Michelle Obama | |
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First Lady of the United States | |
In role January 20, 2009 – January 20, 2017 | |
President | Barack Obama |
Preceded by | Laura Bush |
Succeeded by | Melania Trump |
Personal details | |
Born | Michelle LaVaughn Robinson January 17, 1964 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | |
Children | |
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Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama[1] (née Robinson; born January 17, 1964) is an American attorney and author who served as the first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017, being married to Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States.
Raised on the South Side of Chicago, Obama is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School. In her early legal career, she worked at the law firm Sidley Austin where she met her future husband. She subsequently worked in nonprofits and as the associate dean of Student Services at the University of Chicago. Later, she served as vice president for community and external affairs of the University of Chicago Medical Center. Michelle married Barack in 1992, and they have two daughters.
Obama campaigned for her husband's 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns. She was the first African-American woman to serve as first lady. As first lady, Obama worked as an advocate for poverty awareness, education, nutrition, physical activity, and healthy eating. She has written three books including her The New York Times best selling memoir Becoming (2018) and The Light We Carry (2022).