U.S. Presidents Who Lived in Illinois: Lincoln and Obama

Two presidents called Illinois home as adults:

Abraham Lincoln

• Born: Hodgenville, KY (1809)
• Lived in IL: 1830–1861 (New Salem, Springfield)
• President: 1861–1865
• Lawyer, legislator, Congressman in IL; "Favorite Son" nominee 1860.

Barack Obama

• Born: Honolulu, HI (1961)
• Lived in IL: 1995–2004 (Chicago — Hyde Park/Kenwood)
• President: 2009–2017
• Community organizer, law professor, state senator, US senator from IL.

Others with IL ties: Ulysses S. Grant (Galena, pre-war), Ronald Reagan (born Tampico, left young), Hillary Clinton (born Chicago, never president).

Illinois claims Lincoln and Obama as its presidential sons—one who saved the Union, one who broke the color barrier.