Who became the first African American president of the United States in 2009?

Barack Obama became the first African American president of the United States in 2009.

Obama was inaugurated as the 44th president on January 20, 2009, after winning the 2008 presidential election. He served two terms, from 2009 through 2017, with Joe Biden as vice president. His election was a major milestone in the nation’s political history and followed decades of civil-rights activism and changes in voting access.

Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1961 to Ann Dunham of Kansas and Barack Obama Sr. of Kenya. Before becoming president, he worked as a community organizer, taught constitutional law, served in the Illinois Senate, and represented Illinois in the U.S. Senate.

Obama is sometimes confused with other historic presidential firsts. He was the first African American president, while Kamala Harris became the first woman, first Black person, and first person of South Asian descent to serve as vice president in 2021. Obama left office on January 20, 2017.