Barack Obama

A Biographical Summary of Barack Obama

Barack Obama 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 president of the United States. Obama previously served as a U.S. senator from Illinois from 2005 to 2008 and an Illinois state senator from 1997 to 2004.

Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Obama graduated from Columbia University and Harvard Law School, where he was the first black president of the Harvard Law Review. He worked as a community organizer in Chicago before entering politics. In the U.S. Senate, he gained national attention for his speeches on issues such as race relations, healthcare, and the Iraq War.

As president, Obama signed into law the Affordable Care Act, which expanded health insurance coverage to millions of Americans. He also oversaw the end of the Iraq War and the killing of Osama bin Laden. Obama's presidency was marked by significant economic recovery following the Great Recession, but he also faced challenges such as partisan gridlock in Congress and the rise of ISIS.