| Name | Barack Hussein Obama |
| Nick Names | Barry |
| Profession | U.S. senator from Illinois |
| Date of Birth | August 4, 1961 Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii |
| Birth Place | Honolulu, Hawaii |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 6′ 1½” (1.87m) |
| Religion | United Church of Christ |
| Family | Father: Barack Obama Sr., Mother: Ann Dunham Grandfathers: Stanley Dunham, Hussein Onyango Obama Grandmother: Madelyn Dunham Step mothers: Kezia, Ruth Step brothers: Roy,David, Bernard ,George and Abo Step father: Lolo Soetoro Stepsisters: Maya Soetoro, Auma |
| School | Besuki School Djakarta , Indonesia Punahou Academy, Hawaii, United States |
| College | * Harvard University , Juris Doctor, Law, 1988 — 1991 * Columbia University in the City of New York,Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, concentration in International Relations, 1981 — 1983 * Occidental College, Political Science 1979 — 1981 |
| Political Party | Democrat |
| Ancestry | Scotland, Ireland, Cherokee Indian, Lueo people of Kenya |
| Heroes in his life | Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, Cesar Chavez |
| Earlier jobs | * Senator, United States Senate, 2005-present * Senator, Illinois State Senate, 1997-2004 * Taught Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago * Worked for Developing Communities Project in Chicago’s South Side for $10,000 a year |
| Marriage | Married Michelle on October 18, 1992 by Reverend Wright at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago |
| Rose to fame | After his stirring speech at Democratic National Convention in 2004 |
| If not a politcian | He would have been an architect |
| Smoking | Quit smoking before his Democratic campaign began following his wife’s advice. |
| Favourite restaurant | Italian Fiesta Pizzeria in Hyde Park, Chicago, IL. |
| Favourite game | Basketball |
| Past time | writing, spending time with his kids |
| Grammy Award | Won a Grammy in 2006 for best spoken album for his reading of “Dreams From My Father.” |
| Presidential candidacy | Announced his candidacy for President of United States on February 12, 2007 |
| Facts | *. Barack means “one who is blessed” in Swahili and in Hebrew means ‘Flash of lightning’* At the time of his birth his parents were students at the East-West Center at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
* His mother believed that organized religion was closed minded and she made him learn about all the major religions of the world. * He had experimented drugs in his school years. * Became the first African American to be the Editor of Harvard Law Review, 1990 * There is a school named after him in Kenya. * In 1982 his father died in a car accident. * His wife is also a lawyer * Is a very good poker player * In 2006, he toured five African countries, including a visit to Nyangoma-Kogelo, Kenya, his late father’s hometown. * His advisers are former Congressman Abner Mikva, business school professor Austan Goolsbee *In 2000 ran for a U.S. House seat but lost primary to former Black Panther Bobby Rush. * Won the U.S. Senate seat in Illinois, defeating Alan Keyes in November 2004. It was the first time in history a Senate general election race was between two African-American candidates. *Spends every Christmas in Hawaii where his grandmother and sister still live. *Do The Right Thing was the movie Barack and his future wife Michelle Obama saw on their first date. |
| Books | * Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance by Barack Obama * The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream by Barack Obama |
| Notable supporters | Oprah Winfrey, George Clooney, Macy Gray, Halle Berry, Jodie foster, Will Smith, Adam Arkin, Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Isaiah Washington, Joanne Woodward and Tom Skerritt |
| Residence | A three-story brick home in Hyde Park worth $1.65 million. |
| Quote | If you’re walking down the right path and you’re willing to keep walking, eventually you’ll make progress. |
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