Barack Obama served as the 44th President of the United States from 2009 to 2017. At his inauguration to the presidency in 2009, Barack Obama was the first African-American to serve as President of the United States. On November 4, 2008, Obama became the first African-American to be elected President. He resigned his seat in the U.S. Senate on November 16, 2008. Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States on January 20, 2009. Barack Hussein Obama II[a] (born August 4, 1961) is an American former politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American to serve as president. Barack Obama 's tenure as the 44th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2009, and ended on January 20, 2017. Obama, a Democrat from Illinois, took office after defeating the Republican nominee John McCain in the 2008 presidential election. Four years later, he won re-election in the 2012 presidential election, after defeating the Republican nominee. In June, when we debuted the first official portrait of President and Mrs. Obama at the Obama Presidential Center Museum, the world went wild for the story of how Michelle Obama had long hoped to collaborate with renowned artist Njideka Akunyili Crosby, and how deeply the experience moved Crosby. As President Obama has said, the change we seek will take longer than one term or one presidency. Real change—big change—takes many years and requires each generation to embrace the obligations and opportunities that come with the title of Citizen. Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States, broke barriers as the first African-American president and implemented significant healthcare reforms during his tenure. The Obama Presidential Center Museum explores the promise and power of democracy through the legacy of President and Mrs. Obama. Journey through four levels of dynamic exhibits that tell the story of the First Family and the social movements that made their work possible. The Obama Presidential Center Museum shares the remarkable story of President Obama and Michelle Obama and those who inspired their journey. Dynamic exhibits across four floors explore the promise of democracy and the work of the Obama presidency. Barack Obama is the 44th President of the United States. His story is the American story -- values from the heartland, a middle-class upbringing in a strong family, hard work and education as the means of getting ahead, and the conviction that a life so blessed should be lived in service to others.