Barack Obama Sr. facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Barack Obama Sr.
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Baraka Obama
18 June 1934 Rachuonyo District, Nyang'oma Kogelo, British Kenya
|
| Died | 24 November 1982 (aged 48) Nairobi, Kenya
|
| Citizenship |
|
| Education |
|
| Spouse(s) |
Kezia Aoko
(m. 1954)Ruth Baker
(m. 1964; div. 1973)
|
| Children | 8, including Malik, Auma, and Barack |
| Parent(s) |
|
| Relatives | Obama family |
Barack Hussein Obama Sr. (born June 18, 1934 – died November 24, 1982) was an important economist in the Kenyan government. He was also the father of Barack Obama, who became the 44th president of the United States. His son wrote about him in a book called Dreams from My Father.
Obama Sr. first got married in 1954 and had two children with his first wife, Kezia. He was chosen for a special program that allowed him to study in the United States. He went to the University of Hawaii where he met Ann Dunham. They married in 1961 and had a son, Barack Obama II. Ann and Obama Sr. divorced three years later.
Later, Obama Sr. went to Harvard University for graduate school. He earned a master's degree in economics. He returned to Kenya in 1964. He saw his son Barack only one more time when his son was about 10 years old.
In late 1964, Obama Sr. married Ruth Beatrice Baker, an American woman he met in Massachusetts. They had two sons together before they separated in 1971 and divorced in 1973. Obama Sr. worked as an economist for the Kenyan Ministry of Transport and later for the Ministry of Finance. He was part of a group of young Kenyans who studied in Western countries.
Obama Sr. had disagreements with Kenyan president Jomo Kenyatta. This caused problems for his career. He lost his job and found it very hard to get new work. He was involved in three serious car accidents in his later years. He died from the last one in 1982.
Contents
Growing Up in Kenya
Barack Obama Sr. was born in 1934 in the Rachuonyo District of British Kenya. This area was a colony of the British Empire at the time. He grew up in the village of Nyang'oma Kogelo, in the Siaya District. His family belonged to the Luo ethnic group.
His father was Onyango (later Hussein) Obama, and his mother was Habiba Akumu Nyanjango. They had two daughters and a son, Barack Obama Sr. After his mother left the family in 1945, Obama Sr. and his sisters were raised by his father's third wife, Sarah Ogwel.
His father, Onyango Obama, traveled a lot when he was young. He joined the British colonial forces and visited places like Europe, India, and Zanzibar. He changed his religion from Roman Catholicism to Islam and took the name Hussein. He worked as a cook for missionaries and a local herbalist in Nairobi.
When Obama Sr. was about six years old, he attended a Christian missionary school. He changed his name from "Baraka" to "Barack" and converted from Islam to Anglicanism. Later in his life, Obama Sr. decided not to follow any religion.
Obama Sr. went to Gendia Primary School and then Ng'iya Intermediate School. From 1950 to 1953, he studied at Maseno National School, a special boarding school. His head teacher described him as "very keen, steady, trustworthy and friendly."
In 1954, when he was 20, Obama Sr. married Kezia Aoko in Kenya. They had two children, Malik and Auma, early in their marriage.
College and University Studies
In 1959, Obama Sr. wrote a paper called Otieno jarieko. Kitabu mar ariyo. 2: Yore mabeyo mag puro puothe. This means Otieno, the wise man. Book 2: Wise ways of farming.
Because of his achievements, Obama Sr. received a scholarship in economics in 1959. This scholarship was part of a program created by Kenyan leader Tom Mboya. The program helped excellent Kenyan students get an education in Western countries. Famous people like Harry Belafonte and Jackie Robinson helped fund this program.
When Obama Sr. left for the United States, he left his young wife, Kezia, and their baby son Malik in Kenya. Kezia was pregnant, and their daughter Auma was born while he was in Hawaii.
Studying at the University of Hawaii
In 1959, Obama Sr. started studying at the University of Hawaii at Manoa in Honolulu. He was the first African foreign student at the university.
In 1960, Obama Sr. met Ann Dunham in a Russian language class at the university. They began dating. Obama Sr. and Ann married in Wailuku on February 2, 1961.
Their son, Barack Obama II, was born in Honolulu on August 4, 1961. Ann Dunham later took their baby son to Seattle, Washington for a short time to take classes at the University of Washington.
Obama Sr. continued his studies at the University of Hawaii. He graduated after three years with a bachelor's degree in economics. He left Hawaii in June 1962.
Graduate Studies at Harvard University
In September 1962, Obama Sr. began a graduate program in economics at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Meanwhile, Ann Dunham and their son returned to Honolulu. In January 1964, Ann filed for divorce, and it was finalized on March 20, 1964. Ann Dunham was given full care of their son.
Obama Sr. received a master's degree in economics from Harvard in 1965. In June 1964, he met Ruth Beatrice Baker, an elementary school teacher.
Returning to Kenya
His Third Marriage
Obama Sr. returned to Kenya in 1964 after finishing his studies at Harvard. Ruth Baker followed him, and they married on December 24, 1964. They had two sons together: Mark Okoth Obama (born 1965) and David Opiyo Obama (born 1968). Ruth and Obama Sr. separated in 1971 and divorced in 1973.
In Kenya, Obama Sr. reconnected with his first wife, Kezia. She had two more sons after his return: Abo (born 1968) and Bernard (born 1970).
Career in Economics
Obama Sr. first worked as an economist for an oil company in Kenya. In 1965, he wrote a paper that discussed economic planning in Kenya. He then worked as an economist in the Kenyan Ministry of Transport. Later, he was promoted to a senior economist position in the Kenyan Ministry of Finance.
In 1970, Obama Sr. was in a serious car accident and was in the hospital for almost a year. In December 1971, he traveled to Hawaii for a month. There, he visited his former wife Ann Dunham and his son Barack II, who was nearly 10 years old. This was the last time his son saw him. During his visit, Obama Sr. took his son to his first jazz concert.
Later Life and Passing
According to his son Barack II's book, Obama Sr.'s ongoing disagreements with Kenyan president Jomo Kenyatta harmed his career. He lost his job and found it very difficult to get new work in Kenya. By the time he visited his son in Hawaii in 1971, he had a leg injury from his 1970 accident.
Obama Sr. later had another serious car accident. His life became harder as he faced financial difficulties. He never regained his previous social or economic standing. In 1982, Obama Sr. had a relationship with Jael Otinyo, and they had a son named George Obama. George was raised by his mother and stepfather. Six months after George's birth, Obama Sr. died in a car crash in Nairobi. He was buried in his home village of Nyang'oma Kogelo, in the Siaya District. Many important political figures attended his funeral.
See also
Sources
- Obama, Barack (2004). Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance. New York: Three Rivers Press. ISBN 1-4000-8277-3.
- Jacobs, Sally H. (2011). The other Barack: the bold and reckless life of President Obama's father. New York: PublicAffairs. ISBN 978-1-58648-793-5. https://archive.org/details/otherbarackboldr0000jaco.
