4th, 1961, in Honolulu, Hawaii, to a mother from Kansas, Stanley Ann Dunham, and a father from Kenya, Barack Obama Sr. He was also raised by his grandfather, who served in Patton’s army, and his grandmother, who worked her way up from the secretarial pool to become vice president at a local bank. He worked his way through school—Occidental College in Los Angeles, Columbia University in New York, and later, Harvard Law School—with the help of scholarship money and student loans. In 1985, Barack Obama moved to Chicago, where he got his start in community organizing on the city’s South Side, working to help rebuild communities devastated by the closure of local steel plants.

The President called that time in his life " the best education I ever had, better than anything I got at Harvard Law School ." He has credited that experience as crucial to finding his identity—something that shaped his path to the White House. Barack Obama was elected to the Illinois State Senate in 1996. During his time in Springfield, he passed the first major ethics reform in 25 years, cut taxes for working families, and expanded health care for children and their parents. Elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004, he reached across the aisle to pass the farthest-reaching lobbying reform in a generation, lock up the world’s most dangerous weapons, and bring transparency to government by tracking federal spending online. Barack Obama was sworn in as president on January 20th, 2009, in the middle of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, at a time when our economy was losing 800,000 jobs a month . He acted immediately to get our economy back on track. Since then, the private sector has added back more than 10 million jobs during the longest, uninterrupted period of job growth in our nation’s history.

In his first term, the President cut taxes for every American worker—putting $3,600 back in the pockets of the typical family. He passed historic Wall Street reform to make sure taxpayers never again have to bail out big banks. He passed the landmark Affordable Care Act, helping to put quality and affordable health care within reach for millions of Americans. He ended the war in Iraq and is working to responsibly end the war in Afghanistan. He’s the first sitting president to stand up for marriage equality , and is fighting for equal pay and a woman’s right to make her own health decisions . He’s made a college education more affordable for millions of students and their families. And he believes it’s time for a comprehensive solution to fix our broken immigration system. The President believes an economy that's built to last starts by growing and strengthening the middle class—that’s why he has a plan to create jobs and restore economic security to working families. He’s been driven by the basic values that make our country great: America prospers when we’re all in it together, when hard work pays off and responsibility is rewarded, and when everyone—from Main Street to Wall Street—does their fair share and plays by the same rules.

INSPIRING A GRASSROOTS MOVEMENT The President's legacy as a grassroots organizer inspired millions. Organizing for Action is proud to be built from the ground up by people who believe that real, lasting change only happens when you organize. Barack Obama - U.S. Presidents - HISTORY.com Google Early life Obama’s father, also named Barack Hussein Obama, grew up in a small village in Nyanza Province, Kenya, as a member of the Luo ethnicity. He won a scholarship to study economics at the University of Hawaii , where he met and married Ann Dunham, a white woman from Wichita, Kansas , whose father had worked on oil rigs during the Great Depression and fought with the U.S. Army in World War II before moving his family to Hawaii in 1959. Barack and Ann’s son, Barack Hussein Obama Jr., was born in Honolulu on August 4, 1961. Did You Know? Not only was Obama the first African-American president, he was also the first to be born outside the continental United States. Obama was born in Hawaii in 1961. Obama’s parents later separated, and Barack Sr.

went back to Kenya; he would see his son only once more before dying in a car accident in 1982. After remarrying an Indonesian man, Lolo Soetoro, Ann moved with her young son to Jakarta in the late 1960s, where she worked at the U.S. embassy. In 1970, Obama returned to Hawaii to live with his maternal grandparents. He attended the Punahou School, an elite private school where, as he wrote in his 1995 memoir, Dreams from My Father, he first began to understand the tensions inherent in his mixed racial background. After two years at Occidental College in Los Angeles, he transferred to Columbia University in New York City, from which he graduated in 1983 with a degree in political science. Pre-Election Career After a two-year stint working in corporate research and at the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) in New York City, Obama moved to Chicago , where he took a job as a community organizer with a church-based group, the Developing Communities Project.

For the next several years, he worked with low-income residents in Chicago’s Roseland community and the Altgeld Gardens public housing development on the city’s largely black South Side. Obama would later call the experience “the best education I ever got, better than anything I got at Harvard Law School,” the prestigious institution he entered in 1988. In 1996, Obama officially launched his own political career, winning election to the Illinois State Senate as a Democrat from the South Side neighborhood of Hyde Park. Despite tight Republican control during his years in the state senate, Obama was able to build support among both Democrats and Republicans in drafting legislation on ethics and health care reform. He helped create a state earned-income tax credit that benefited the working poor, promoted subsidies for early childhood education programs and worked with law enforcement officials to require the videotaping of interrogations and confessions in all capital cases. Re-elected in 1998 and again in 2002, Obama also ran unsuccessfully in the 2000 Democratic primary for the U. S. House of Representatives seat held by the popular four-term incumbent Bobby Rush. As a state senator, Obama notably went on record as an early opponent of President George W.

Bush’s push to war with Iraq. During a rally at Chicago’s Federal Plaza in October 2002, he spoke against a resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq: “I am not opposed to all wars. I’m opposed to dumb wars…I know that even a successful war against Iraq will require a U. S. occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences.” When Republican Peter Fitzgerald announced that he would vacate his U.S. Senate seat in 2004 after only one term, Obama decided to run. He won 52 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary, defeating both multimillionaire businessman Blair Hull and Illinois Comptroller Daniel Hynes. After his original Republican opponent in the general election, Jack Ryan, withdrew from the race, the former presidential candidate Alan Keyes stepped in. That July, Obama gave the keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston, shooting to national prominence with his eloquent call for unity among “red” (Republican) and “blue” (Democratic) states.

In November 2004, Illinois delivered 70 percent of its votes to Obama (versus Keyes’ 27 percent), sending him to Washington as only the third African American elected to the U.S. Senate since Reconstruction . During his tenure, Obama notably focused on issues of nuclear non-proliferation and the health threat posed by avian flu. With Republican Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma , he created a Web site that tracks all federal spending, aimed at rebuilding citizens’ trust in government. He partnered with another Republican, Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana , on a bill that expanded efforts to destroy weapons of mass destruction in Eastern Europe and Russia. In August 2006, Obama traveled to Kenya, where thousands of people lined the streets to welcome him. He published his second book, The Audacity of Hope, in October 2006. 2008 Presidential Campaign On February 10, 2007, Obama formally announced his candidacy for president of the United States.

A victory in the Iowa primary made him a viable challenger to the early frontrunner, the former first lady and current New York Senator Hillary Clinton, whom he outlasted in a grueling primary campaign to claim the Democratic nomination in early June 2008. Obama chose as his running mate Joseph R. Biden Jr. Biden had been a U.S. senator from Delaware since 1972, was a one-time Democratic candidate for president and served as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Obama’s opponent was long-time Arizona Senator John S. McCain, a Vietnam veteran and former prisoner-of-war, who chose Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. If elected, Palin would have been the nation’s first-ever female vice-president. As in the primaries, Obama’s campaign worked to build support at the grassroots level and used what supporters saw as the candidate’s natural charisma, unusual life story and inspiring message of hope and change to draw impressive crowds to Obama’s public appearances, both in the U.S. and on a campaign trip abroad. They worked to bring new voters–many of them young or black, both demographics they believed favored Obama–to become involved in the election.

A crushing financial crisis in the months leading up to the election shifted the nation’s focus to economic issues, and both Obama and McCain worked to show they had the best plan for economic improvement. With several weeks remaining, most polls showed Obama as the frontrunner. Sadly, Obama’s maternal grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, died after a battle with cancer on November 3, the day before voters went to the polls. She had been a tremendously influential force in her grandson’s life and had diligently followed his historic run for office from her home in Honolulu. On November 4, lines at polling stations around the nation heralded a historic turnout and resulted in a Democratic victory, with Obama capturing some Republican strongholds ( Virginia , Indiana) and key battleground states ( Florida , Ohio ) that had been won by Republicans in recent elections. Taking the stage in Chicago’s Grant Park with Michelle and their two young daughters, Malia and Sasha, Obama acknowledged the historic nature of his win while reflecting on the serious challenges that lay ahead. “The road ahead will be long, our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.

I promise you, we as a people will get there.” The president and 24 other members of his administration weigh in on their proudest moments, their regrets and the belief that they left it all on the field. Tags CNN investigation: Obama born in U.S. - CNN.com CNN investigation: Obama born in U.S. GOPer: No doubt Obama born in Hawaii STORY HIGHLIGHTS Ex-Hawaii health official says she has "no doubt" President Obama was born in Honolulu Obama in 2008 produced a certification of live birth, a legally accepted document Obama family acquaintances remember the president's birth in 1961 in Hawaii Some critics of the president continue to express doubts about his country of birth Editor's note: Tune in to " AC360° " on Tuesday beginning at 10 p.m. ET to see the remainder of Gary Tuchman's investigation into President Barack Obama's birthplace. (CNN) -- Was Barack Obama really born in America? A new CNN investigation reveals what most analysts have been saying since the "birther" controversy erupted during the 2008 presidential campaign: Obama was born in Hawaii on August 4, 1961. Period.

While the president has made light of the controversy, the question remains political red meat for some of his critics. A recent CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll showed that nearly 75% of Americans believe Obama was definitely or probably born in the United States. More than four in 10 Republicans, however, believe he probably or definitely was not born in America. Evidence again shows Obama born in Hawaii The U.S. Constitution says only "natural born" citizens can become president -- a vague clause that some members of the birther movement contend disqualifies Obama because, they insist, he was born outside the United States. Skeptics contend, among other things, that Obama was born in his father's home country of Kenya. Potential GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump recently seized on the issue, saying he had doubts about Obama's background. Cable News Network CNN investigators in Honolulu found nothing to reinforce those doubts. Dr. Chiyome Fukino, a former director of the Hawaii Department of Health and a Republican, told CNN in her most extensive comments to date that she has "no doubt" Obama was born in the state.

Obama's 2008 campaign produced a certification of live birth, a document legally accepted as confirmation of a birth and routinely used for official purposes. Fukino went one step further, taking advantage of a state law that allows certain public officials to examine a person's actual birth certificate if there is a "direct and tangible interest." The president's certificate, she said, is stored in a vault in the building that houses the Department of Health. Ironically, unlike the certificate of live birth, it is no longer accepted for official usage. Obama's certificate is "absolutely authentic," she said. "He was absolutely born here in the state of Hawaii." Arizona governor criticizes birther "distraction" To see what happens when someone born in Hawaii requests a birth certificate, CNN asked a current resident of the state -- Stig Waidelich -- if he could get a copy of the document. Waidelich was born hours after Obama in August 1961. Like Obama, Waidelich's birth was announced at the time in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin newspaper. Waidelich, like Obama in 2008, was given a certification of live birth in response to his request.

Could Obama's 1961 birth announcement in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin be a fake? Some conspiracy theorists say yes. Longtime Honolulu newspaper reporter Dan Nakaso says no. "It's not possible," Nakaso said. "Under the system that existed back then, there was no avenue for people to submit information that way. ... The information came directly from the state Department of Health." Indeed, as CNN confirmed, all birth announcements at the time came directly from hospital birth records. Trump questions birth certificate Could Obama, a self-proclaimed Christian, be preventing the distribution of copies of the original birth certificate because it identifies him as a Muslim? Fukino says no. The original certificate includes no mention of the president's religion. And indeed, other original certificates from that time don't mention faith. Obama could file a Freedom of Information Act request to view his original birth certificate and make copies. But at this point, the White House maintains, nothing will satisfy the doubters. Rick Smethurst, a 2008 John McCain voter who now lives in Obama's childhood home in Hawaii, counts himself among the doubters. He said he wants to find someone who saw Obama immediately after the president was born. Hawaii Gov.

Neil Abercrombie said he did. Abercrombie, a Democrat, was friendly with Ann Dunham, Obama's mother, and remembers celebrating the birth. "Of course, we had no idea at the time that the future president of the United States was that little boy, that little baby," Abercrombie recalled. But "we are very, very happy ... that took place." Professor Alice Dewey of the University of Hawaii was a faculty adviser to Dunham and also knew the future president when he was a child. She called the controversy "funny." She said there is "no way" Obama wasn't born in the state. Dewey remembered a conversation in which Dunham compared the birth of Obama with that of his sister, Maya, who was born overseas. "She said, 'When I had Maya, it was a lot of more difficult because Indonesia doesn't believe in painkillers while you're giving birth. ... Of course, in the United States, giving birth to Barry (Obama's childhood nickname) was quite different and much more comfortable,' " Dewey recalled.

Waidelich's mother, Monika, said she believes she saw Obama in Honolulu's Kapi'olani Medical Center next to her son in 1961. "In those days, there were hardly any other black babies," she said. The hospital wouldn't show patient records from 1961, but the state's African-American population was less than 1% at the time. Regardless of the evidence, there may be no convincing some of those who question the president's origins. "I find it a bit amusing in the sense that (the issue) keeps resurfacing over and over again," Fukino said. "It really tells us that the whole conspiracy notion is out there (and) that if there is an issue that needs a following, they will find one. "No matter what you do or say, it make no difference," she said. Abercrombie, who tried to put an end to the controversy when he became governor, said he hopes that "people who have this political orientation toward the president respect us here in Hawaii." "Respect his mother and father," the governor urged.

"Respect the people I loved and the people that I knew, and the little boy who grew up here in paradise and became president." That, the evidence suggests, may be easier said than done. CNN's Alan Silverleib contributed to this report. Watch Anderson Cooper 360° weeknights 8pm ET. For the latest from AC360° click here. Share this on: Barack Obama - Biography - IMDb Barack Obama Biography Showing all 192 items Jump to: Overview (4) | Mini Bio (1) | Spouse (1) | Trade Mark (1) | Trivia (94) | Personal Quotes (91) Overview (4) 6' 1" (1.85 m) Mini Bio (1) U.S. President Barack Hussein Obama II was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. His mother, Stanley Ann Dunham , was a white American from Wichita, Kansas. His father, Barack Obama Sr. , who was black, was from Alego, Kenya. They were both young college students at the University of Hawaii. When his father left for Harvard, his mother and Barack stayed behind, and his father ultimately returned alone to Kenya, where he worked as a government economist.

Barack's mother remarried an Indonesian oil manager and moved to Jakarta when Barack was six. He later recounted Indonesia as simultaneously lush and a harrowing exposure to tropical poverty. He returned to Hawaii, where he was brought up largely by his grandparents. The family lived in a small apartment - his grandfather was a furniture salesman and an unsuccessful insurance agent and his grandmother worked in a bank - but Barack managed to get into Punahou School, Hawaii's top prep academy. His father wrote to him regularly but, though he traveled around the world on official business for Kenya, he visited only once, when Barack was ten. Obama attended Columbia University, but found New York's racial tension inescapable. He became a community organizer for a small Chicago church-based group for three years, helping poor South Side residents cope with a wave of plant closings. He then attended Harvard Law School, and in 1990 became the first African-American editor of the Harvard Law Review. He turned down a prestigious judicial clerkship, choosing instead to practice civil-rights law back in Chicago, representing victims of housing and employment discrimination and working on voting-rights legislation.

He also began teaching at the University of Chicago Law School, and married Michelle Robinson (now Michelle Obama , a fellow attorney; their daughters are Sasha Obama and Malia Obama . Eventually, he was elected to the Illinois state senate, where his district included both Hyde Park and some of the poorest ghettos on the South Side. In 2004, Obama was elected to the U.S. Senate as a Democrat, representing Illinois, and he gained national attention by giving a rousing and well-received keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention in Boston. In 2008 he ran for President, and despite having only four years of national political experience, he won. In January 2009, he was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States, and the first African-American ever elected to that position. Obama was re-elected to a second term in November 2012. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous Spouse (1) ( 3 October 1992 - present) (2 children) Trade Mark (1) Loud, strong voice when delivering speeches. Trivia (94) His first name comes from the word that means "blessed by God" in Arabic.

In the Kenyan town where his father was born, the long-brewed "Senator" brand of beer has been nicknamed "Obama." U.S. Senator from Illinois since 3 January 2005. Won a Grammy for Best Spoken Word for the CD version of his autobiography "Dreams From My Father" (2006). Lived in Hyde Park in Chicago. The movie he saw on his first date with Michelle Obama was Do the Right Thing (1989). He is a sixth cousin once removed to Park Overall . Has two daughters, Malia Obama (born in 1998) and Sasha Obama (born in 2001). Candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 2008 US presidential election. Several celebrities including; Halle Berry , George Clooney , Sheryl Crow , Bob Dylan , Topher Grace , Macy Gray , Bruce Springsteen , Oprah Winfrey Tom Hanks , Scarlett Johansson , Hayden Panettiere , Zachary Quinto , Eddie Murphy and John Cleese support his 2008 presidential campaign. Robert De Niro gave his endorsement at the same rally where Barack was endorsed by Caroline and Ted Kennedy. Enjoys playing basketball and poker.

At his wife's suggestion, he quit smoking before his campaign to win the Democratic nomination began. His paternal relatives still live in Kenya. Confessed teenage drug experiences in his memoirs "Dreams from My Father". One of his ancestors was Mareen Duvall, also an ancestor of actor Robert Duvall . Shares his surname with a small city in western Japan, which means "small shore" in Japanese. Plays basketball. Born to Barack Obama Sr. (1936-1982) and Ann Dunham (1942-1995) married from 1961 to 1965. Named one of Time magazine's "100 most influential people in the world" list in 2005 and 2007. Chosen as one of "10 people would change the world" by New Statesman magazine (2005). Won his second Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for "The Audacity of Hope" (2008).

On June 3, 2008 he won the Montana primary election giving him enough delegates to become the first Black American presidential candidate to win a major political party's presumptive nomination for the office of President of the United States. Is a die-hard Chicago White Sox fan. More than 215,000 people attended his speech in Berlin on 24 July 2008. Has one half-sister, Maya, born to his mother and stepfather in 1970. Has his look-alike puppet in the French show Les guignols de l'info (1988). Barack Obama's grandmother, Madelyn Payne Dunham died Sunday November 2, 2008 in the early evening in Honolulu from cancer. She was 86. Is the first African-American man to be elected President of the United States (November 2008). When elected President, he won the battleground states of North Carolina, Florida, Virginia and Colorado - all of which had voted Republican in 2004. Is the first American president to be born in Hawaii. Was the 27th lawyer to be elected American president.

Was elected to be the 44th president of the Unites States of America on 4 November, 2008. As a child growing up in Hawaii, his classmates knew him as Barry. Presidential campaign slogan: "Change we can believe in". His father was Kenyan, from Alego. His mother, who was from Wichita, Kansas, was white, and was of English, with small amounts of Scottish, Irish, German, Welsh, Swiss-German, French, and possibly remote African, ancestry. Is a fan of The Wire (2002). First ever US President to address a Muslim community at an inaugural speech. Shares the same birthday as long-time White House correspondent and journalism legend, Helen Thomas . On her 89th birthday (and his 48th), they celebrated by blowing birthday cupcakes together in front of the press corps. First United States Senator to be elected President since John F. Kennedy . October 2009, won the Nobel Peace Prize. Fourth US President to win a Nobel Peace Prize (2009) after Theodore Roosevelt (1906), Woodrow Wilson (1919) and Jimmy Carter (2002).

Defended his decision not to issue a formal written statement on the death of controversial pop star Michael Jackson on 25 June 2009. Brother-in-law of Konrad Ng . Merited a position in Time magazine's - The 100 Most Influential People in the World ("Leaders" category) - with an homage contributed by David Remnick (Issue: May 10, 2010). Received a gift of a Portuguese water dog from Senator Ted Kennedy and his wife Victoria. Because the particular breed is reportedly hypo-allergenic, the First Family and friends were highly unlikely to suffer any allergic reactions in the pet's presence. [2009] Obama's appearance on The View (1997) (29 July 2010) made him the first ever sitting US President to appear as a guest on a daytime TV talk show. Obama's birthplace of Hawaii makes him the first U.S. president not born in the continental United States. Brother-in-law of basketball player, coach and author Craig Robinson . The character of Matt Santos in 'The West Wing' is based on him. The first US President to be born after the Vietnam War started.

Is a big fan of the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man and collected the comics as a youth. Counts Homeland (2011) as one of his favorite TV shows. First U.S. President to be personally presented with an Apple iPad 2 by Steve Jobs before it was officially released domestically. Obama is frequently seen using Apple devices. Notable for being the first United States President to participate in social media. He is the first President to have a personal Facebook page and a Twitter account, and the first President to hold Q&A sessions via those forums and YouTube. He is also the first sitting President to own and use an iPod, Blackberry (custom made for security purposes), and iPad. His daily newspapers are The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. He claims to not watch cable TV news stations. Introduced the 50th anniversary television broadcast of To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). Can speak Indonesian to a certain degree, having lived in Indonesia for a number of years during his childhood.

The TV presidential election campaign commercial for Obama featured, Carl Reiner , Garry Marshall , Larry Gelbart , Valerie Harper , Danny DeVito , Rhea Perlman , Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara (slogan: "This Ain't Funny, it's a serious election. Don't vote out of fear, vote for hope - Vote for Obama"). Was a classmate of Hill Harper 's at Harvard Law School. First United States President to be elected twice with over 50% of the popular vote since Ronald Reagan and the first Democratic President elected as such since Franklin D. Roosevelt . First two-term President to take the Oath of Office four times. The first time, during his televised first inauguration, Chief Justice John Roberts made a mistake while reading the Oath of Office, which Obama repeated to avoid embarrassment. A few days later, he called Roberts into his office to do it again, and this time read it correctly. By law, the President is sworn in at noon on January 20. In 2013, the month and date fell on a Sunday, but to comply with the Blue Law (no work on Sunday), he was sworn in privately in the Oval Office, and then again publicly the next day.

The two before him that were sworn in on Monday, January 21st, were Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1957 and Ronald Reagan in 1985. One of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World (2013). First US President since Jimmy Carter in 1979 to speak directly on the phone with a leader of Iran - Hassan Rouhani . [September 2013] Elected the 44th President of the United States of America [November 2008] Favorite films are The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather: Part II (1974). In the 2008 presidential election, he won the state of North Carolina with a 0.32% margin of victory. Normally considered a solid Republican state, the margin was small enough that it took days after the election to call the state, although this had little regard on calling the election, as nationally it was a landslide victory and winning or losing North Carolina would have made no difference. The last time prior to this that North Carolina elected a democrat was in 1976 when they elected Jimmy Carter.

One of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World. [April 2014]. He is related to Jimmy Carter in multiple ways. Through Adrian Gordy they are seventh cousins three times removed. Through William Terrell and Susannah Waters they are eighth cousins twice removed. British author Anthony Horowitz wrote of a Black Prime Minister in 2009 not long before Obama was elected President. First sitting US President to visit a federal prison when he toured El Reno Correctional Institution in Oklahoma (July 16, 2015). Became the first sitting US President to enter the Arctic Circle when he visited Kotzebue, Alaska, to address the adverse effects of global warming in that particular region (September 3, 2015). When a USAF AC-130 gunship attacked the Kunduz Trauma Centre in Afghanistan 3 October 2015, President Barack Obama became the first Nobel Peace Prize winner to bomb another, namely, Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders). The President's favorite book of 2015 was "Fates and Furies" by award-winning author Lauren Groff .

First sitting US President since Calvin Coolidge to visit Cuba in 88 years. In 1928 President Coolidge arrived in Cuba on a battleship after a 3-day cruise, whereas President Obama touched down in Havana aboard Air Force One after a 3-hour flight (20 March 2016). How Much A Dollar Cost by Kendrick Lamar was his favorite song of 2015. The first sitting president to visit Sweden's capital Stockholm in 2013. His predecessor George W. Bush visited second city Gothenburg. Officially endorses Hillary Clinton for the 2016 Presidential race. (June 2016). Was offered a book publishing deal before graduating from Harvard University. Was the first African-American to be elected President of the Harvard Law Review. Graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University. Normalised Full Diplomatic Relations with Cuba in July 2015. First Sitting US President to visit Myanmar (November 2012). 3rd Sitting US President to visit Vietnam (May 2016). First Sitting US President to visit Laos. (5 September 2016).

Is the Second US President to visit Greece (November 15 2016). Met with his successor Donald Trump after the latter won the White House (November 10 2016). By the end of his second term, he granted clemency to over 1,000 non violent drug offenders which was more than the past 11 presidents combined. Vowed retaliation against Russia for the cyber attacks.[December 2016]. Awarded 21 recipients The Presidential Medal of Freedom.[November 2016]. Met with CIA director John Brennan, FBI Director James B. Comey and Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper Jr., to discuss the cyber attacks made by Russia.[December 2016]. Personal Quotes (91) [from keynote speech given at the 2004 Democratic party national convention] There's not a liberal America and a conservative America. There's the United States of America. We worship an awesome God in the blue states, and we don't like federal agents poking around our libraries in the red states. We coach Little League in the blue states, and have gay friends in the red states.

There are patriots who opposed the war, and patriots who supported it. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the Stars and Stripes, all of us defending the United States of America. And it lives on in those Americans -- young and old, rich and poor, black and white, Latino and Asian and Native American, gay and straight -- who are tired of a politics that divides us and want to recapture the sense of common purpose that we had when John Kennedy was President of the United States of America. [regarding former President Bill Clinton 's support for his wife--and Obama's opponent for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination-- Hillary Clinton ] Sometimes I don't know who I'm running against. [when asked whether he would call on Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton to release their tax returns, after Hilary loaned $5 million of her own money to her campaign] I'll just say that I've released my tax returns. That's been a policy I've maintained consistently. I think the American people deserve to know where you get your income from. But I'll leave it up to you guys to chase it down . . .

I think we set the bar in terms of transparency and disclosure that has been a consistent theme of my campaign and my career in politics. In the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope. When I am this party's [Democratic party] nominee, my opponent will not be able to say that I voted for the war in Iraq; or that I gave [ George W. Bush ] the benefit of the doubt on Iran; or that I supported Bush-Cheney [former VP Dick Cheney ] policies of not talking to leaders that we don't like. And he will not be able to say that I wavered on something as fundamental as whether or not it is okay for America to torture - because it is NEVER okay. That's why I am in it. As President, I will end the war in Iraq. We will have our troops home in sixteen months. I will close Guantanamo. I will restore habeas corpus. I will finish the fight against Al Qaeda. And I will lead the world to combat the common threats of the 21st century - nuclear weapons and terrorism; climate change and poverty; genocide and disease.

And I will send once more a message to those yearning faces beyond our shores that says, "You matter to us. Your future is our future. And our moment is now." This time we want to talk about the crumbling schools that are stealing the future of black children and white children and Asian children and Hispanic children and Native American children. This time we want to reject the cynicism that tells us that these kids can't learn; that those kids who don't look like us are somebody else's problem. The children of America are not those kids, they are our kids, and we will not let them fall behind in a 21st century economy. Not this time. Change is coming to America. In America, we have this strong bias toward individual action. You know, we idolize the John Wayne hero who comes in to correct things with both guns blazing. But individual actions, individual dreams, are not sufficient. We must unite in collective action, build collective institutions and organizations. In America, we have this strong bias toward individual action. You know we idolize the John Wayne hero who comes in to correct things with both guns blazing. But individual actions, individual dreams are not sufficient. We must unite in collective action, build collective institutions and organizations.

In Washington, we call this the Ownership society, and it is especially tempting because each of us believes we will always be the winner in life's lottery, that we're the one who will be the next Donald Trump, or at least we won't be the chump who Donald Trump says: "You're fired!" To avoid being mistaken for a sellout, I chose my friends carefully. The more politically active black students. The foreign students. The Chicanos. The Marxist professors and the structural feminists and punk rock performance poets. We smoked cigarettes and wore leather jackets. At night in the dorms, we discussed neocolonialism, Franz Fanon, Eurocentrism and patriarchy. When we ground our cigarettes in the hallway carpet or set our stereos so loud that the walls began to shake, we were resisting bourgeois society's stifling constraints. We weren't indifferent or careless or insecure. We were alienated. (visiting Ireland) My name is Barack Obama of the Moneygall O'Bamas. And I've come to find the apostrophe we lost along the way.

Hopefully, more and more people will begin to feel their story is somehow a part of the larger story of how we're going to reshape America in a way that is less mean spirited and more generous. I mean I really hope to be a part of the transformation of this country. I'm not interested in the suburbs. The suburbs bore me. And I'm not interested in isolating myself. I feel good when I'm engaged in what I think are the core issues of the society, and those issues to me are what's happening to poor folks in this society. It's crucial that people don't see my election as a sign of progress in the broader sense that we don't sort of point to a Barack Obama any more than you point to a Bill Cosby or a Michael Jordan and say "Well things are hunky dory". To that extent, as radical as I think people try to characterize the Warren court, it wasn't that radical. It didn't break free from the essential constraints that were placed by the founding fathers in the Constitution, or at least as it's been interpreted and Warren court interpreted in the same way, that generally the Constitution is a charter of negative liberties, Says what the states can't do to you.

Says what the Federal government can't do to you, but doesn't say what the Federal government or the state government must do on your behalf, and that has shifted and one of the, I think, tragedies of the civil rights movement was, um, because the civil rights movement became so court focused I think there was a tendency to lose track of the political and community organizing and activities on the ground that are able to put together the actual coalition of powers through which you bring about redistributive change. In some ways we still suffer from that. Anger over welfare and affirmative action helped forge the Reagan Coalition. Politicians routinely exploited fears of crime for their own electoral ends. Talk show hosts and conservative commentators built entire careers unmasking bogus claims of racism while dismissing legitimate discussions of racial injustice and inequality as mere political correctness or reverse racism. You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years, and nothing's replaced them. And they fell through the Clinton administration, and the Bush administration, and each successive administration has said somehow these communities are going to regenerate and they have not.

And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy toward people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations. It's great to be here this evening in the vast, magnificent Hilton ballroom, or what Mitt Romney would call a little fixer-upper. You know, Malia and Sasha, they have friends whose parents are same-sex couples. There have been times where Michelle and I have been sitting around the dinner table and we're talking about their friends and their parents and Malia and Sasha, it wouldn't dawn on them that somehow their friends' parents would be treated differently. It doesn't make sense to them and frankly, that's the kind of thing that prompts a change in perspective.

(May 9, 2012) I have to tell you that over the course of several years, as I have talked to friends and family and neighbors, when I think about members of my own staff who are in incredibly committed monogamous relationships, same-sex relationships, who are raising kids together, when I think about those soldiers or airmen or marines or sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf and yet feel constrained, even now that Don't Ask Don't Tell is gone, because they are not able to commit themselves in a marriage, at a certain point I've just concluded that for me, personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married. (May 9, 2012) I believe the majority of gun owners would agree we should do everything possible to prevent criminals and fugitives from purchasing weapons. And we should check someone's criminal record before they can check out a gun seller. A mentally unbalanced individual should not be able to get his hands on a gun so easily. These steps shouldn't be controversial. They should be common sense.

We can't continue to sustain a situation in which some countries are maintaining surpluses, others massive deficits and there never is the kind of adjustment with respect to currency that would lead to a more balanced growth pattern. My image of Onyango, faint as it was, has always been of an autocratic man - a cruel man, perhaps. But I had also imagined him an independent man, a man of his people, opposed to white rule... What Granny had told us scrambled that image completely, causing ugly words to flash across my mind. Uncle Tom. Collaborator. House nigger. The only way my life makes sense is if - regardless of culture, race, religion, tribe - there is this commonality, these essential human truths and passions and hope and moral precepts, that we can reach out beyond our differences. If that is not the case, then it is pretty hard for me to make sense of my life. That is the core of who I am. [on election night, November 4, 2008] This is your victory.

I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it's been done in America for 221 years - block by block, brick by brick, callused hand by callused hand. [on the political choice as he sees it in 2012] This isn't a matter of who's more patriotic or who is more empathetic toward people or who is nicer. It's a hardheaded assessment of what makes our economy grow. And the facts are on my side in this argument. Part of the reason that our politics seems so tough right now, and facts and science and argument does not seem to be winning the day all the time, is because we're hardwired not to think clearly when we're scared. What I wake up determined to accomplish every single day is making the best decisions I can. And the only thing then to guide you is what you genuinely think is best for the country. Because if you start trying to guess what's going to be most politically advantageous or try to game all that stuff out, you'll get lost very quickly. We can't drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times...

and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK. That's not leadership. That's not going to happen. I do think at a certain point you've made enough money. If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you've got a business - you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen. Governor Romney seems to have a tendency to shoot first and aim later. As President of our country and Commander-in-Chief of our military, I accept that people are going to call me awful things every day, and I will always defend their right to do so. If you can't beat your opponent's ideas, you distort those ideas and maybe make some up. If you don't have a record to run on, than you paint your opponent as someone people should run away from. [on Donald Trump's refusal to trust the validity of the President's personal documents] This all dates back to when we were growing up together in Kenya.

I've always believed that education begins at home, with parents who take responsibility - who read to their kids, set limits on the TV and instill a lifelong love of learning. But there is no substitute for a good school or the teacher who stands in front of the classroom. [to the crowd at the 2013 Presidential Inauguration] I want to look out one more time. I'm not going to see this again. The truth is that we have steadily become a more diverse and tolerant country that embraces people's differences and respect people who are not like us. That's a profoundly good thing. That's one of the strengths of America. [on the 2012 campaign trail] If you buy into the cynicism that the change we fought for isn't possible, well, change will not happen. Other voices will fill the void: lobbyists and special interests, the people with ten million dollar checks who are trying to buy this election. [on Senator Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma)] The people of Oklahoma are lucky to have someone like Tom representing them in Washington - someone who speaks his mind, sticks to his principles and is committed to the people he was elected to serve.

Each of us still hopes the other will see the light. But in the meantime, we'll settle for being friends. [ at the 2009 White House Correspondents Dinner] Mother's Day is a tough holiday for Rahm Emanuel because he's not used to saying the word 'day' after 'mother'. AK-47s belong in the hands of soldiers and not in the hands of crooks. They belong on the battlefield of war, not on the streets of our cities. [on Nelson Mandela ] I had read his writings and speeches and understood this was somebody who believed in the basic principle I just talked about - treating people equally. He was willing to sacrifice his life for that belief. He's a personal hero, but I don't think I'm unique in that regard. He's a hero for the world. If and when he passes from this place, one thing we all know is that his legacy is one that will linger on throughout the ages. We discussed the fact that Ho Chi Minh was actually inspired by the U.S. Declaration of Independence and Constitution, and the words of Thomas Jefferson. Trayvon Martin could have been me thirty-five years ago.

[on the outlawed use of poison gas in Syria] I didn't set a red line, the world set a red line. [to Dmitri Medvedev] This is my last election, after my election, I'll have more flexibility. [on why he quit smoking] I haven't had a cigarette in probably six years. That's because I'm scared of my wife. [on critics of American engagement with Iran, 2013] Tough talk and bluster may be the easy thing to do politically, but it's not the right thing to do for our security. No party has a monopoly on wisdom. [from a 2012 campaign speech] If you give up on the idea that your voice can make a difference, then other voices will fill the void: the lobbyists and special interests; the people with the $10 million checks who are trying to buy this election, and those who are making it harder for you to vote. [on the passing of Pete Seeger at age 94] Once called 'America's tuning fork', Pete Seeger believed deeply in the power of song.

But more importantly, he believed in the power of community - to stand up for what's right, speak out against what's wrong, and move this country closer to the America he knew we could be. Over the years, Pete used his voice - and his hammer - to strike blows for workers' rights and civil rights; world peace and environmental conservation. And he always invited us to sing along. For reminding us where we came from and showing us where we need to go, we will always be grateful for Pete Seeger. [at the 2014 White House Correspondents' Dinner, on government gridlock] If you want to get paid while not working, you should have to run for Congress like everyone else. [In response to the issue of rising US gun violence after another school shooting] We're the only developed country on Earth where this happens. And it happens now once a week. And it's a one-day story. There's no place else like this. [downplaying the role of military action in U.S. global leadership] Just because we have the best hammer does not mean that every problem is a nail.

[to the graduating class at West Point, 2014] For the foreseeable future, the most direct threat to America, at home and abroad, remains terrorism. But a strategy that involves invading every country that harbours terrorist networks is naive and unsustainable. [2014 White House Correspondents' Dinner Speech] It is great to be back. What a year, huh? I usually start these dinners with a few self-deprecating jokes. After my stellar 2013, what can I possibly talk about? I admit it - last year was rough. Sheesh. At one point, things got so bad, the 47 percent called Mitt Romney to apologize. [2014 White House Correspondents' Dinner Speech] Let's face it, Fox, you'll miss me when I'm gone. It will be harder to convince the American people that Hillary was born in Kenya. [from a speech on November 20, 2014] To those members of Congress who question my authority to make our immigration system work better, or question the wisdom of me acting where Congress has failed, I have one answer: Pass a bill.

[on Jong-un Kim and the controversy surrounding The Interview (2014)] We cannot have a society in which some dictator someplace can start imposing censorship here in the United States. We are not at war with Islam. [on commuting prison sentences for 46 drug offenders, July 13, 2015] These men and women were not violent criminals , but the overwhelming majority had been sentenced to at least twenty years. Fourteen of them had been to sentenced to life for non-violent drug offenses, so their punishments didn't fit the crime. I believe that America, at its heart, is a nation of second chances, and I believe these folks deserve their second chance. [on the U.S. and Cuba re-opening their embassies, 2015 ] We don't have to be imprisoned by the past. [addressing the climate change issue] We only get one planet. There is no Plan B.

[when asked if he thinks Bill Clinton was the first "black" president]I think Bill Clinton did have an enormous affinity with the African American community and still does and that's well-earned like John (Edwards) one of the things I've always been inspired by is young men and women who grew up in the south when segregation was still taking place when the transformation that are still incomplete that at least had begun had not yet begun and to see that transformation in their own lives I think that is powerful and that it is hopeful because what indicates is that people can change and each successive generation can create a different vision on how we have to treat each other and I think Bill Clinton embodies that and he deserves credit for that I would have to investigate Bill's dancing abilities some other southern stuff to accurately judge if he was in fact a brother [on the rampage of school shootings in America, 2015] Our thoughts and prayers are not enough. [Announcing the successful assignation of Osama bin Laden] Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaeda and a terrorist who's responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women, and children.

For over two decades, he has been al Qaeda's leader and symbol, and has continued to plot attacks against our country and our friends and allies. The death of bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nation's effort to defeat al Qaeda. [His response when a child asks him at a campaign rally "why do people hate you?"] I did get elected President, so not everybody hates me. If you're been watching TV lately, it seems like everybody is just getting mad all the time. Some of it is just called politics, when our party wins, the other party feels like they need to poke you a little bit, so it'll keep you on your toes. So you shouldn't take it too seriously. They are worried about their own lives because a lot of people are losing their jobs right now and a lot of people are losing their health care. A lot of people lost their homes to foreclosure, so they're feeling frustrated and when you're President of the United States, you've got to deal with all of that.

[Conclusion of 2012 election victory speech] And together, with your help and God's grace, we will continue our journey forward and remind the world just why it is that we live in the greatest nation on earth. Thank you, America. God bless you. God bless these United States. [Giving his approval for the mission to kill Osama bin Laden ] It's a go. [on one of the few regrets he has about his presidency] A president with the gifts of Lincoln or Roosevelt might have better bridged the divide. [after North Korea launched a satellite into space] They are not very good at feeding their people, but they invest a huge amount in their weapons. The only constraints on America's future are the ones we impose on ourselves. That's always been the case with America - our destiny isn't decided for us - but by us. And as long as we give our young people every tool and every chance to decide the future for themselves, I have incredible faith in the choices they'll make. [2016, on the Republican presidential candidates] Have you noticed that every one of these candidates say, "Obama's weak! Putin's kicking sand in his face!

When I talk to Putin, he's gonna straighten out..." And then it turns out they can't handle a bunch of CNBC moderators. Climate change is a potential existential threat to the entire world if we don't do something about it... it is a political problem perfectly designed to repel government intervention. It involves every single country, and it is a comparatively slow-moving emergency, so there is always something seemingly more urgent on the agenda. [on his visit to Cuba, 2016] I have come here to bury the last remnant of the Cold War in the Americas. I'd rather be a good one term president than a mediocre two term president. [When asked if capturing Osama bin Laden was the most important day of his presidency] It was the most single "day" of my Presidency the most intense, concentrated "day" of my presidency. [At 2004 White House correspondents dinner, referring to Hillary Clinton losing the Democratic party nomination and appointing her Secretary of State under his administration] If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. [Impersonating Kobe Bryant's farewell speech] Obama OUT!

[to the delegates at the first United State of Women summit, 2016] I may be a little grayer than I was eight years ago, but this is what a feminist looks like. [on Donald Trump ] I think the Republican nominee is unfit to serve as president. I said so last week [at the Democratic national convention], and he keeps on proving it. The notion that he would attack a Gold Star family [the name for a family whose relative has died in service] that had made such extraordinary sacrifices on behalf of our country, the fact that he doesn't appear to have basic knowledge around critical issues in Europe, in the Middle East, in Asia means that he's woefully unprepared to do this job. (...) There has to come a point at which you say somebody who makes those kinds of statements doesn't have the judgment, the temperament, the understanding to occupy the most powerful position in the world because a lot of people depend on the White House getting stuff right. [2016] [on Michelle and their daughters traveling to China] I don't worry too much whenever or wherever they're traveling, they're surrounded by men with guns.

[To the crowd after he mentions Donald Trump 's political agenda and the crowd starts booing] Don't boo, vote! [on the kind of legacy he wants to leave with the African American community]it's hard for to me to say what I've meant to the African American community. I can say what Michelle's meant to the African American community, she's "the bomb" to the them, what concretely I can say is that the work this administration's done has made a difference in the lives of people who are struggling and those folks are dis-proportionally people of color so whether it's the Affordable Care Act that's making sure people have health care or if it's expanding programs in low income communities to provide better job training. Right now each of those areas those people are better off otherwise they would've been because of the concrete actions we took. [on Donald Trump ] If somebody can't handle a Twitter account, they can't handle the nuclear codes.

[on the UK's vote to leave the European Union] I think it's fair to say that maybe some point down the line there might be a UK-US trade agreement, but it's not going to happen any time soon because our focus is in negotiating with a big bloc, the European Union, to get a trade agreement done. The UK is going to be in the back of the queue. [on the current status of the DNC] The question is how do we rebuild that party as a whole so that there's not a county in any state, I don't care how red where we don't have a presence and we're not making the argument because I think we have the better argument.[December 2016] [on Hilary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign, December 2016] I think she's worked tirelessly on behalf of the American people and I don't think she was treated fairly during the election... I think the coverage of her and the issues was troubling. See also Barack Obama | president of United States | Britannica.com president of United States Alternative Title: Barack Hussein Obama, II Barack Obama Harry S.

Truman Barack Obama, in full Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961, Honolulu, Hawaii , U.S.), 44th president of the United States (2009– ) and the first African American to hold the office. Before winning the presidency, Obama represented Illinois in the U.S. Senate (2005–08). He was the third African American to be elected to that body since the end of Reconstruction (1877). In 2009 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.” Barack Obama. Courtesy of the Office of U.S. Senator Barack Obama Barack Obama—with his wife, Michelle—being sworn in as the 44th president of the United … MSgt Cecilio Ricardo, U.S. Air Force/U.S. Department of Defense Key events in the life of Barack Obama. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Early life Obama’s father, Barack Obama, Sr., was a teenage goatherd in rural Kenya, won a scholarship to study in the United States , and eventually became a senior economist in the Kenyan government. Obama’s mother, S.

Ann Dunham, grew up in Kansas , Texas , and Washington state before her family settled in Honolulu . In 1960 she and Barack Sr. met in a Russian language class at the University of Hawaii and married less than a year later. Barack Obama with his father, Barack Obama, Sr., undated photograph. © Obama for America/Handout/Reuters/Corbis Janny Scott discussing her book A Singular Woman: The Untold Story of Barack … Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. When Obama was age two, Barack Sr. left to study at Harvard University ; shortly thereafter, in 1964, Ann and Barack Sr. divorced. (Obama saw his father only one more time, during a brief visit when Obama was 10.) Later Ann remarried, this time to another foreign student, Lolo Soetoro from Indonesia , with whom she had a second child, Maya. Obama lived for several years in Jakarta with his half sister, mother, and stepfather. While there, Obama attended both a government-run school where he received some instruction in Islam and a Catholic private school where he took part in Christian schooling.

Barack Obama on the day after being elected the first African American president of the … Steve Liss—Time Life Pictures/Getty Images He returned to Hawaii in 1971 and lived in a modest apartment, sometimes with his grandparents and sometimes with his mother (she remained for a time in Indonesia, returned to Hawaii, and then went abroad again—partly to pursue work on a Ph.D.—before divorcing Soetoro in 1980). For a brief period his mother was aided by government food stamps, but the family mostly lived a middle-class existence. In 1979 Obama graduated from Punahou School, an elite college preparatory academy in Honolulu. Britannica Stories Ringling Bros. Folds Its Tent Obama attended Occidental College in suburban Los Angeles for two years and then transferred to Columbia University in New York City , where in 1983 he received a bachelor’s degree in political science . Influenced by professors who pushed him to take his studies more seriously, Obama experienced great intellectual growth during college and for a couple of years thereafter. He led a rather ascetic life and read works of literature and philosophy by William Shakespeare , Friedrich Nietzsche , Toni Morrison , and others.

After serving for a couple of years as a writer and editor for Business International Corp., a research, publishing, and consulting firm in Manhattan , he took a position in 1985 as a community organizer on Chicago ’s largely impoverished Far South Side. He returned to school three years later and graduated magna cum laude in 1991 from Harvard University’s law school, where he was the first African American to serve as president of the Harvard Law Review. While a summer associate in 1989 at the Chicago law firm of Sidley Austin, Obama had met Chicago native Michelle Robinson , a young lawyer at the firm. The two married in 1992. USA Facts After receiving his law degree, Obama moved to Chicago and became active in the Democratic Party . He organized Project Vote, a drive that registered tens of thousands of African Americans on voting rolls and that is credited with helping Democrat Bill Clinton win Illinois and capture the presidency in 1992. The effort also helped make Carol Moseley Braun , an Illinois state legislator, the first African American woman elected to the U.S. Senate. During this period, Obama wrote his first book and saw it published.

The memoir, Dreams from My Father (1995), is the story of Obama’s search for his biracial identity by tracing the lives of his now-deceased father and his extended family in Kenya. Obama lectured on constitutional law at the University of Chicago and worked as an attorney on civil rights issues. Barack Obama, 2004.

Question: Where was US President Barack Obama born?
Answer: Honolulu, Hawaii