Barack Obama is the 44th President of the United States. He was the first African American president of the country. Obama has served as a United States senator from Illinois, and he continues to represent the Democratic Party as a speaker at political events. Obama’s presidency was not without controversy. Obama promoted some progressive policies during his time in office, and he was plagued by multiple issues while in office – the Solyndra debacle, Bengazhi, an economic recession, the possible funneling of guns to Mexican drug cartels, to name a few.
While Obama was viewed by the public as either very well-liked or as an incompetent leader, Obama still speaks at political rallies. He endorses Democratic candidates regularly, and he still makes the rounds of political talk shows. He is also a published author, and he has a definitive influence on political happenings today.
| Celebrated Name: | Barack Obama |
| Real Name/Full Name: | Barack Hussein Obama II |
| Gender: | Male |
| Age: | 60 |
| Birthdate: | August 4, 1961 |
| Birthplace: | Honolulu, HI |
| Nationality: | American |
| Height: | 6 ft. 2 in. |
| Weight: | 176 lb. |
| Sexual Orientation: | Straight |
| Marital Status: | Married |
| Wife/Spouse | Michelle Obama (nee’ Robinson) |
| Children/Kids: | Two daughters: Malia and Sasha |
| Dating/Girlfriend Name: | N/A |
| Is Barack Obama Gay? | No |
| Highest Political Office: | 44th President of the United States |
| Profession: | Attorney, Author, Politician |
| Colleges Attended: | Columbia University; Harvard University |
| Degrees: | Bachelor’s – Political Science; Juris Doctor (Harvard) |
| Salary: | $219,200 |
| Net Worth in 2022: | $70 million |
Biography: Early Life and Family
Barack Hussein Obama II was born on August 4, 1961 in Honolulu. He was born to an America mother, Ann Dunham, and a Kenyan father, Barack Obama, Sr.
Obama is the only American president born outside the 48 contiguous states.
Obama’s early life has been the source of much controversy due to his place of birth. A group of opponents to the 44th president calling themselves “birthers” have questioned the legitimacy of Obama’s birth certificate (former Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizona led a multi-year investigation of the authenticity of Obama’s birth certificate). However, the efforts of this group was met with little action.
Ann Dunham was born in Kansas. She met Barack Obama Sr. in a Russian (language) class on the campus of the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Obama Sr. was a student at the school on a scholarship. The pair began dating, and Ann became pregnant. At the time the pair met, Obama was still married. However, Obama and his first wife were married in a Kenyan tradition, so when he married Ann Dunham, the first marriage was not legally recognized.
Dunham and Obama would marry six months before Barack was born, but they would only remain married for about three years. Obama Sr. went on to marry again and have other children.
Just after he was born, Obama and his mother would move to Seattle, where she would attend school at the University of Washington. Barack Obama Sr. was still in Hawaii working on his schoolwork as well. He graduated in 1962, but he would not join Ann and Barack in Seattle. He would instead attend Harvard on a scholarship.
Barack Obama Sr. and Ann Dunham would divorce in 1964. Barack Sr. would eventually move back to Kenya.
Barack Obama Sr. and his son only visited once as the young man grew up. Barack Obama Sr. would be tragically killed in a car accident in 1982.
Ann would later meet and marry Lolo Soetoro, an Indonesian graduate student. The pair would marry, and Obama credits Soetoro with being the chief father figure in his life.
Barack Obama would live in Indonesia with his step-father and mother for a few years. Part of the conflict regarding Obama’s citizenry is due to his living abroad as a young man. One of Obama’s school records, a record from the St. Francis of Assissi in Indonesia reports the enrollment of a Barry Soetoro, “an Indonesian citizen.” Experts say this is a mistake in the recording of Barack Obama’s information.
In 1971, when he was ten, Obama returned to Honolulu to live with his maternal grandparents. He went to a private college preparatory school there, and went by the nickname “Barry.”
In 1972, Obama’s mother returned to the United States. He lived with his mother and a half-sister, Maya Soetoro. At the time, Obama’s mother was enrolled once more in school at the University of Hawaii.
Ann Soetoro would return to Indonesia in 1975 to work in anthropology. However, Barry decided to remain in Hawaii.
Barack Obama initially enrolled in school at Occidental College in Los Angeles. He attended school there for two years, then went to visit his mother and sister in Indonesia. Upon returning to the United States, Obama determined to enroll at Columbia University and complete his college studies there. He would major in Political Science, and he would earn a Bachelor’s degree in that concentration.
Obama went to work for the Business Internation Corporation for a few years after graduating from Columbia University. He worked as a financial researcher and a writer for the organization. He would eventually decide to pursue a Juris Doctor at Harvard.
Personal Life
Obama’s mother, Ann, passed away just two days before the 2008 presidential elections, when Obama was historically elected.
Obama would have a relationship with anthropologist Sheila Miyoshi Jager for several years. The pair lived together, and Obama proposed to her twice. However, Jager turned him down. Pleas with her parents received the same reaction.
In June 1989, Obama met Michelle Robinson while he was working as a summer intern at the Sidley Austin law firm in Chicago. Robinson was initially Obama’s adviser, and she attended several social functions with him. However, she would refuse to go on an official date with Barack. By the end of the summer, Michelle Robinson would decide to entertain a date with Barack, and the two were inseparable.
The pair were married on October 3, 1992.
Michelle Obama underwent IVF in order to conceive the couple’s two daughters. She had previously experienced a miscarriage, which prompted the couple to try other methods of conception. Malia Ann was born in 1998; Natasha, their second daughter, was born in 2001. (Natasha is better known to the American public as “Sasha.”)
Age, Height, and Weight
Barack Obama is 60 years of age. He is 6’2″ and 176 lbs.
Net Worth
Barack Obama is estimated to have a net worth of $70 million.
Some of this is due to his presidential salary as well as his salary as a United States Senator. However, the bulk of his net worth is due to the sales of his books (he wrote two books that earned royalties in the millions). When Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize, he was awarded $1.4 million; he donated this to charity, however.
Obama has acquired a number of Treasury notes; their value is not certain. It could be between $500,000 and $1 million.
Obama receives speaking fees per each event that often range into $400,000 per event. He is also receiving royalties from the proceeds of his books. He signed a book deal along with Michelle Obama with Penguin books; the deal is reportedly worth $65 for two books.
In 2020, Barack Obama released his book with Penguin A Promised Land.
Career Outside of Politics
Obama did an internship with a law firm in Chicago, where he met Michelle Obama. He was also a community organizer prior to his election to the Senate representing a district in the state of Illinois.
Career in Politics
Obama was elected to the Illinois state Senate in 1996. His district at the time spanned Chicago’s South Side and Chicago Lawn. Obama worked to reform legal ethics within the state as well as change health care laws in Illinois. He also sponsored a law that increased tax credits for low wage earners as well as welfare reform. He was well-likely in Illinois, and he was re-elected in 1998.
By early 2000, he was garnering attention on the national political scene. He made a bid for the United States House of Representatives from the state of Illinois, but he lost during the Democratic primary in 2000. He did enjoy a successful election to the United States Senate representing Illinois in 2004.
By 2004, Obama had delivered the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention, which threw him into the national spotlight. By 2008, he was ready to try running for the presidency. His campaign was one that drew lots of attention, and Obama garnered quite a following. His ability to speak well and to energize crowds were a deciding factor in his election win in November 2008. He ran against John McCain, who was a veteran and a lion in Congress. Although his critics said Obama had no experience, he won the presidency, and he would win re-election in 2012 as well.
Although Obama had many opponents when he left office, he still remains a popular president, much like Bill Clinton. Today, Obama still influences politics, and, at 60, he is one of the youngest former presidents alive today.
