Michelle Obama (born January 17, 1964,Chicago,Illinois, U.S.) is an Americanfirst lady (2009–17), the wife ofBarack Obama, 44th president of theUnited States. She was the first African American first lady.

Michelle Robinson, who grew up on Chicago’s South Side, was the daughter of Marian, a homemaker, and Frasier Robinson, a worker in the city’s water-purification plant. She studied sociology and African American studies atPrinceton University (B.A., 1985) inNew Jersey before attendingHarvard Law School (J.D., 1988). Returning to Chicago, she took a job as a junior associate at Sidley &Austin (now Sidley Austin LLP), where she specialized inintellectual property law. In 1989, while at the firm, she met Barack Obama, who had been hired as a summer associate. Seeking a more public-service-oriented career path, in 1991 she became an assistant to Chicago MayorRichard M. Daley. The following year she and Barack, then acommunity organizer, were married. From 1992 to 1993 Michelle was the assistant commissioner for the Chicago Department of Planning and Development, and in 1993 she founded the Chicago branch of Public Allies, a leadership-training program for young adults; she served as the branch’s executive director until 1996.

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Barack was elected to the Illinois Senate in 1996, and that year Michelle became the associate dean of student services at theUniversity of Chicago, where she helped organize the school’s community outreach programs. In 2002 she became the executive director of community and external affairs for the University of Chicago. Two years later Barack was elected to theU.S. Senate and came to national prominence with a speech he gave on the final night of the 2004Democratic National Convention. In 2005 she became vice president of community and external affairs for the University of Chicago Medical Center.

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When her husband announced his candidacy for the 2008 Democratic presidentialnomination, Michelle took a prominent role in his campaign. She took leave from her position at the University of Chicago to devote herself more fully to campaigning while still maintaining time to care for her and Barack’s two young daughters. An adept speaker, she stumped extensively for her husband during the long Democratic primary race, and in June 2008 Barack became the party’s presumptive nominee. Michelle’s openness on the campaign trail and in interviews—she often humanized her husband by discussing his faults and implored observers not to “deify him”—endeared her to many. However, critics of her husband’s campaign took issue with some of her comments—such as when she remarked, while campaigning in Wisconsin in February 2008, that “for the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country.” Michelle later clarified her statement—saying that she meant to say that she was proud that Americans were eagerly engaging in the political process during the 2008 election—and she continued to have an active role in her husband’s campaign. Indeed, campaign aides referred to her as “the closer,” for her persuasiveness on the stump among uncommitted voters who attended rallies. On November 4, 2008, Barack was elected 44th president of the United States, defeating Arizona Sen.John McCain; he took office on January 20, 2009, and was reelected in 2012.

As first lady, Michelle was involved in various causes, notably supporting military families and ending childhoodobesity. In an effort to promote healthy eating, she planted a vegetable garden on the South Lawn of theWhite House in 2009. She related her experiences with the project in the bookAmerican Grown: The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across America (2012). In addition to her work on such issues, Michelle also garnered attention for her fashion sense.

During the2016 presidential race, Michelle supported the Democratic candidate,Hillary Clinton, and her speech during the party’s national convention drew widespread praise; noting the coarse tenor of the race, Michelle stated that “when they go low, we go high.” Clinton ultimately lost to RepublicanDonald Trump, who had repeatedly and falsely suggested that Barack was not a U.S.-born citizen.

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After her husband’s term ended in 2017, Michelle kept a relatively low public profile. However, in 2018 she released theautobiographyBecoming, which garnered much attention and became one of the top-selling memoirs in thehistory of publishing. Although the book largely avoided politics, hercriticism of Trump, whom she claimed endangered her family with his role in the “birther”conspiracy, drew particular interest. A tour for the book was the basis of the documentaryBecoming (2020), which aired onNetflix; Michelle and Barack had signed a production deal with the media-streaming company in 2018. In 2020 she also hostedThe Michelle Obama Podcast, which was available on Spotify, an Internet music-streaming service. Two years later Michelle publishedThe Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times, in which she offered insights into handling difficult times, using her own personal experiences as examples.