Barack Hussein Obama II [ a ] born August 4, is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 44th president of the United States from to Obama previously served as a U. Obama was born in Honolulu , Hawaii. He graduated from Columbia University in with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and later worked as a community organizer in Chicago.
He became a civil rights attorney and an academic, teaching constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from to In , Obama was elected to represent the 13th district in the Illinois Senate , a position he held until , when he successfully ran for the U. In the presidential election , after a close primary campaign against Hillary Clinton , he was nominated by the Democratic Party for president. Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for efforts in international diplomacy, a decision which drew both criticism and praise.
During his first term, his administration responded to the β financial crisis with measures including the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of , a major stimulus package to guide the economy in recovering from the Great Recession ; a partial extension of the Bush tax cuts ; legislation to reform health care ; and the DoddβFrank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act , a major financial regulation reform bill.
He oversaw the end of the Iraq War ; and ordered Operation Neptune Spear , the raid that killed Osama bin Laden , who was responsible for the September 11 attacks. Obama downplayed Bush's counterinsurgency model, expanding air strikes and making extensive use of special forces, while encouraging greater reliance on host-government militaries. He also ordered the military intervention in Libya to implement United Nations Security Council Resolution , contributing to the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi.
Obama defeated Republican opponent Mitt Romney in the presidential election. In his second term, Obama advocated for gun control in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting , took steps to combat climate change , signing the Paris Agreement , a major international climate agreement, and an executive order to limit carbon emissions.
