Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44thΒ president of the United StatesΒ from 2009 to 2017. A member of theΒ Democratic Party, he was the firstΒ African-AmericanΒ president. Obama served as aΒ U.S. senatorΒ representingΒ IllinoisΒ from 2005 to 2008 and anΒ Illinois state senatorΒ from 1997 to 2004.