American Philosophical Society
Member History

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Resident (1)
1Name:  President Barack Obama
 Year Elected:  2017
 Class:  5. The Arts, Professions, and Leaders in Public & Private Affairs
 Subdivision:  503. Administrators, Bankers and Opinion Leaders from the Public or Private Sectors
 Residency:  Resident
 Living? :   Living
 Birth Date:  1961
   
 
Barack Obama (Barack Hussein Obama II), fourty-fourth president of the United States, was born August 4, 1961, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Though he was largely raised in Hawaii, he also spent time in Indonesia and in Washington State during his childhood. He attended Occidental College for two years, before transferring to Columbia University. He received a B.A. degree from Columbia in 1983. From 1985-88 Obama worked as a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago. As director of the Developing Communities Project he worked with several area churches to organize job training, create education and employment opportunities for young people, and advocate for tenant rights. After entering Harvard Law School in 1988 he became the first black president of the Harvard Law Review. He graduated magna cum laude in 1991 with a J.D. degree. Following his graduation Obama began working at University of Chicago Law School, as lecturer from 1992-96 and as senior lecturer from 1996-2004. During this time in Chicago he served on the boards of several Chicago non-profits and in 1992 directed Illinois's Project Vote. He was an attorney with a civil rights law firm from 1993-2004. In 1995 Barack Obama's book Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance was published. The book received great acclaim and was republished in 2004. He was elected to the Illinois Senate in 1996. He lost a primary campaign for Congress in 2000 but was elected a United States Senator in 2004. During the campaign, in July 2004, he delivered the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention. In 2006 his second book, The Audacity of Hope, was published. On February 10, 2007 Barack Obama announced his campaign from President. Obama won the Democratic Party nomination and defeated John McCain in the general election held on November 4, 2008. Barack Obama served as President of the United States from January 20, 2009 to January 20, 2017. His administration's oversaw economic recovery and growth following the 2008 financial crisis, including a significant reduction of unemployment. One of Obama's signature domestic policy accomplishments was healthcare reform. In the foreign policy arena, his administration's achievements include the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty with Russia, normalization of diplomatic relations with Cuba, and a renewed focus on America's relationships in the Pacific region. Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009. Since leaving office Obama has advocated for climate issues, disaster relief efforts, and civic engagement. His Obama Foundation trains and supports civic leaders through programs like Community Leadership Corps, My Brother's Keeper Alliance, and the Obama Foundation Scholars and Fellowship programs.
 
Election Year
2017[X]