Obama family
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The family of Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, the 44th President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
of America, is made up of people of African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
, English
English American
English Americans are citizens or residents of the United States whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in England....
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
n (Luo
Luo (Kenya and Tanzania)
The Luo are an ethnic group in Kenya, eastern Uganda, and northern Tanzania. They are part of a larger group of ethnolinguistically related Luo peoples who inhabit an area including southern Sudan, northern and eastern Uganda, western Kenya, and northern Tanzania.The Luo are the third largest...
), and Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
heritage, who are known through Obama's writings and other reports. His immediate family is the First Family of the United States
First Family of the United States
The First Family of the United States is the unofficial title for the family of the President of the United States, who is both head of state and head of government of the United States. Members of the First Family consist of the President, the First Lady of the United States, and any of their...
. The Obamas are the first First Family of African descent.
Immediate family
Michelle ObamaMichelle Obama
Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama is the wife of the 44th and incumbent President of the United States, Barack Obama, and is the first African-American First Lady of the United States...
- Michelle Obama, née Robinson, the wife of Barack Obama, was born on January 17, 1964 in Chicago, Illinois. She is a lawyer and was a University of Chicago HospitalUniversity of Chicago HospitalsThe University of Chicago Medical Center forms a major center for medical care and research in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois...
vice-president. She is the First Lady of the United StatesFirst Lady of the United StatesFirst Lady of the United States is the title of the hostess of the White House. Because this position is traditionally filled by the wife of the president of the United States, the title is most often applied to the wife of a sitting president. The current first lady is Michelle Obama.-Current:The...
.
Malia Obama and Sasha Obama
- Barack and Michelle Obama have two daughters: Malia Ann , born on July 4, 1998, and Natasha (known as Sasha ˈsɑːʃə), born on June 10, 2001. They were both delivered by their parents' friend Dr. Anita Blanchard at University of Chicago Medical Center. Sasha is the youngest child to reside in the White House since John F. Kennedy, Jr.John F. Kennedy, Jr.John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Jr. , often referred to as John F. Kennedy, Jr., JFK Jr., John Jr. or John-John, was an American socialite, magazine publisher, lawyer, and pilot. The elder son of U.S. President John F...
arrived as an infant in 1961.
- Before his inauguration, President Obama published an open letter to his daughters in Parade magazine, describing what he wants for them and every child in America: "to grow up in a world with no limits on your dreams and no achievements beyond your reach, and to grow into compassionate, committed women who will help build that world."
- While living in Chicago, the Obamas kept busy schedules, as the Associated PressAssociated PressThe Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
reports: "soccer, dance and drama for Malia, gymnastics and tap for Sasha, piano and tennis for both." In July 2008, the family gave an interview to the television series Access HollywoodAccess HollywoodAccess Hollywood is a weekday television entertainment news program covering events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. It was created by former Entertainment Tonight executive producer Jim Van Messel, and is currently directed by Robert Silverstein. In previous years, Doug Dougherty and...
. Obama later said they regretted allowing the children to be included.
- attend the privateIndependent schoolAn independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
Sidwell Friends SchoolSidwell Friends SchoolSidwell Friends School is a Quaker private school located in Bethesda, Maryland and Washington, D.C., offering pre-kindergarten through secondary school classes. Founded in 1883 by Thomas Sidwell, its motto is "Eluceat omnibus lux" , alluding to the Quaker concept of inner light...
in Washington, DC, the same school as attended by Chelsea ClintonChelsea ClintonChelsea Victoria Clinton is a television journalist, currently serving as Special Correspondent for NBC News, and philanthropist, working through the Clinton Global Initiative. She is the only child of former U.S...
, Tricia Nixon Cox, and Archibald RooseveltArchibald RooseveltArchibald Bulloch "Archie" Roosevelt , the fifth child of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, was a distinguished U.S. Army officer and commander of U.S. forces in both World War I and II. In both conflicts he was wounded. He earned the Croix de guerre and Silver Star with Oak Leaf Cluster,...
, and currently the grandchildren of Vice President Joe BidenJoe BidenJoseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. is the 47th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President Barack Obama...
. The Obama girls began classes there on January 5, 2009. While in Chicago, both attended the private University of Chicago Laboratory School.
- In his victory speech on the night of his election, President Obama repeated his promise to Sasha and Malia to get a puppy to take with them to the White House. The selection was slow because Malia is allergic to animal danderDanderDander is an informal term for a material shed from the body of various animals, similar to dandruff. It may contain scales of dried skin and hair, or feathers. It is a cause of allergies in humans....
; the president subsequently said that the choice had been narrowed down to either a labradoodleLabradoodleA Labradoodle is a crossbred dog created by crossing the Labrador Retriever and the Standard or Miniature Poodle.-History:The first known use of the term "Labradoodle" was by Sir Donald Campbell to describe his Labrador/Poodle cross dog in his 1955 book, "Into the Water Barrier"...
or Portuguese Water DogPortuguese Water DogThe Portuguese Water Dog is a breed of working dog as classified by the American Kennel Club. Portuguese Water Dogs are originally from the Portuguese region of the Algarve, from where the breed expanded to all around Portugal's coast, where they were taught to herd fish into fishermen's nets, to...
, and they hoped to find a shelterAnimal shelterAn animal shelter is a facility that houses homeless, lost, or abandoned animals; primarily a large variety of dogs and cats.Parrots, for example, are the third most common pet owned by people...
animalRescue dogA rescue dog is a dog that has been rescued from possible euthanasia after being found as a stray, a dog that has been saved from an abusive or neglectful home by an animal rescue organisation such as the RSPCA in the UK or the ASPCA in the USA, or a dog that is simply no longer wanted or can no...
. On April 12, 2009, it was reported that the Obamas had adopted a six-month-old Portuguese Water Dog given to them as a gift from Senator Ted KennedyTed KennedyEdward Moore "Ted" Kennedy was a United States Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party. Serving almost 47 years, he was the second most senior member of the Senate when he died and is the fourth-longest-serving senator in United States history...
; the dog was named BoBo (dog)Bo is the pet dog of the Obama family, the First Family of the United States. Bo is a neutered male Portuguese Water Dog. President Barack Obama and his family were given the dog as a gift after months of speculation about the breed and identity of their future pet...
by Malia and Sasha.
Marian Robinson
- Barack Obama's mother-in-law who is currently residing in the White House. She is part of the Robinson family (see below).
Maternal relations
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Madelyn Dunham
Madelyn Lee Payne Dunham was the American maternal grandmother of Barack Obama, the 44th and current President of the United States of America...
and Stanley Armour Dunham
Stanley Armour Dunham
Stanley Armour Dunham was the maternal grandfather of U.S. President Barack Obama. He and his wife Madelyn Payne Dunham raised Obama from the age of 10 in Honolulu, Hawaii.-Early life:...
. He has often referred to his family during his candidacy and term as President.
Ann Dunham
Ann Dunham
Stanley Ann Dunham , the mother of Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States, was an American anthropologist who specialized in economic anthropology and rural development. Dunham was nicknamed Anna, later known as Dr. Stanley Ann Dunham Soetoro, and finally Ann Dunham Sutoro...
- Mother of Barack Obama born in 1942, died in 1995. Born Stanley Ann Dunham, she was an American anthropologist who specialized in economic anthropologyEconomic anthropologyEconomic anthropology is a scholarly field that attempts to explain human economic behavior using the tools of both economics and anthropology. It is practiced by anthropologists and has a complex relationship with economics...
and rural developmentRural developmentRural development in general denotes economic development and community development actions and initiatives taken to improve the standard of living in non-urban neighbourhoods, remote villages and the countryside...
. She earned her Ph.D from the University of HawaiiUniversity of HawaiiThe University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment...
and worked with the United States Agency for International DevelopmentUnited States Agency for International DevelopmentThe United States Agency for International Development is the United States federal government agency primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid. President John F. Kennedy created USAID in 1961 by executive order to implement development assistance programs in the areas...
, the Ford FoundationFord FoundationThe Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
, and Women's World Banking, championing microcreditMicrocreditMicrocredit is the extension of very small loans to those in poverty designed to spur entrepreneurship. These individuals lack collateral, steady employment and a verifiable credit history and therefore cannot meet even the most minimal qualifications to gain access to traditional credit...
for the world’s poor. Obama referred to his mother as the dominant figure in his formative years. "The values she taught me continue to be my touchstone when it comes to how I go about the world of politics."
Stanley Armour Dunham
Stanley Armour Dunham
Stanley Armour Dunham was the maternal grandfather of U.S. President Barack Obama. He and his wife Madelyn Payne Dunham raised Obama from the age of 10 in Honolulu, Hawaii.-Early life:...
- Stanley Dunham is the grandfather of Barack Obama. He was born in 1918 and served as a sergeantSergeantSergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
in the U.S. Army during World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, enlisting just after the attacks on Pearl HarborPearl HarborPearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
. Stanley and his wife MadelynMadelyn DunhamMadelyn Lee Payne Dunham was the American maternal grandmother of Barack Obama, the 44th and current President of the United States of America...
raised Obama in Honolulu, HawaiiHonolulu, HawaiiHonolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
. In addition to Obama, Stanley is related to six US presidents: James MadisonJames MadisonJames Madison, Jr. was an American statesman and political theorist. He was the fourth President of the United States and is hailed as the “Father of the Constitution” for being the primary author of the United States Constitution and at first an opponent of, and then a key author of the United...
, Harry Truman, Lyndon Johnson, Jimmy CarterJimmy CarterJames Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
, George H. W. BushGeorge H. W. BushGeorge Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
, and George W. BushGeorge W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
. He died in Honolulu, HawaiiHonolulu, HawaiiHonolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
, in 1992, and is buried at the Punchbowl National Cemetery.
Ralph Dunham
- Great-uncle of Barack Obama, older brother of Stanley Dunham, born 1916. He served in the U.S. Army as an assignment and personnel officer during World War II, landing at Normandy's Omaha Easy Red Beach on D-Day plus four, working his way through France, Italy and Germany.
Madelyn Lee Payne Dunham
- Barack Obama's maternal grandmother was born in 1922 and died on November 2, 2008. She was a bank vice president in Hawaii. Obama said that when he was a child, his grandmother "read me the opening lines of the Declaration of Independence and told me about the men and women who marched for equality because they believed those words put to paper two centuries ago should mean something." According to Barack Obama's Dreams from My FatherDreams from My FatherDreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance is a memoir by United States President Barack Obama. It was first published in July 1995 as he was preparing to launch his political career, five years after being elected the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review in...
, his great-grandmother Leona McCurry was part Native AmericanNative Americans in the United StatesNative Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, which Obama believed Leona held as a "source of considerable shame" and "blanched whenever someone mentioned the subject and hoped to carry the secret to her grave"; whereas McCurry's daughter (Obama's maternal grandmother) "would turn her head in profile to show off her beaked nose, which along with a pair of jet-black eyes, was offered as proof of Cherokee blood." To date, no concrete evidence has surfaced of Cherokee heritage. Obama's maternal heritage consists mostly of English ancestry, with much smaller amounts of GermanGerman AmericanGerman Americans are citizens of the United States of German ancestry and comprise about 51 million people, or 17% of the U.S. population, the country's largest self-reported ancestral group...
, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Swiss, and French ancestry.
Jonathan Singletary Dunham
Jonathan Singletary Dunham
Jonathan Singletary Dunham was a prominent early American politician and settler of Woodbridge Township, New Jersey. He is President Barack Obama’s eighth great-grandfather and the first of Obama’s ancestors to be born in North America.-Life:Jonathan Singletary Dunham was born to Richard...
- Born in Massachusetts Bay ColonyMassachusetts Bay ColonyThe Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century, in New England, situated around the present-day cities of Salem and Boston. The territory administered by the colony included much of present-day central New England, including portions...
in 1640, Barack Obama's 8-greats-grandfather was his earliest ancestor born in North America.
Charles Thomas Payne
Charles T. Payne
Charles Thomas Payne is an American who served in the U.S. military during World War II as a member of the division that liberated Ohrdruf, a subcamp of the Buchenwald concentration camp. He was 20 years old at the time...
- Great-uncle of Barack Obama, younger brother of Madelyn Dunham, born 1925. Served during World War II in the U.S. Army 89th Infantry Division. Obama has often described Payne's role in liberating Ohrdruf forced labor camp. There was brief media attention when Obama mistakenly identified the camp as AuschwitzAuschwitz concentration campConcentration camp Auschwitz was a network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II...
during the campaign. In 2009, Payne spoke about this experiences:Ohrdruf was in that string of towns going across, south of Gotha and Erfurt. Our division was the first one in there. When we arrived there were no German soldiers anywhere around that I knew about. There was no fighting against the Germans, no camp guards. The whole area was overrun by people from the camp dressed in the most pitiful rags, and most of them were in a bad state of starvation.
Payne appeared in the visitor's gallery at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado, when his great-nephew was nominated for President. He was the assistant director of the University of Chicago's Library.
Maya Soetoro-Ng
Maya Soetoro-Ng
Maya Kassandra Soetoro-Ng is the maternal half-sister of Barack Obama, the 44th and current President of the United States. She was previously a high school history teacher and university instructor in Hawaii.-Early life:...
- Half-sister of Barack Obama, born August 15, 1970, in JakartaJakartaJakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
, IndonesiaIndonesiaIndonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. She has another half-brother, Yusuf, and a half-sister, Aya, from her father's second marriage. She is married to Konrad Ng, with whom she has two daughters, Suhaila and Savita. Maya Soetoro-Ng is a teacher in Hawaii.
Konrad Ng
- Brother-in-law of Barack Obama, born 1974. He is of Malaysian ChineseMalaysian ChineseMalaysian Chinese is a Malaysian of Chinese origin. Most are descendants of Chinese who arrived between the fifteenth and the mid-twentieth centuries. Within Malaysia, they are usually simply referred to as "Chinese" in all languages. The term Chinese Malaysian is also sometimes used to refer to...
descent, and his parents are from KudatKudatKudat is a town in Sabah, East Malaysia, on the northern tip of Borneo island. It serves as the administrative center for the Kudat Division, which includes the towns of Kudat, Pitas, Kota Marudu, and some offshore islands....
and SandakanSandakanSandakan is the second-largest city in Sabah, East Malaysia, on the north-eastern coast of Borneo. It is located on the east coast of the island and it is the administrative centre of Sandakan Division and was the former capital of British North Borneo...
, two small towns in Sabah, Malaysia. Ng and his younger brother, Perry, were born and raised in BurlingtonBurlington, OntarioBurlington , is a city located in Halton Region at the western end of Lake Ontario. Burlington is part of the Greater Toronto Area, and is also included in the Hamilton Census Metropolitan Area. Physically, Burlington lies between the north shore of Lake Ontario and the Niagara Escarpment...
, OntarioOntarioOntario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. Perry Ng works for the University of OttawaUniversity of OttawaThe University of Ottawa is a bilingual, research-intensive, non-denominational, international university in Ottawa, Ontario. It is one of the oldest universities in Canada. It was originally established as the College of Bytown in 1848 by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate...
. He married Maya Soetoro-Ng at the end of 2003 in Hawaii. They have two daughters, Suhaila and Savita. Konrad Ng currently is a US citizen. He is an assistant professor at the University of HawaiiUniversity of HawaiiThe University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment...
's Academy of Creative Media. He studied philosophy at McGill UniversityMcGill UniversityMohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
and cultural studies at the University of VictoriaUniversity of VictoriaThe University of Victoria, often referred to as UVic, is the second oldest public research university in British Columbia, Canada. It is a research intensive university located in Saanich and Oak Bay, about northeast of downtown Victoria. The University's annual enrollment is about 20,000 students...
before he got his PhD from University of Hawaii at Manoa.
Lolo Soetoro
Lolo Soetoro
Lolo Soetoro, also known as Lolo Soetoro Mangunharjo or Mangundikardjo, was the Indonesian stepfather of Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States of America.-Early life and education:...
- The second husband of Ann Dunham and stepfather to Barack Obama, born in Indonesia 1936, died 1987. He is the father of Maya Soetoro-Ng. After his divorce from Dunham, Soetoro married Erna Kustina. She bore him two children, Yusuf Aji Soetoro (b. 1981) and Rahayu Nurmaida Soetoro (b. 1984).
Robert Wolfley
- Barack Obama's great-great-great-grandfather. He served as a private in Company A, 145th Ohio Infantry145th Ohio InfantryThe 145th Ohio Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 145th Ohio Infantry was organized at Camp Chase in Columbus, Ohio and mustered in May 12, 1864 for 100 days service under the command of Colonel Henry Clay Ashwell.The regiment...
during the American Civil WarAmerican Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. He is buried in the Olathe Memorial Cemetery in Olathe, KansasOlathe, KansasOlathe is a city in and the county seat of Johnson County, Kansas, United States. Located in northeastern Kansas, it is also the fifth most populous city in the state, with a population of 125,872 at the 2010 census. As a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, Olathe is the fourth-largest city in the...
.
Paternal relations
The Obamas are members of the LuoLuo (Kenya and Tanzania)
The Luo are an ethnic group in Kenya, eastern Uganda, and northern Tanzania. They are part of a larger group of ethnolinguistically related Luo peoples who inhabit an area including southern Sudan, northern and eastern Uganda, western Kenya, and northern Tanzania.The Luo are the third largest...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
's third-largest ethnic group, which is
part of a larger family of ethnic groups, collectively also known as Luo
Luo (family of ethnic groups)
The Luo are an ethnic linguistic group located in an area that stretches from South Sudan and Ethiopia through northern Uganda and eastern Congo , into western Kenya, and ending in the upper tip of Tanzania. These people speak an Eastern Sudanic language, a branch of the Nilo-Saharan language...
. This group belongs to the Eastern Sudanic
Eastern Sudanic languages
Ehret 2001 [1984]Ehret, published in 2001 but circulating in manuscript form since at least 1984, calls the family "Eastern Sahelian", and idiosyncratically adds the Kuliak languages and Berta, which Bender assigns to higher-level branches of Nilo-Saharan, and reassigns Nyima to the southern branch...
branch of the Nilo-Saharan
Nilo-Saharan languages
The Nilo-Saharan languages are a proposed family of African languages spoken by some 50 million people, mainly in the upper parts of the Chari and Nile rivers , including historic Nubia, north of where the two tributaries of Nile meet...
phylum. The Obama family is largely concentrated in the western province of Nyanza
Nyanza Province
Nyanza Province of Kenya, is one of Kenya's eight administrative provinces. It is located in the southwest part of Kenya around Lake Victoria. Nyanza includes part of the eastern edge of Lake Victoria and is inhabited predominantly by the Luo. There are also Bantu-speaking tribes such as the...
.
Barack Obama, Sr.
Barack Obama, Sr.
Barack Hussein Obama, Sr. was a Kenyan senior governmental economist and the father of U.S. President Barack Obama. He is a central subject in his son's memoir, Dreams from My Father.-Early life:...
- Barack Obama's father (1936–1982). Government economist in Kenya. In addition to President Obama, Barack Obama Sr. fathered one daughter and at least four sons.
Sarah Obama (aunt of Barack Obama)
- Aunt of U.S. President Barack Obama and elder sister of his father, born 1933 to Hussein Onyango and Habiba Akumu Obama. (She should not be confused with her stepmother Sarah Onyango Obama, also often called just Sarah Obama, the third wife of Onyango.)
Hawa Auma Hussein (aunt of Barack Obama)
- Aunt of U.S. President Barack Obama and younger sister of his father, born to Hussein Onyango and Habiba Akumu Obama. She is the sole surviving full sibling of Barack Obama, Sr.
Hussein Onyango Obama
- Barack Obama's paternal grandfather (c. 1895–1979). (One source gives 1870–1975 as his dates of birth and death, possibly based on his tombstone in his home village., In 1988 Barack Obama found a British document based on a 1928 ordinance showing his grandfather as 35 years old. The date of the document must have been around 1930, which means that his grandfather had indeed been born around 1895.) Onyango was the fifth son of his mother, Nyaoke, who was the first of the five wives of his father, Obama. Barack Obama relates how his step-grandmother Granny Sarah (Sarah Onyango Obama) describes his grandfather: "Even from the time that he was a boy, your grandfather Onyango was strange. It is said of him that he had ants up his anus, because he could not sit still." As a young man, he learned to speak, read and write in English.
- Onyango worked as a mission cook and as a local herbalistHerbalistAn herbalist is:#A person whose life is dedicated to the economic or medicinal uses of plants.#One skilled in the harvesting and collection of medicinal plants ....
. He joined the King's African RiflesKing's African RiflesThe King's African Rifles was a multi-battalion British colonial regiment raised from the various British possessions in East Africa from 1902 until independence in the 1960s. It performed both military and internal security functions within the East African colonies as well as external service as...
during World War IWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
- In 1949, Onyango spent at least 6 months in Kamiti PrisonKamiti Maximum Security PrisonKamiti Maximum Security Prison is a prison in Nairobi, Kenya. It is located in the agricultural district of Kiambu. Originally named "Kamiti Downs", it sits in the middle of its own estates which lie fallow and untended....
. He was probably tried in a magistrates’ court on charges of political sedition or membership of a banned organisation, but the records do not survive, because all such documentation was routinely destroyed in British colonies after six years. He was violently tortured to extract information about the growing insurgency. In his memoir, President Obama described his grandfather's shocking physical state: "When he returned to AlegoSiaya DistrictSiaya District is one of the twelve districts that make up Nyanza Province in the southwest part of Kenya. It is bordered by Busia District to the North, Vihiga and Butere/Mumias Districts to the North-East, Bondo District to the South, and Kisumu District to the South-East. The total area of the...
he was very thin and dirty. He had difficulty walking, and his head was full of lice." For some time, he was too traumatized to speak about his experiences. His wife told his grandson: "From that day on, I saw that he was now an old man." Onyango was permanently scarred, remaining in pain and requiring assistance moving until his death. Although previously working very closely with British colonists, his torture left Onyango bitterly anti-British. During a Sky NewsSky NewsSky News is a 24-hour British and international satellite television news broadcaster with an emphasis on UK and international news stories.The service places emphasis on rolling news, including the latest breaking news. Sky News also hosts localised versions of the channel in Australia and in New...
interview in 2009, Barack Obama was asked if this negatively affected his view of the British personally and he replied that it did not. "I love the Brits and I think I have shown that affection every time I have visited there. The notion that I would somehow judge countries based on what happened 100 years ago would not make much sense."
- Onyango is sometimes referred to as Mzee Hussein Onyango Obama. The word mzee is a Kenyan honorificHonorificAn honorific is a word or expression with connotations conveying esteem or respect when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term is used not quite correctly to refer to an honorary title...
meaning "old man" or "elder."
- According to his third wife, Sarah, he originally converted to Catholicism, but took the name Hussein when he later converted to IslamIslamIslam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
; she said he passed the name, not the religion, on to his children. Luos are given names related to the circumstances of their birth, and Onyango means born in the early morning.
- Also known as Akumu Nyanjoga (c. 1918-2006). Barack Obama's paternal grandmother, and the second wife of Hussein Onyango Obama. She gave Onyango three children: daughters Sarah and Auma, and son Barack (Barack Obama's father). Her father was named Njango and she was born and raised in the Western Kenyan village of KarabondiKarachuonyo ConstituencyKarachuonyo Constituency is an electoral constituency in Kenya. It is one of two constituencies in Rachuonyo District.- Members of Parliament :- Wards :- External links :*...
. In his memoir Dreams from My Father, her grandson wrote that she was miserable in her marriage and abandoned her husband and children and subsequently married again and moved to present-day Tanzania. Luos are given names related to the circumstances of their birth and Akumu means mysterious birth, a conception after a birth, but before resumption of menses. She took the name Habiba upon her conversion to IslamIslamIslam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. A photograph of her holding her son, Barack Sr, on her lap is on the cover of her grandson's memoir. (See image at right margin.)
Sarah Onyango Obama
- Third wife of Obama's paternal grandfather, born 1922. She is known for short as Sarah Obama and is sometimes referred to as Sarah Ogwel, Sarah Hussein Obama or Sarah Anyango Obama. She lives in Nyang’oma KogeloNyang’oma KogeloNyang’oma Kogelo, also known as Kogelo, is a village in Siaya District, Nyanza Province, Kenya. It is located near the equator, 60 kilometres west-northwest of Kisumu, the provincial capital. The population of Nyangoma-Kogelo is 3,648 ....
village, 30 miles west of western KenyaKenyaKenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
's main town, KisumuKisumuKisumu is a port city in western Kenya at , with a population of 355,024 . It is the third largest city in Kenya, the principal city of western Kenya, the immediate former capital of Nyanza Province and the headquarters of Kisumu County. It has a municipal charter but no city charter...
, on the edge of Lake VictoriaLake VictoriaLake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. The lake was named for Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, by John Hanning Speke, the first European to discover this lake....
. (She should not be confused with her stepdaughter of the same name, Sarah Obama, a daughter of Onyango's second wife, Akumu.)
- Although she is not a blood relation, Barack Obama calls her "Granny Sarah". Sarah, who speaks LuoDholuo languageThe Luo language, Dholuo or Luo proper, is the eponymous language of the Luo group of Nilotic languages, spoken by about 4.4 million Luo people of Kenya and Tanzania, who occupy parts of the eastern shore of Lake Victoria and areas to the south...
and only a few words of English, communicates with President Obama through an interpreter.
- On July 4, 2008, she attended the United States Independence DayIndependence Day (United States)Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
celebrations in Nairobi, hosted by Michael Ranneberger, the US ambassador in Kenya.
- During the campaign she protested attempts to portray Obama as a foreigner to the United States or a Muslim, saying that while Obama's grandfather had been a Muslim, "In the world of today, children have different religions from their parents." Sarah Obama herself is "a strong believer of the Islamic faith,” in her words.
Kezia Obama
- (Also known as Kezia Aoko and as "Grace"). Born c. 1940, she is Barack Obama Sr.'s first wife, whom he married in Kenya before studying abroad in the United States. She currently lives in BracknellBracknellBracknell is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Bracknell Forest in Berkshire, England. It lies to the south-east of Reading, southwest of Windsor and west of central London...
, BerkshireBerkshireBerkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, England. On March 22, 2009, Kezia made a guest appearance on the British television show Chris Moyles' Quiz NightChris Moyles' Quiz NightChris Moyles' Quiz Night is a British television comedy game show, presented by Chris Moyles. It was first broadcast on 22 March 2009 and is in its fifth series....
. Her sister, Jane, is the 'Auntie Jane' mentioned at the very start of Dreams from My Father when she telephoned Obama to inform him that his father had been killed in a car accident.
Malik Obama
- Barack Obama's half-brother, also known as Abongo or Roy, born c. March, 1958, son of Barack Obama, Sr. with his first wife, Kezia. Malik Obama was born and raised in NairobiNairobiNairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
, KenyaKenyaKenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
. He earned a degree in accounting from the University of NairobiUniversity of NairobiThe University of Nairobi is the largest university in Kenya. Although its history as an educational institution goes back to 1956, it did not become an independent university until 1970 when the University of East Africa was split into three independent universities: Makerere University in...
. He met his half-brother for the first time in 1985 when Barack flew from Chicago to Washington, D.C., to visit him. Malik and his half-brother Barack were best men at each other's weddings. Barack Obama brought his wife Michelle to Kenya three years later, and they met with Malik again while Barack was introducing Michelle to many other new relatives.
- Although much of the Obama family has dispersed throughout Kenya and overseas, most, including Malik Obama, still considered their rural village on the shores of Lake VictoriaLake VictoriaLake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. The lake was named for Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, by John Hanning Speke, the first European to discover this lake....
to be their true home, and feel that those who have left the village have become culturally "lost". A frequent visitor to the United States, and consultant in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
for several months per year, he nevertheless settled in the Obamas' ancestral home, Nyang’oma KogeloNyang’oma KogeloNyang’oma Kogelo, also known as Kogelo, is a village in Siaya District, Nyanza Province, Kenya. It is located near the equator, 60 kilometres west-northwest of Kisumu, the provincial capital. The population of Nyangoma-Kogelo is 3,648 ....
, a village of several hundred people that he prefers to the city for its slow pace. He runs a small electronics shop a half hour drive outside of town.
- During his brother's presidential campaign, Malik Obama was a spokesmanSpokesmanA spokesperson or spokesman or spokeswoman is someone engaged or elected to speak on behalf of others.In the present media-sensitive world, many organizations are increasingly likely to employ professionals who have received formal training in journalism, communications, public relations and...
for the extended Obama family in Kenya, dealing with safety and privacy concerns arising from increased attention from the press.
Auma Obama
- Barack Obama's half-sister, born c. 1960. As of July 2008, development worker in KenyaKenyaKenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
. She studied German at the University of Heidelberg from 1981 to 1987. After her graduation in Heidelberg she went on for graduate studies at the University of BayreuthUniversity of BayreuthThe University of Bayreuth is a public research university situated in Bayreuth, Germany. It was founded in 1975 as a campus university focusing on international collaboration and interdisciplinarity...
, which awarded her a PhDPHDPHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in 1996. Her dissertation was about the conception of labor in Germany and its literary reflections. Auma Obama has lived in London, and in 1996 married an EnglishmanEnglish peopleThe English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
, Ian Manners, although they have since divorced. They have a daughter named Akinyi (b. 1997). In 2011 Auma Obama was interviewed for Turk PipkinTurk PipkinTurk Pipkin is the co-founder of The Nobelity Project, an education and action non-profit which seeks to find solutions to many pressing global problems, and which advocates for basic rights for children everywhere...
's documentary Building HopeBuilding HopeBuilding Hope is a film by Turk and Christy Pipkin. It was produced by The Nobelity Project and premiered on March 12 at the 2011 South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas...
.
Abo Obama
- Barack Obama's alleged half-brother also known as Samson Obama, born 1968. In Dreams from My Father, it is stated that the Obama family doubt Abo and Bernard are the biological sons of Barack Obama, Sr. Abo is a mobile phone shop manager in Kenya. He was barred from entering the United Kingdom after receiving a police caution for a public order offence; he was also accused of but not prosecuted for sexual assault. At the time he had been living illegally in the UK.
Bernard Obama
- Barack Obama's alleged half-brother, born 1970. Dreams from My Father states that the Obama family doubt Abo and Bernard are the biological sons of Barack Obama, Sr. He had been an auto parts supplier in Nairobi, Kenya, and has one child. Bernard converted to Islam as an adult and has said: "I’m a MuslimMuslimA Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
, I don’t deny it. My father was raised a Muslim. But it’s not an issue. I don’t know what all the hullabaloo is about." He currently resides in BracknellBracknellBracknell is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Bracknell Forest in Berkshire, England. It lies to the south-east of Reading, southwest of Windsor and west of central London...
, England, with his mother Kezia.
Ruth Ndesandjo
- Born Ruth Beatrice Baker, in US c. 1937, to Maurice Joseph Baker and Ida Baker of Newton, MassachusettsNewton, MassachusettsNewton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States bordered to the east by Boston. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Newton was 85,146, making it the eleventh largest city in the state.-Villages:...
. Ruth was a 1954 graduate of Brookline High SchoolBrookline High SchoolBrookline High School is a four-year public high school in the town of Brookline, Massachusetts, in the United States.As of the 2007-08 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,826 students and 136 teachers , for a student-teacher ratio of 13.4 to 1 teacher.-Education:Almost every senior in...
in Brookline, MassachusettsBrookline, MassachusettsBrookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, which borders on the cities of Boston and Newton. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 58,732.-Etymology:...
, and a 1958 graduate of Simmons CollegeSimmons College (Massachusetts)Simmons College, established in 1899, is a private women's undergraduate college and private co-educational graduate school in Boston, Massachusetts.-History:Simmons was founded in 1899 with a bequest by John Simmons a wealthy clothing manufacturer in Boston...
in BostonBostonBoston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
with a degree in business. Ruth was a suburban elementary school teacher when she met and began dating Barack Sr. in Cambridge in June 1964, a month before Barack Sr.'s return to Kenya in August 1964. Ruth followed Obama Sr. back to Kenya five weeks later, and married him in Kenya in a civil ceremony on December 24, 1964. She later became a private kindergarten director in Kenya. Ruth's two sons with Barack Obama, Sr., are Mark and David Ndesandjo; her third son, Joseph Ndesandjo, was born c. 1980 from a subsequent marriage.
Mark Okoth Obama Ndesandjo
- Barack Obama's half-brother, son of Ruth Nidesand and Barack Obama Sr. He runs an Internet company called WorldNexus that advises Chinese corporations how best to reach international customers. Mark graduated from Brown UniversityBrown UniversityBrown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, studied physicsPhysicsPhysics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
at Stanford UniversityStanford UniversityThe Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, received an MBAMaster of Business AdministrationThe Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
from Emory UniversityEmory UniversityEmory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
, and has lived in Shenzhen, China, since 2002. Through his mother, he is Jewish and is married to Liu Xuehua (also spelled Liu Zue Hua in some reports), a ChineseChinese peopleThe term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
woman from Henan Province. He is also an accomplished pianist. In November 2009, he held a press conference for the upcoming publication of his semi-autobiographical novel Nairobi to Shenzhen, and stated that he also planned to write a proper autobiography which would go into more detail about his relationship with Barack Obama.
David Ndesandjo (c. 1967 – c. 1987)
- Barack Obama's half-brother (also known as David Opiyo Obama), son of Ruth Nidesand and Barack Obama Sr. Killed in a motorcycle accident.
George Hussein Onyango Obama
- Youngest half-brother of Barack Obama, born c.1982, son of Barack Obama Sr. and Jael Otieno (now a resident of Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
). George was six months old when his father died in an automobile accident, after which he was raised in Nairobi by his mother and a French step-father. He later lived in South Korea for two years while his mother resided there for business reasons. Returning to Kenya, George Obama "slept rough for several years," until his aunt gave him a six-by-eight foot corrugated metal shack in the NairobiNairobiNairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
, KenyaKenyaKenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, slum of Huruma Flats. As of August 2008, Obama was studying to become a mechanic. George received little attention until being featured in an article in the Italian language edition of Vanity FairVanity Fair (magazine)Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
in August 2008, which portrayed him as living in poverty, shame, and obscurity. The article quoted George Obama as saying that he lived "on less than a dollar a month" and stated that he "does not mention his famous half-brother in conversation" out of shame at his poverty. In later interviews George contradicted this picture. In an interview with The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, he "said that he was furious at subsequent reports that he had been abandoned by the Obama family and that he was filled with shame about living in a slum." He told The Times, "Life in Huruma is good." George Obama said that he expects no favors, that he was supported by relatives, and that reports he lived on a dollar a month were "all lies by people who don’t want my brother to win.” He told The Telegraph that he was inspired by his half-brother. According to Time, George "has repeatedly denied...that he feels abandoned by Obama." CNNCNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
quoted him as saying, "I was brought up well. I live well even now. The magazines, they have exaggerated everything... I think I kind of like it here. There are some challenges, but maybe it is just like where you come from, there are the same challenges."
Omar Okech Obama
- He sometimes goes by a variation of the name of his father Onyango Obama. Half-uncle of Barack Obama, born on June 3, 1944 in Nyang’oma KogeloNyang’oma KogeloNyang’oma Kogelo, also known as Kogelo, is a village in Siaya District, Nyanza Province, Kenya. It is located near the equator, 60 kilometres west-northwest of Kisumu, the provincial capital. The population of Nyangoma-Kogelo is 3,648 ....
. Oldest son of Onyango and Sarah Obama, he moved to the U.S. in 1963 as part of Tom MboyaTom MboyaThomas Joseph Odhiambo Mboya was a prominent Kenyan politician during Jomo Kenyatta's government. He was founder of the Nairobi People's Congress Party, a key figure in the formation of the Kenya African National Union , and the Minister of Economic Planning and Development at the time of his death...
's Airlift Africa project. Once he arrived in the U.S., Barack Obama Sr. found him a place at a boys’ school then known as Browne & Nichols, in Cambridge, MassachusettsCambridge, MassachusettsCambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
. He later dropped out of school and changed his name to O. Onyango Obama. He operated a liquor store in Framingham, MassachusettsFramingham, MassachusettsFramingham is a New England town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 68,318 as of the United States 2010 Census. -History:...
, where he resided as of March, 2011. He was subject to a deportation order in 1989. The Boston HeraldBoston HeraldThe Boston Herald is a daily newspaper that serves Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and its surrounding area. It was started in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States...
reports that he may have illegally obtained a driver's license and Social Security Number. After an unsuccessful appeal he was given a new deportation order in 1992. He was arrested on August 24, 2011 for driving under the influenceDriving under the influenceDriving under the influence is the act of driving a motor vehicle with blood levels of alcohol in excess of a legal limit...
, and subsequently held in jail until September 9, 2011, on a federal immigration warrant.
Zeituni Onyango
Zeituni Onyango
Zeituni Onyango is a former part-time public health advocate in Boston and the half-aunt of United States President Barack Obama. Onyango is the half-sister of Obama's late father Barack Obama, Sr...
- Half-aunt of Barack Obama, born May 29, 1952, in KenyaKenyaKenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, Onyango is referred to as "Aunti Zeituni" in the memoir Dreams from My FatherDreams from My FatherDreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance is a memoir by United States President Barack Obama. It was first published in July 1995 as he was preparing to launch his political career, five years after being elected the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review in...
. She lives in a South Boston public housing facility.
Yusuf Obama
- Half-uncle of Barack Obama, born c. 1950s in Nyang’oma KogeloNyang’oma KogeloNyang’oma Kogelo, also known as Kogelo, is a village in Siaya District, Nyanza Province, Kenya. It is located near the equator, 60 kilometres west-northwest of Kisumu, the provincial capital. The population of Nyangoma-Kogelo is 3,648 ....
; son of Onyango and Sarah Obama.
Sayid Obama
- Half-uncle of Barack Obama, born c. 1950s in Nyang’oma KogeloNyang’oma KogeloNyang’oma Kogelo, also known as Kogelo, is a village in Siaya District, Nyanza Province, Kenya. It is located near the equator, 60 kilometres west-northwest of Kisumu, the provincial capital. The population of Nyangoma-Kogelo is 3,648 ....
; son of Onyango and Sarah Obama.
Michelle Robinson Obama's extended family
Barack Obama has called his wife MichelleMichelle Obama
Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama is the wife of the 44th and incumbent President of the United States, Barack Obama, and is the first African-American First Lady of the United States...
"the most quintessentially American woman I know." Her family is of African-American heritage, descendents of Africans of the American Colonial Era. Michelle Obama's family history traces back from slavery to Reconstruction to the Great Migration North
Great Migration (African American)
The Great Migration was the movement of 6 million blacks out of the Southern United States to the Northeast, Midwest, and West from 1910 to 1970. Some historians differentiate between a Great Migration , numbering about 1.6 million migrants, and a Second Great Migration , in which 5 million or more...
. Some of Michelle's relatives still reside in South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
.
Jim Robinson
Michelle's earliest known relative on her father's side is her great-great grandfather Jim Robinson, born in the 1850s, who was an American slave
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
on the Friendfield plantation in Georgetown, South Carolina
Georgetown, South Carolina
Georgetown is the third oldest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina and the county seat of Georgetown County, in the Low Country. Located on Winyah Bay at the confluence of the Great Pee Dee River, Waccamaw River, and Sampit River, Georgetown is the second largest seaport in South Carolina,...
. The family believes that after the Civil War he remained a Friendfield plantation sharecropper for the rest of his life and that he was buried there in an unmarked grave.
Jim married twice, first to a woman named Louiser with whom had two sons, Gabriel and Fraser, Michelle Obama's great-grandfather. There was also a daughter born to the family, but there is no reference to a name and she is believed to have died as a child. His second marriage to Rose Ella Cohen bore 6 other children. Fraser had an arm amputated as a result of a boyhood injury. He worked as a shoemaker, newspaper salesman and in a lumber mill. Carrie Nelson, Gabriel Robinson's daughter, now 80, is the oldest living Robinson and the keeper of family lore.
At least three of Michelle Obama's great-uncles served in the military of the United States
Military of the United States
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
. One aunt moved to Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
, where she worked as a maid, and cooked Southern-style meals
Soul food
Soul food cuisine consists of a selection of foods traditional in the cuisine of African Americans. It is closely related to the cuisine of the Southern United States...
for Michelle and her brother, Craig, when they were students at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
.
Marian Lois Robinson
- Michelle Obama's mother (birthname Marian Lois Shields, born July 30, 1937), now widowed, married Michelle's father, Fraser Robinson, on October 27, 1960. Robinson was formerly a secretary at Spiegel catalog and a bank. While Michelle and Barack Obama were campaigning in 2008, Robinson tended the Obama's young children and does the same while currently living in the White House itself as part of the First Family; she is the first live-in grandmother there since Elivera M. DoudElivera M. DoudElivera M. Doud was the mother of Mamie Eisenhower.Elivera Mathilda Carlson was born in Boone, Iowa to Swedish immigrant parents. Her father, Carl Severin Jeremiasson , was born in Dagsås parish, near the village of Sibbarp, Halland County, Sweden during 1841...
during the Eisenhower administration. Some media outlets have dubbed Robinson the "First Granny". Marian takes Sasha and Malia to school daily and enjoys life in Washington.
Fraser C. Robinson III
- Michelle Obama's father, born August 1, 1935, died March 6, 1991, married Michelle's mother, Marian Shields, on October 27, 1960. Robinson was a pump worker at the City of Chicago water plant.
Craig Robinson
Craig Robinson (basketball coach)
Craig Malcolm Robinson is an American college basketball coach and the current head men's basketball coach at Oregon State University. He was previously the head coach at Brown University. He was a star forward as a player at Princeton University in the early 1980s and a bond trader during the...
- Michelle Obama's brother, born 1962. He is currently head coachHead coachA head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
of men's basketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
at Oregon State UniversityOregon State UniversityOregon State University is a coeducational, public research university located in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees and a multitude of research opportunities. There are more than 200 academic degree programs offered through the...
.
Fraser Robinson, Jr.
- Michelle Obama's grandfather was born on August 24, 1912, in Georgetown, South CarolinaGeorgetown, South CarolinaGeorgetown is the third oldest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina and the county seat of Georgetown County, in the Low Country. Located on Winyah Bay at the confluence of the Great Pee Dee River, Waccamaw River, and Sampit River, Georgetown is the second largest seaport in South Carolina,...
, and died on November 9, 1996, aged 84. He was a good student and orator, but moved from South Carolina to Chicago to find better work than he could find at home, eventually becoming a worker for the United States Postal ServiceUnited States Postal ServiceThe United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
. He was married to LaVaughn Johnson. When he retired, they moved back to South Carolina.
LaVaughn Dolores Johnson
- Michelle Obama's grandmother (February 6, 1915-September 17, 2002) and wife of Fraser Robinson Jr. She was born in Chicago, Illinois, to James Preston Johnson (1880-1920?) and Phoebe (1879-1920?) in Chicago.
Capers C. Funnye Jr.
- Michelle Obama's first cousin once removed: Funnye’s mother, Verdelle Robinson Funnye (born Verdelle Robinson; August 22, 1930 – April 16, 2000) and Michelle Obama’s paternal grandfather, Fraser Robinson Jr., were siblings. One of America's most prominent African American rabbis, known for acting as a bridge between mainstream Jewry and African Americans.
Ancestries
Obama
Robinson
Family trees
Distant relations
According to genealogistsGenealogy
Genealogy is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history. Genealogists use oral traditions, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigrees of its members...
, Barack Obama's distant cousins include the multitude of descendants of his maternal ancestors from all along the early-American Atlantic seaboard as well as paternal, Kenyan relations belonging to the Luo tribe
Luo (Kenya and Tanzania)
The Luo are an ethnic group in Kenya, eastern Uganda, and northern Tanzania. They are part of a larger group of ethnolinguistically related Luo peoples who inhabit an area including southern Sudan, northern and eastern Uganda, western Kenya, and northern Tanzania.The Luo are the third largest...
, many descending from a 17th century ancestor named Owiny. For example, George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, the 43rd U.S. president, is the eleventh cousin
Cousin
In kinship terminology, a cousin is a relative with whom one shares one or more common ancestors. The term is rarely used when referring to a relative in one's immediate family where there is a more specific term . The term "blood relative" can be used synonymously and establishes the existence of...
of Barack Obama. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
science writer Nicholas Wade
Nicholas Wade
Nicholas Wade is a British-born scientific reporter, editor and author who currently writes for the Science Times section of The New York Times.-Biography:Wade was born in Aylesbury, England and educated at Eton College and King's College, Cambridge...
argues that with eleven generations leading back to their common progenitor, Samuel Hinckley, the relationship between the 43rd President and the 44th President is "genetically meaningless".
Selected genealogical relationships
Five volumes of family genealogy (as compiled at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints traces its current dispensation beginnings to Joseph Smith, Jr. on April 6, 1830 in Western New York. Initial converts were drawn to the church in part because of the newly published Book of Mormon, a self-described chronicle of indigenous American...
' Family History Library
Family History Library
The Family History Library is a genealogical research facility in downtown Salt Lake City. The library is open to the public free of charge and is operated by FamilySearch, the genealogical arm of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints .-History:The origins of the Family History...
in Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
), were presented by Mormon leaders to Obama in July 2009. In a statement, Obama said he was "looking forward to reading through the materials with my daughters. It’s something our family will treasure for years to come."
Moneygall
Moneygall
Moneygall is a small village on the border of counties Offaly and North Tipperary, in Ireland. It is situated on the R445 road between Dublin and Limerick. At the time of the 2006 census, the village had a population of 298. Moneygall has a Catholic church, five shops, a post office, a national...
, Ireland, resident Henry Healy, Barack Obama's eighth cousin, became known for having initiated a visit by the U.S. president in May 2011 to Healy's hometown.
Index
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| Alphabetically arranged by: | ||||||
| family | person | family | person | |||
| Key: Underscored: Now or once a member of Barack Obama's household. Personal name bolded: Living. | ||||||
| A | Abo Obama Ann Dunham Auma Obama | B | Baker | Ruth | ||
| Barack Obama Barack Obama, Sr. Bernard Obama | ||||||
| C | Capers Funnye Charles Payne Craig Robinson | D | Dunham | Ann Jonathan Madelyn Ralph Stanley | ||
| David Ndsandjo | ||||||
| F | Funnye | Capers | George Obama | |||
| Fraser Robinson III Fraser Robinson, Jr. | Habiba Akumu Obama Hawa Auma Obama Hussein Onyango Obama | |||||
| K L |
Jim Robinson Jonathan Dunham Konrad Ng Lolo Soetoro |
Madelyn Dunham Malia Obama Malik Obama Marian Robinson Maya Soetoro‑Ng) Michelle Obama | ||||
| Ndesandjo | David Mark Ruth | N | Ng | Konrad Maya | ||
| O | Obama | Abo Auma Barack Barack Sr. Bernard George Habiba Akumu Hawa Auma Hussein Onyango Kezia Malia Malik Michell Omar Onyango Sarah (aunt) Sarah Onyango Sasha Sayid Yusuf | O | Onyango | Zeituni | |
| Onyango Obama (grandfather) Omar Obama / Onyango Obama (uncle) | ||||||
| P | Payne | Charles Madelyn | R | Robinson | Craig Fraser III Fraser Jr. Marian Jim Michelle | |
| Ralph Dunham Ruth Ndesandjo | ||||||
| S | Soetoro / Soetoro-Ng |
Lolo Maya |
Wolfley | Robert | ||
| Sarah Obama (aunt) Sarah Onyango Sasha Obama Sayid Obama Stanley Dunham | Z | Yusuf Obama Zeituni Onyango |
||||
See also
- U.S. Presidential genealogical relationships
- New England Historic Genealogical SocietyNew England Historic Genealogical SocietyThe New England Historic Genealogical Society is the oldest and largest genealogical society in the United States, founded in 1845. A charitable, nonprofit educational institution, NEHGS is located at 99-101 Newbury Street, in Boston, Massachusetts, in an eight-story archive and research center....
- Gary Boyd RobertsGary Boyd RobertsGary Boyd Roberts is an American genealogist known for his scholarship in Americans of royal descent, the ancestors of American presidents, and notable kin. Roberts is the retired Senior Research Scholar of the New England Historic Genealogical Society .- Background :A native of Houston, Texas,...
External links
- "Fashionable first daughters, Malia and Sasha" (New York Daily NewsNew York Daily NewsThe Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
news photos) - Barack Obama's Family Tree - Photo Essays - TIME
- "Though Obama Had to Leave to Find Himself, It Is Hawaii That Made His Rise Possible," by David MaranissDavid MaranissDavid Maraniss is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author. As a reporter for The Washington Post he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting for his stories about the life and career of candidate Bill Clinton in the 1992 campaign for the U.S...
- Barack Obama's Branch-y Family Tree by Jake TapperJake TapperJacob Paul "Jake" Tapper is an American print and television journalist, currently the senior White House correspondent for ABC News in Washington, D.C...
- "Obama Family Tree" series, by Scott Fornek
- "Six Degrees of Barack Obama"
- "Notes on the Ancestry of Senator Barack Hussein Obama, Jr.," by Gary Boyd RobertsGary Boyd RobertsGary Boyd Roberts is an American genealogist known for his scholarship in Americans of royal descent, the ancestors of American presidents, and notable kin. Roberts is the retired Senior Research Scholar of the New England Historic Genealogical Society .- Background :A native of Houston, Texas,...
- "Obama, Clinton and McCain have some famous relations," by The Associated Press
- "Obama's Patriotic Family Tree," by Bill Brehm
- "Tracking Michelle Obama's Slave Roots," by Joe JohnsJoe JohnsJoe Johns is a CNN correspondent based in the Washington, D.C. bureau. He previously worked as an NBC News Capitol Hill Correspondent for TODAY and other NBC programs. He also worked as an anchor for WSAZ-TV in 1980....
and Justine Redman - "Obama's related to WHO? You betcha!" by Jocelyn Noveck