Obama, an American politician and attorney, served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. He was the first African-American to hold the office, representing the Democratic Party. Before his presidency, he served as a U.S. senator for Illinois from 2005 to 2008, and as an Illinois state senator from 1997 to 2004.

Obama was born to a Kenyan father and American mother who met at the University of Hawaii. His father returned to Africa when Obama was two, leaving him to be raised in Hawaii by his mother and grandparents. After his mother remarried, he lived in Indonesia for a time before returning to Hawaii at age 10.

Following his father’s death, Obama traveled to Africa to connect with his roots, a journey he detailed in his memoir, “Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance,” published in 1995. He graduated from Columbia University in 1983 with a degree in political science and international relations, and later attended law school at Harvard. In 1990, he became the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review.

After graduating, Obama worked in Chicago’s inner city and lectured on constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School. He was elected to the Illinois General Assembly in 1996. His keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention thrust him into the national spotlight, and he won election to the U.S. Senate later that year.

Obama announced his candidacy for the presidency in 2007. His emphasis on unity, hope, and civility, along with his powerful oratory, earned him comparisons to figures like Martin Luther King, Jr. and John F. Kennedy. He won the Democratic nomination in 2008, and was elected president later that year.

Obama was re-elected in 2012, serving a second term until 2017. He continues to reside in Washington, D.C., and his memoir, “A Promised Land,” was released in November 2020. He is married to Michelle Obama, and they have two daughters, Malia and Sasha.