Signature of Barack Obama

Barack Obama

At a Glance

Term: 44rd President of the United States (2009- )

Born: August 4, 1961, in Honolulu, HI

Nickname: "Barry"

Education: Columbia University (B.A., 1983), Harvard (J.D., 1991)

Religion: Christian

Marriage: Michelle Robinson, on October 18, 1992

Children: Malia Ann (1998); Natasha, known as Sasha (2001)

Career: Community Organizer, Public Official

Political Party: Democrat

Writings: Dreams from My Father (1995); The Audacity of Hope (2006)

A Life in Brief: Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States—and the first African American to serve in that office—on January 20, 2009. More....

Essays on Barack Obama and His Administration


Barack Obama
A Life in BriefLife Before the PresidencyCampaigns and ElectionsPresidential TransitionFamily Life
First Lady
Michelle Obama
Vice President
Joseph Biden
Secretary of Defense
Robert M. Gates (2009- )
Secretary of State
Hillary Rodham Clinton (2009- )
Secretary of the Treasury
Timothy Geithner (2009- )
Attorney General
Eric Holder (2009- )
Secretary of the Interior
Ken Salazar (2009- )
Secretary of Agriculture
Tom Vilsack (2009- )
Secretary of Labor
Hilda Solis (2009- )
Secretary of Health and Human Services
Tom Daschle (2009- )
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Shaun Donovan (2009- )
Secretary of Transportation
Ray LaHood (2009- )
Secretary of Energy
Steven Chu (2009- )
Secretary of Education
Arne Duncan (2009- )
Secretary of Veterans' Affairs
Eric Shinseki (2009- )
Secretary of Homeland Security
Janet Napolitano (2009- )

Consulting Editor: Michael Nelson

Professor Nelson is the Fulmer Professor of Political Science at Rhodes College and a nonresident senior fellow at the Miller Center. He has published twenty-three books, including:

The Elections of 2008 (CQ Press, 2009)

The American Presidency: Origins and Development, 1776-2007 (with Sidney Milkis, CQ Press, 2007)

How the South Joined the Gambling Nation: The Politics of State Policy Innovation (with John Lyman Mason, LSU Press, 2008), which won the V.O. Key Award for Outstanding Book on Southern Politics.


Presidential Speeches

Below are selections from the Miller Center's Barack Obama speech collection. To view the Miller Center's other speeches by Barack Obama or by another President, please click the link below.

August 28, 2008 - Democratic National Convention

November 4, 2008 - Remarks on Election Night

Miller Center Scholarship and Speakers

The Miller Center of Public Affairs is a national nonpartisan center to research, reflect, and report on American government, with special attention to the central role and history of the presidency. Below is a selection of Miller Center resources on Barack Obama.

 Watch NBC News Political Director Chuck Todd discuss Politics: 2007-2008 at the Miller Center.

 Watch Todd Purham, national editor and political correspondent for Vanity Fair, discuss The 2008 Elections: A Preview at the Miller Center.

 Watch the Miller Center’s 2007 conference on Partisan Rancor and American Democracy.

Scripps Library Reference Resources

Below are links to reference resources prepared by the Miller Center's Scripps Library that are designed to help students and scholars quickly conduct their research.

Information on Barack Obama's Private and Public Papers


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