Barack Hussein Obama (born August 4, 1961) is the first African-American to hold the office and the first president born outside the continental United States. Barack Obama born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Obama is a graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, where he was president of the Harvard Law Review. Obama served as the 44^th President of the United States (2008-2016). Obama was reelected president in November 2012, defeating Republican nominee Mitt Romney.