Michelle Obama Biography

American lawyer and political figure Michelle Obama is noted for being the wife of presidential hopeful Barack Obama. Far from an idle figure, Obama’s work on her husband’s campaign has been varied and active.

Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama was born January 17, 1964 in Chicago, Illinois. Her parents were Frasier Robinson and Marian Robinson, a water plant employee and secretary respectively. Obama was subsequently raised in the South Shore.

Graduating from Whitney Young High School, Obama pursued her secondary education from Princeton University. At the prestigious university, Obama did exceedingly well. She secured her degree in sociology with a minor in African American studies and graduated cum laude.

Interested in law, she went on to Harvard Law School. It was here she earned her J.D.

Immediately landing a job in the law firm Sidley Austin, Obama met future husband Barack Obama when he took a position there as a summer associate. Assigned to mentor him, the two struck up an instant friendship. Shortly after, they were dating. Reportedly, their first date was attending Do the Right Thing from director Spike Lee.

By late 1992, the two were married. In 1998, they had their first child—Malia Ann Obama. Natasha Obama came three years later.

An active and committed member of her husband’s presidential campaign, Obama still puts strict limits on how long she is away from home for the sake of the children.

In her professional life, Obama has worked with a variety of organizations including the University of Chicago, their various hospitals, and TreeHouse Foods, Inc. (with whom she cut ties after her husband made critical remarks toward Wal-Mart).

Obama chose to cut her professional endeavors by as much as 80 percent when her husband announced his bid for the presidency. She is now spending that time helping him campaign.

Proving an eloquent and intelligent force in her own right, Obama has helped win support for her husband through fiery and passionate speeches. Oprah Winfrey vocally supports Barack for president and is equally as impressed with Obama.

She has found herself the center of some criticism, however, as she is known for her dry wit and sarcasm. This has resulted in several remarks being misinterpreted in print. Maureen Dowd, of The New York Times, is one columnist who has noted this tendency.

Obama also came under fire for comments she made in 2008 regarding how she was finally proud of America for the first time in her adult life. Even Laura Bush, however, came out and stated that her comments were misconstrued.

Making herself seen in the public eye, Obama appeared on many television programs including Hardball with Chris Matthews, Larry King Live, and Entertainment Tonight.

Until Barack Obama was declared the next president of the United States of America, Michelle and the family resided in Chicago, opting to remove themselves from Washington, D.C. But come January 2009 their new home will be The White House.