Obama, Michelle Robinson (1964-…), an American lawyer, is the wife of Barack Obama, who served as president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. She became first lady of the United States after her husband’s inauguration in January 2009. She is the first African American to become first lady.
Michelle Obama was born Michelle LaVaughn Robinson on Jan. 17, 1964, in Chicago. Her father, Fraser, worked at the city’s water department. Her mother, Marian, was a stay-at-home mother to Michelle and Michelle’s older brother, Craig. Craig starred in basketball at Princeton University and later coached the sport at the college level. Michelle followed her brother to Princeton, graduating in 1985. She received a law degree from Harvard Law School in 1988.
After graduating from law school, Michelle worked at a private law firm in Chicago. In 1989, she was assigned to mentor Barack Obama, who was working as a summer associate at the firm. The couple married on Oct. 3, 1992. They have two children: Malia, born in 1998, and Natasha, commonly called Sasha, born in 2001.
In 1991, Michelle Obama began working for the city of Chicago. In 1993, she helped start a Chicago office for a nonprofit group that encouraged young people to consider public service. She later became a director of community outreach efforts for the University of Chicago Medical Center. As first lady, Obama spoke out on issues that affected military families. She also helped lead a nationwide campaign to fight childhood obesity. She wrote American Grown (2012), a book of gardening tips and recipes to promote better eating habits. She also worked to promote greater access to secondary education for girls around the world. Obama’s memoir, Becoming, was published in 2018. Another book, The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times, was published in 2022.
