MOSCOW, August 4 (RIA Novosti) - Barack Hussein Obama, the 44th President of the United States, was born on August 4, 1961 in Honolulu, the capital of the state of Hawaii.
His mother, Ann Dunham, grew up in Wichita, Kansas. His father, Barack Obama Sr., was born in Nyanza Province, Kenya.
While studying at the University of Hawaii, Obama Sr. met Ann Dunham and they married on February 2, 1961. When Obama was 2 years old, his parents separated, with his father relocating to Massachusetts to attend Harvard University and then returning to Kenya. In 1965, Ann Dunham married Lolo Soetoro, an East-West Center student from Indonesia.
In 1967, the family moved to Jakarta, Indonesia. At the age of 10, Obama was sent back to Hawaii to live with his maternal grandparents, where in 1979 he graduated from the esteemed Punahou Academy.
After that, Obama moved to Los Angeles to attend Occidental College. In 1981, he transferred to Columbia College, Columbia University in New York, studying political science and international relations.
Obama enrolled in Harvard Law School in 1988. After graduation he moved to Chicago to practice as a civil rights lawyer at law firm Miner, Barnhill & Galland. He also taught part-time at the University of Chicago Law School.
Obama ran as a Democrat for a seat in the Illinois State Senate and was elected in 1996. He became chairman of the Illinois Senate’s health and human services committee as well.
In 2000, Obama’s Democratic primary run for the US House of Representatives seat failed. In 2004, he decided to run for the Illinois State Senate open seat and won with 70 percent of the vote.
In 2007, Obama announced his candidacy for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. On November 4, 2008, he defeated Republican presidential nominee John McCain and was elected becoming the 44th president of the United States, and the first African-American to hold the office. Obama was inaugurated on January, 20, 2009.
On November 6, 2012, Obama was re-elected as president for a second term which began on January 21, 2013.
Obama is the author of three books. He published an autobiography, titled “Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance," in 1995. In 2006, he released his second book, “The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream." In 2010, his third book was published, titled “Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters."
On October 9, 2009, Obama was named Nobel Peace Prize laureate for his efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between nations.
Obama topped the Forbes’ list of the most influential people three times – in 2009, 2011 and 2012. He was also chosen “Person of the Year” by Time magazine in 2008 and 2012.
Obama is married to Michelle Robinson, with whom they have two daughters – Malia, born 1988, and Sasha, born 2001.
He is the member of the Trinity United Church of Christ.
