Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961), better known as Barack Obama, is an American politician who served as the 44th President of the United States from January 20, 2009, to January 20, 2017. He is a member of the Democratic Party and the first African-American president to hold the White House. He won a landslide victory over his opponent, John McCain, by winning Republican strongholds such as Ohio and Virginia on November 4, 2008. Obama previously served as a U.S. Senator from Illinois from 2005 to 2008, and as a member of the Illinois State Senate from 1997 to 2004. He is also a civil rights lawyer and university lecturer. He was awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples, before completing his first year in office.