Barack Obama - biography, information, personal life. Barack Obama - biography, photos, politics, early years Early years of Barack Obama, childhood and family

Barack Obama is a person you can talk about for hours. Becoming the first black president in the history of the United States of America, this outstanding politician gained legendary status during his lifetime.

Today, the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, is called one of the most popular figures in world politics, because he is one of the few people who managed to preserve his human appearance even after reaching the very heights of world politics.

Childhood of Barack Obama. Education

Barack Hussein Obama II was born in the warm and sunny city of Honolulu - the only metropolis in the Hawaiian Islands. His father, a native of the Kenyan village of Kanyadyang, entered the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 1959 to study economics. During his studies, he met a student of the faculty of anthropology, a white American named Stanley Ann Dunham - the mother of the future president. It is noteworthy that the acquaintance took place at optional courses in the Russian language.

No less interesting is the fact that before his marriage to Danham, he was already married to a Kenyan woman Keize Aoko, with whom he had two children - a son Malik and a daughter Aumu. In 1959, he left his family and flew to the States.

Barack Hussein Obama Jr. was born in August 1961. The new mother decided to quit school, while her father, on the contrary, took up studies, graduated from the University of Hawaii and, when the younger Obama was not even three years old, left the family to continue his studies at Harvard. For a while, Barack Obama's parents still maintained a relationship, but some time later, Obama Sr. left the United States of America altogether in order to take a high position in the administrative apparatus of Kenya.

Subsequently, the president recalled that very few memories of his real father are stored in his memory - he spent only one month with him at the age of 10. Then Barack Obama Sr., who briefly visited the States, gave his son the first basketball in his life and took him to the first jazz concert. Both that, and another became an integral part of the boy's hobbies, carried over into adulthood. Many years later, Barack Obama recounted his childhood memories in his biographical book, My Father's Dreams.

Unfortunately, the life of Barack Obama's father tragically ended at the age of 47. Back in the early 70s, he got into an accident, did not die, but lost both legs, and then his job. This knocked the man down; he began to drink and fell into poverty. In 1982, he remarried, the couple had a son, and the elder Obama's life began to improve. But six months after the birth of baby George, he again had an accident - this time, which ended fatally.

Well, Ann Dunham, three years after breaking up with Obama, met a new love - Lolo Sutoro, a student from Indonesia. He replaced Barack's father. As a result of this union, the younger sister of the future president, Maya, was born. Some time later, the whole family moved to the historical homeland of their stepfather - in Jakarta (Indonesia), where most of the childhood of the future leader of America passed.

In the Indonesian capital, Obama Jr. attended one of the comprehensive schools until the fourth grade. After that, he again moved to the Hawaiian Islands, to his mother's parents, who sent him to the prestigious private school "Panehou". During his school years, he was the star of the youth basketball team and was an excellent student. He received a certificate with the highest score in 1979. In 2008, the president publicly admitted that he abused marijuana at school, tried cocaine and alcohol.

During those years, he, like two other black students at school, suffered from constant racist comments about him. “One day I suddenly realized that everything in this world was created for whites. Even Santa is white! I stood at the mirror for a long time and wondered what was wrong with me, ”Obama shared in his memoirs.

Kenyan family of Barack Obama

After graduating from high school, Barack entered Occidental College Los Angeles, two years later transferred to Columbia University, from which he graduated in 1983 with a degree in political science. Until 1985, he worked in the business sector, then moved to Chicago, where he began his career as a lawyer. For several years in a row, he worked with the cases of residents of disadvantaged areas. In 1989 he went to work for one of the largest law firms in the United States, Sidley Austin.

In 1988, Barack Obama resumed his studies - he decided to get a second degree at Harvard University. Here he studied law while at the same time heading the university newspaper Harvard Law Review. Significantly, no African American has held this post before.

Barack Obama's political career

Already during this period, Barack Obama established himself as a notorious fighter for equality. With these ideals, he went into politics. In the early nineties, he joined the ranks of the Democratic Party, and in 1997 he was elected Senator of the state of Illinois. After 9/11, Barack Obama was one of the most active opponents of George W. Bush and his decision to send troops to Iraq. He also opposed the creation of the North American Free Trade Area. As for the social sphere, one of the main themes in Obama's political doctrine has become support for low-income families and universal health insurance for the population.

In 2005, the ambassador of a failed attempt in 2000, Barack Obama took office in the US Federal Senate. From that moment on, he became one of the leading figures in the political structure of the United States of America. In February 2007, Barack Obama announced his intention to run for the presidency of the United States. Hillary Clinton became his main rival for the title of the main candidate from the Democrats.

As a result, she gave in to Obama and provided him with possible support throughout his election campaign. The ordinary population supported Obama with a dollar - about $ 58 million in donations were collected as part of the presidential campaign. Most of the money belonged to middle-class Americans.

The new "people's president" moved forward with the slogan "Yes We Can" and with huge support from the common people. Significantly, his main opponent, John McCain, relied primarily on high-income Americans.

In the presidential election on November 4, 2008, Obama defeated Republican candidate John McCain, receiving 52.9% of the popular vote against McCain's 45.7%. 338 out of 538 electors were given for Barack Obama. On January 20, 2009, a Democrat, Liberal, and the first ever African American president took over the Oval Hall of the White House. His associate, Senator from Delaware Joe Biden, became Vice President.

44th President of the United States Barack Obama

During the first 100 days of the presidency, Obama and his team were able to embrace a number of important innovations. Obama urged Congress to expand the scope of child health insurance and pay attention to pay discrimination against women. $ 787 billion was invested in the short-term economy of the United States, primarily in the banking market and the auto industry. Obama has proposed tax cuts for trade unions, small entrepreneurs and first-time property buyers. The president not only lifted the ban on stem cell development, but also allocated $ 3.5 trillion for further research.

It was at the suggestion of Obama that the Senate passed an anti-crisis bill aimed at supporting the American economy, as well as the fateful decision to withdraw troops from Iraq. In addition, Obama implemented the Obamacare health care reform, which provided for mandatory health insurance for every US citizen. He ordered the closure of the infamous Guantanamo Bay and signed a decree banning mutilation of interrogation.

Obama tried to improve US foreign policy relations with European countries, China, Russia, and made attempts at dialogue with Iran, Venezuela and Cuba. The warming of relations with Cuba took place even before the death of Fidel Castro, to the displeasure of the Republicans, who considered the rapprochement premature. For all his peacekeeping efforts in 2009, Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

By the way, Russia became the 14th country that Obama visited in the first year of his presidency. And, apparently, he struck up a good relationship with his Russian "colleague" Dmitry Medvedev.

Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama eating hamburgers

In the spring of 2011, Obama announced his desire to be re-elected as the leader of the United States of America. This time, the African American president clashed with Mitt Romney and once again secured a seat in the Oval Office for the next 4 years. According to the results of the popular vote, he received 51.1% of the vote, 332 electors gave their votes to Obama.

Barack Obama considers the invasion of Libya the biggest mistake in 8 years of his presidency. The greatest merit is the salvation of America from a protracted economic crisis that could result in a new Great Depression.

Personal life of Barack Obama

He met his charming wife Michelle Obama (nee LaVon Robinson) during an internship at the legal agency Sidley Austin in the late 80s. It is noteworthy that at first Michelle, a lively lawyer, was not at all interested in him from a love point of view, although she was never bored with him and always had something to talk about. For several months, Barak sought her favor. Bouquets, sweets, romantic confessions - it was all in vain. But when Michelle heard his fiery speech, which he delivered to black teenagers from the Chicago slums, she realized that she could no longer deny her feelings.

Barack and Michelle Obama's wedding took place on October 3, 1992. After the ceremony, the newlyweds traveled to Kenya to visit the groom's relatives. For the next five years, the life of the young couple was cloudless, until their eldest daughter Malia was born in 1998. As soon as Michelle went on maternity leave, it turned out that Barak's social and political activities did not allow him to support his family at a decent level. “We were as poor as church mice,” Michelle recalled these years. Barak refused to work in his specialty, although it would bring the family a colossal income, claiming that he does not see himself anywhere except in politics.

In 2001, the couple had a daughter, Sasha, who almost became a catalyst for the divorce proceedings. She also saved the marriage of the Obama couple - when at 3 months the baby fell ill with meningitis, the parents did not leave her hospital bed a step, forgetting about all the disagreements. When a miracle happened and the girl recovered, the couple intuitively compromised: Michelle became a reliable support for her husband in his political activities, and Barack began to spend more time with his family.

Since then, Barack Obama has never forgotten what comes first in his life. Even in the midst of the election race, even in the most difficult days of the presidency, he was attentive and gentle to his wife and remembered important events in the lives of his daughters. Throughout the 8 years of Obama's leadership, his family has been a role model.

By the way, the president instilled responsibility and love for work in his daughters. So, in the summer of 2016, his youngest daughter Sasha found a part-time job ... in a fast food restaurant.

When the 44th President of the United States was asked what he plans to do after the election, he joked that he planned to get a good sleep, or maybe even get a job as a driver at Uber. But when it came to serious plans for the future, he noted that together with his wife he would help children from low-income families to get a decent education.

Obama: on Trump and leaving the presidency

Barack Obama is a person you can talk about for hours. Becoming the first black president in the history of the United States of America, this outstanding politician broke many conventions and became a real legend during his lifetime. Looking at the actions of this person, it seems that it is simply impossible not to respect him. After all, he has absolutely everything - a cold mind and a warm heart.

Today Barack Obama is called one of the most popular figures in world politics. His electoral ratings are constantly creeping up, and his face does not leave the covers of the world's leading publications. After all, Barack Obama is an atypical politician. One of the few people who managed to preserve their human appearance, even reaching the very heights of world politics.

The early years of Barack Obama, childhood and family

Our today's hero was born in the warm and sunny city of Honolulu - the only metropolis in the Hawaiian Islands. His father was a black student from Kenya who came to the United States to pursue higher education at the University of Hawaii. The mother of the future president, the white American Stanley Dunham, who studied anthropology here, also studied at the same educational institution.

Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama eating hamburgers

When our today's hero was still a baby, his father left his family and went to Harvard to continue his studies. During this period, Barack's parents still maintained a relationship, but some time later, Obama Sr. left the United States of America altogether in order to take a high post in the administrative apparatus of Kenya. Thus, for almost his entire life, Barak lived without a father. His only support in life was his mother.

In 1967, Stanley Dunham married for the second time. Indonesian Lolo Sutoro became her new chosen one. As a result of this union, the younger sister of the future US president, Maya, was born. Some time later, the whole family moved to the historical homeland of their stepfather - to Jakarta (Indonesia), where the childhood of our today's hero passed.

In the Indonesian capital, Obama Jr. attended one of the comprehensive schools until the fourth grade. After that, he again moved to Hawaii to live with his mother's parents, where he began to study at the prestigious private school "Panehou". Many years later, Barack Obama recounted his childhood memories in his biographical book, My Father's Dreams.

Barack Obama's political career and other achievements

After graduating from high school, our today's hero moved to Los Angeles, where he began to study at Western College. However, in this educational institution, Obama did not stay long and very soon changed the City of Angels to New York. In the largest city in the United States, Barack Obama became a student at Columbia University, and also began working for the International Business Corporation.

After graduation, the future president moved to Chicago, where he worked as a community organizer in disadvantaged areas for several years in a row. In 1988, Barack Obama resumed his studies and decided to get a second degree at Harvard University. Here he studied law and also worked as editor of the university newspaper "Harvard Law Review". It is quite remarkable that no African American has held this post before.

During this period, Barack Obama established himself as a fighter for equality and universal health insurance for the population. With these ideas, the future US president went into politics. In the early nineties, he became a member of the Democratic Party, and already in 1997 - Senator of the state of Illinois. During this period, Barack Obama in every possible way contributed to the withdrawal of troops from Iraq, and also opposed the creation of the North American Free Trade Area. In addition, support for low-income families has become one of the main themes in Obama's political doctrine.

In 2005, the future president took office in the US federal Senate. From that moment on, Barack Obama became one of the leading figures in the political structure of the United States of America.

Political race and subsequent election of Barack Obama as president

In the winter of 2007, Barack Obama announced his intention to run for the presidency of the United States. As part of the presidential campaign, the future to win elections focused on economic and political issues, while still promoting the idea of ​​withdrawing troops from Iraq, as well as various proposals in support of the poorest segments of the US population. And similar ideas very soon found a response among the population. As part of the presidential campaign, about $ 58 million was collected, of which almost a third of the total amount was donations from ordinary Americans.

Barack Obama funny

This support allowed Barack Obama to withdraw from government funding for his company. The new "people's president" moved forward with the slogan "Yes We Can" and with huge support from the common people. Significantly, his main opponent, John McCain, relied primarily on high-income Americans.

As president-elect, our today's hero has carried out a number of important reforms in the political and economic system of the United States. In particular, it was with “his filing” that the Senate adopted an anti-crisis bill aimed at supporting the American economy, as well as the fateful decision to withdraw troops from Iraq. In addition, Obama has implemented health care reform and passed a number of other important laws. As President of the United States, Obama has visited Eastern Europe on several occasions.

In 2009, our today's hero was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Currently, Barack Obama still holds the post of President of the United States. In the spring of 2011, he announced his desire to run for the second time for the post of leader of the United States of America.

Personal life of Barack Obama

Since 1992, the President of the United States has been married to a practicing lawyer Michelle Obama. As a result of this union, two daughters were born - the eldest Malia Ann (born 1998) and the youngest Natasha (born 2001).

An unofficial biography of the American leader was published in the United States. The book consists of the memoirs of friends and relatives of Barack Obama. For example, his first girlfriend spoke about his relationship with the future president. NTV correspondent Yulia Vasilchenko I also learned other facts that the opponents of the head of the White House can use.

More than five years of work on the biography, four hundred interviews in Kenya, Indonesia and the United States, but Pulitzer Prize laureate journalist David Marannis wrote almost not a word about the president. This book is not about a politician, but about little Barack, how he grew up and who raised him. To one of the favorite questions of Obama's opponents about where the head of the American state was born, in the United States or in Kenya, the author answers unequivocally.

David Marannis: “Barack Hussein Obama Sr., Obama's father, is a citizen of Kenya, he was in the United States on a visa and was constantly under the supervision of immigration officials, who knew about his problematic nature. It is known for sure that in the year Obama was born, he never left the country. So the current president could only be born in Hawaii, Honolulu. "

For the rest, the journalist debunks the myths created by Barack Obama himself. He says there are many inaccuracies in his memoirs entitled “My Father's Dreams,” which American voters literally read during the 2008 presidential race. Obama wrote that his grandfather died fighting the Danes in Indonesia. Now it turned out that he died of a heart attack while hanging the curtains on the windows.

As a child, little Barak was told that his father was a great scientist and was fighting for the freedom of the people in Kenya, so he left his family when his son was only a year old. In fact, according to Marannis, Barack Hussein Obama Sr. suffered from alcoholism, flirted literally behind every skirt, and besides, he was a bigamist. When he offered his hand and heart to Obama's mother, American Stanley Ann Dunham, he had a second wife in Kenya.

David Marannis: “To understand Obama, you have to look at his roots. He was a lost child who was born into a mixed racial family, grew up without a father and practically without a mother who remained in Indonesia, and sent an 11-year-old son to study in Hawaii. There he was raised in fact by his grandparents. He was cut off from his family, from home. Everything in his life happened randomly and chaotically. "

In high school, Obama was more interested in playing basketball than knowledge, and also loved marijuana. Obama never hid the fact that he was smoking weed, admitting, however, that it was a mistake. But David Marannis colorfully describes that the biography of the current president was not just a few puffs. Obama allegedly led a company of marijuana lovers and literally smoked day and night.

This hobby, however, did not prevent him from entering Columbia University. There, by the way, he met his girlfriend, the daughter of the Australian diplomat Genevieve Cook. Maranis included her diaries in his book.

Genevieve Cook: “Obama is an amazing person, but careful, restrained, weighing every step. His warmth can be deceiving. "

Now his political opponents are ready to reproach Obama for deception. The headquarters of Mitt Romney, his main rival for the White House seat, is already studying Marannis's work. Obama is about to receive a wave of criticism for distorting the facts in his memoirs.

And although the presidential administration believes that the book of an American journalist is unlikely to seriously affect Obama's reputation, on the eve of the elections and with a rather low rating (less than 50%), unnecessary questions to the head of state are completely useless.

From filming "Sesame Street" to a friendly hug with the Queen of Great Britain: the wife of the 44th American Democratic President Michelle Obama and herself - the personification of democracy. Not hiding the fact that her ancestors were slaves, the future first lady from her youth, receiving a legal education, defended the rights of national minorities.

In the White House, her priorities have changed, but the craving for public activity has only intensified. The wife of a former American leader has launched campaigns on healthy eating, obesity, and arts education. She was criticized for interfering with her husband's work. Political analysts suggest that Michelle Obama may run for the presidency of the United States in 2020.

Childhood and youth

The future wife of the President of the United States was born in 1964. Date of birth - January 17. Michelle's maternal ancestors were enslaved in North Carolina, working on the Shields family estate. From her father's side, she has Irish roots.

Together with her older brother Craig, she grew up in Chicago since childhood. Her parents Fraser Robinson III and Marian Shields rented an apartment in a two-story house owned by Craig and Michelle's great-aunt.

The father worked at the water station, the mother remained a housewife until her daughter went to high school. Later, in an interview, the first lady recalled that in her free time she loved to play Monopoly and read. The girl also learned to play the piano - her great-aunt taught music.

When Michelle was in elementary school, her father was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Worried about her dad, she obeyed him in everything, and the girl did more than fulfill her father's order not to get involved in unpleasant stories and to be a good student. In her sixth year, Michelle joined a class of gifted students at Bryn Mawr School. At Whitney Young High School, the student became a member of the school council and other public associations of the institution.

Following the example of her older brother in 1981, the 17-year-old graduate chose Princeton University. Here, student Robinson received her first stage education - a bachelor's degree in art. Despite her specialization, during her studies she was engaged in sociological research related to the situation of representatives of national minorities.

Michelle's second stage of education was graduate school at Harvard School. In 1988 she was awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws. The student took part in rallies defending the requirement for universities to hire teachers representing national minorities. In the late 1980s, a Harvard graduate got a job at the Sidley Austin law firm in Chicago. Here Michelle met her future spouse.

Career

Robinson specializes in the protection of intellectual property in the Chicago firm. Three years later, she was invited to work in the mayor's office as an assistant to the head of the city. Responsibilities included issues related to the development of city government. In 1993, Michelle Obama headed the Chicago branch of the Public Allies volunteer organization - youth volunteers were recruited to solve social problems.

In 1996 she was recruited to the University of Chicago. Obama first served as deputy dean of one of the faculties, and then became the executive director of the Academic Medical Center at the university. Later she received the post of vice president of the division.

For some time she was a member of the board of the grocery giant Tree House Foods - this company sells goods through the Wal-Mart network. But after her husband criticized the holding's work in a public speech at an economic forum in 2007, she left the organization.

The victory of her husband in the presidential elections marked the beginning of a new stage of public activity for Michelle. The first lady's attention was drawn to the problems of the homeless: she made several visits to shelters and canteens for the poor. One of Michelle's high-profile undertakings has been a campaign to promote organic food.

The first lady set up beds with cucumbers and tomatoes in the territory adjacent to the White House. The wife of the American leader described her personal experience of vegetable growing, as well as the importance for America of returning to organic food in a book that was published in 2012.

Michelle Obama's other initiatives were related to countering childhood obesity, supporting women who combine careers and families, and promoting art education. In 2012, together with her husband, she publicly spoke in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage. For the sake of supporting her own views, she repeatedly participated in television shows and appeared on the covers of glossy publications.

Michelle often accompanied her husband on diplomatic trips. The visit of the American couple to Buckingham Palace in 2009 is widely known. At a reception organized for the heads of the G20 countries, the American democratically hugged the Queen of Great Britain.

The photo of the frivolous gesture made a lot of noise in conservative Britain, but it did not come to a scandal. The queen did not focus on this, but in 2018, to a meeting with and put on a brooch that Michelle gave her. The media interpreted this as a hint of the monarch's sympathy for the former leader of the United States.

Personal life

In the summer of 1988, Barack Obama arrived at Sidley Austin for an internship. The firm's management appointed Michelle Robinson to curate his practice. Their relationship began with a joint business lunch, and soon the young man invited a colleague to the cinema for the drama Do It Right. In 1992, the couple got married. The former presidential couple had two children. Malia Ann was born in 1998, and Natasha was born in 2001.

The couple maintains friendly relations with show business stars, including with. However, the couple were not invited to the wedding. As suggested by the media, this was due to the fact that the current President of the United States was not included in the guest list. In this case, the Obama visit could look like an open expression of support for the politician.

Michelle Obama is 180 cm tall and weighs 64 kg. With such a stately figure, the former first lady always looked elegant. The style is characterized by boldness, democracy, functionality. Barack Obama's wife prefers fitted dresses with a bright print; often it turned out to be models with bare shoulders or outfits decorated with sequins. Design preferences are focused on "young" names: Jason Wu, Saint Irasmus, Isabel Taledo.

Michelle Obama now

Michelle Obama speaks at various public conferences. Her memoir, Becoming, is scheduled to be published in November 2018.

In late spring 2018, the Obama couple founded their own production company, which, under a contract with Netflix, will deal with the production of films. The social activist maintains an Instagram account, to which more than 21 million users are subscribed.