Browsing Category

Wiki

166034 posts

Barack Obama’s net worth, biography, fact, career, awards and life story

What is Barack Obama’s net worth and salary?Barack Obama is a former Senator from Illinois and the 44th President of the United States. Obama served one term in the Illinois Senate and is the first African American President of the United States.As if this writing, Barack Obama’s net worth is $70 million. That is a combined net worth with his wife Michelle Obama. The Obamas were not wealthy for much of their adult lives. They first became millionaires in roughly 2005 thanks to book royalties as Barack entered the political spotlight.? Compare Barack Obama’s Net WorthEarly LifeBarack Hussein Obama II was born in Honolulu, Hawaii on August 4, 1961. He is the only US President to date who was born outside of the contiguous 48 states.His mother was Ann Dunham was of English, German, Swiss, Scottish, Irish and Welsh descent. Ann met  Barack Obama Sr. in a Russian language class at the University of Hawaii Manio in 1960 where he had earned a scholarship. Barack Sr., who was from Kenya, was married at the time. Barack and Ann married in 1961. Barack Jr. was born six months later.Barack Sr. and Ann divorced in 1964, at which point he moved back to Kenya where he married for a third time. Barack Sr. only visited Barack Jr. after moving back to Kenya. He visited his son in Hawaii in 1971 when Barack Jr. was 9 years old. Tragically, Barack Obama Sr. died over Christmas in 1982 in a car accident. Barack Jr. was 21 years old at the time.In March 1965 Ann married an Indonesian man named Lolo Soetoro. When Lolo’s visa extension application was rejected, he returned to Indonesia. Ann and Barack Jr. joined him there in 1967. Barack was lived in Indonesia until 1971 when he moved back to Honolulu to live with his mother’s parents. He attended high school here, graduating in 1979. Ann and Lolo stayed married until 1980. Unfortunately she died in 1995 after suffering from cancer.Barack has several half siblings from both his mother and his father.After graduating from high school in 1979, Barack moved to Los Angeles to attend Occidental College where he earned a full scholarship.In 1981 he transferred to Columbia University where he earned a degree in political science with a specialty in international relations. He graduated from Columbia in 1983. He spent one year working as a financial researcher for Business International Corporation, followed by a stint at as a project coordinator for several New York non-profits.In 1985 Barack moved to Chicago after being hired to work as a director for a non-profit called the Developing Communities Project. He worked there from 1985 to 1988. In 1988 he spent two months traveling the world, including five weeks spent in Kenya where he visited relatives.In the fall of 1988 Barack enrolled at Harvard Law School. While at Harvard, he was the president of the Harvard Law Review. During summers he returned to Chicago where he continued working as a community organizer. After graduating Obama worked as a civil rights attorney in Chicago. He also taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992 to 2004.Key FactsNever earned more than $30k per year between 1991 and 2004Salary jumped to $157k when he was elected to the US SenateMichelle was the breadwinner for a long time, earning $274k per year as a lawyerThe Obamas earned $1.65m in 2005 thanks largely to Barack’s book royaltiesIn 2017 Barack and Michelle signed a $60m book deal for their autobiographiesBarack and Michelle earned $85m between 2000 and 2017In June 2017 they paid $8m for a D.C. homeIn August 2019 they reportedly paid $15m for a property on Martha’s VineyardPersonal LifeIn the summer of 1989 Barack was working at a Chicago law firm called Sidley Austin. For three months starting in June, an associate named Michelle Robinson was assigned to be Barack’s advisor. They soon began dating and became engaged in 1991. They married on October 3, 1992.The would eventually have two daughters, Malia Ann, born in 1998 and Natasha “Sasha”, born in 2001.Rise To PresidencyOutside of teaching, Barack also served as an Illinois state senator from 1997 to 2004, at which point he successfully ran for US Senate. He would serve in the US Senate from 2005 to 2008.The event that brought Barack national attention was when he gave the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in July 2004. From that point on he was a rising star in the Democratic party.Barack announced he was running for President on February 10, 2007. He eventually faced off against Hillary Clinton to win the Democratic nomination. He won the nomination then, with Joe Biden as his Vice President, defeated Jon McCain to win the Presidency.Barack Obama was elected as the 44th President of the United States in November 2008. He took office in January 2009.Net Worth And Book Royalties Between 1991 and 2004, Barack never earned more than $30,000 for his work as a professor and state representative. The majority of the Obama family income during this time came from Michelle’s lucrative salary as a lawyer working primarily for the University of Chicago hospital system.In 2005 Barack’s income jumped to $157,100 when he became a US Senator. In the same year, Michelle earned $273,618. In 2005, their total income was $1.65 million. Where did that extra $1.2 million come from???…Barack wrote his first book “Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance” in 1995. It was not particularly popular for the first 8 or 9 years after being released. After his 2004 DNC keynote, the book exploded in popularity, leading to a significant royalty windfall for the Obama family that showed up as income in 2005.In 2006 the Obamas reported income of $916,000. Barack’s second book “Audacity of Hope”, released in October 2006, was a massive hit, selling millions of copies and rocketing the Obama’s income to $4.2 million in 2007. Their income continued to swell in the following years thanks to Barack’s 2008 successful campaign and election. To this day, Barack Obama earns $3.75 for every hardcover copy and $1.12 for every paperback he sells. Royalties remained healthy in 2008, 2009 and 2010.In February 2017, Barack and Michelle Obama received a $60 million advance for the combined rights to their autobiographies.Income HistoryBelow you will find a table listing a complete 15-year history of the income Barack and Michelle earned between 2000 and 2017. They stopped releasing their tax releases after 2015. We don’t know exactly how much they earned in 2016 or 2017. In 2017 we do know that the Obamas received a $65 million book advance for multiple books and media projects.After leaving the White House they have made even more money from book advances and are now both highly sought-after public speakers.The Obama Family Income HistoryYearIncome2000$240,0002001$272,7592002$259,3942003$238,3272004$207,6472005$1,655,1062006$983,8262007$4,139,9652008$2,656,9022009$5,505,4092010$1,728,0962011$789,6742012$662,0762013$481,0982014$477,3832015$436,0652016?2017At least $65,000,000Total$85,733,727How much does the president make? As President, Barack Obama’s base salary was $400,000 a year. He also had access to a $150,000 expense account as well as a $100,000 tax free travel account and $20,000 entertainment budget.Barack and Michelle Obama Real EstateIn August 2000, Barack and Michelle purchased a home in Kenwood, Illinois in the Chicago suburbs. The Obama home is 6,400 square feet with six bedrooms, six bathrooms, mahogany bookshelves, a granite kitchen floor, and wine cellar:Upon leaving office, Barack and Michelle rented a mansion in Washington D.C. while their youngest daughter finished high school. In June 2017 they spent $8.1 million to buy the 8,200 square-foot rental.In August 2019 it was reported that the Obamas were in escrow on a $14.9 million property on Martha’s Vineyard. The property has a 7,000 square-foot main home and 29 oceanfront acres of land.
Read More

Nancy Pelosi’s net worth, biography, fact, career, awards and life story

What is Nancy Pelosi’s Net Worth?Nancy Pelosi is an American politician who has a net worth of $120 million. In her most recent wealth disclosure, Nancy and her husband Paul Pelosi estimated their personal net worth to fall somewhere in the range of $43 million and $202 million depending on the value of real estate assets, stock investments and other private assets.Nancy is the only woman in U.S. history to hold the position of Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, a role she has served in from 2007 to 2011, and again beginning in 2019.? Compare Nancy Pelosi’s Net WorthEarly LifeNancy Patricia Pelosi (née D’Alesandro) was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 26, 1940. She was the only girl in the family, and the youngest of seven children. Her parents’ families both originated in Italy. Pelosi was born into a politically active family; at the time of her birth, her father was a Democratic Congressman from Maryland, and he later became the Mayor of Baltimore. Her brother, Thomas D’Alesandro III, was also Mayor of Baltimore, serving from 1967 to 1971. Additionally, her mother was also active in the Democratic Party, organizing Democrat women. As a result, Pelosi became involved with politics from an early age, when she began helping her father with his various campaign events. She graduated from the all-girls high Catholic high school the Institute of Notre Dame in 1958, and from Trinity College in 1962 with a Bachelor of Arts in political science.Political CareerPelosi began her own political career by first interning for Senator Daniel Brewster (D-Maryland) in the 1960s. She later moved to San Francisco, California, where she befriended 5th District congressman Phillip Burton. In 1976 she was elected as a Democratic National Committee member from California, holding the position until 1996. She also served in various other capacities within the Democratic Party during the late 1970s and 1980s, for example as the finance chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.After Burton passed away in 1983, he was succeed by his wife Sala. After she no longer wished to run for re-election, Sala Burton designated Pelosi as her successor, which basically guaranteed that Burton’s previous supporters would also support Pelosi. Following Sala’s untimely death a mere month into her second term, Pelosi won the resulting special election and took office as the 5th District congresswoman in June 1987. She represented the 5th District from 1987 to 1993; the 8th District from 1993 to 2013; and the 12th District from 2013 to the present (as of April 2020).Other significant positions Pelosi has held include the position of House Minority Whip, from 2002 to 2003; Leader of the House Democratic Caucus since 2003; House Minority Leader from 2003 to 2007, and 2011 to 2019; and the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, from 2007 to 2011, and was sworn-in again as Speaker in January 2019. She is the first person since Sam Rayburn in 1955 to be re-elected to the post of Speaker for non-consecutive terms. However, in order to regain the position of speakership, she had to agree to a deal that limits her to only four years in the role.Notable moments of Pelosi’s second turn as Speaker, during the first term of President Donald Trump’s presidency, include the announcement of impeachment hearings into the President on September 24, 2019.Pelosi is a lifelong Democrat, and has a rating of 92% for her voting record on civil liberties, given by The American Civil Liberties Union’s Congressional Scorecard. She has also consistently voted in favor of liberal causes such as gun control, LGBTQ+ rights and abortion rights, and against things like welfare reform and the Iraq War. She is often a polarizing figure in politics, both outside and within her own party, but many also regard her as a shrewd and highly-skilled politician, capable of keeping a fractured Democratic party relatively together.How Much Does a Senator Make?An average Senator makes $174,000 per year. As Speaker of House Nancy’s salary is boosted to $223,500. All Senators receive a small write off for D.C. living expenses and travel. They also receive full life, insurance and retirement benefits.Personal LifePelosi is very active in the Italian-American community, serving as a board member of the National Organization of Italian American Woman, as well as serving for 13 years as a board member of the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF). The NIAF gave her a Special Achievement Award for Public Advocacy in 2007, and she continues to be involved in the foundation today.Pelosi met Paul Frank Pelosi while attending college, and they married in September 1963. He owns a venture capital, financial consulting and real estate firm called Financial Leasing Services, INC. Thanks to Paul, the Pelosis own large stakes in companies like Facebook, Apple, Comcast, Shutterfly and the Walt Disney Co. Paul Pelosi also owns a few office buildings in San Francisco and commercial properties around California. In 2009 Paul spent $10 million to buy the Oakland Invaders United Football League team. The team, which was soon relocated and renamed the Sacramento Mountain Lions, was eventually shut down. They have five children and eight grandchildren. When in San Francisco, the Pelosis reside in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco. They also own a vineyard in St. Helena, California, that is valued between $5 million and $25 million.
Read More

Joe Biden’s net worth, biography, fact, career, awards and life story

What is Joe Biden’s Net Worth and Salary?Joe Biden is an American politician who has a net worth of $9 million. Joe Biden served as a Senator from Delaware from 1973 to 2009. He then served as the 47th Vice President of the United States under President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2017. In 2020, he became the Democratic nominee for the U.S. presidential election, running against Donald Trump. In November 2020 he defeated Donald Trump in a landslide victory (both electorally and in the popular vote) to become America’s 46th President.? Compare Joe Biden’s Net WorthPresidential SalaryAccording to Title 3 of US code, as President of the United States, Joe Biden earns a base salary of $400,000. He is also entitled to a $50,000 annual expense account, a $100,000 nontaxable travel account and a $19,000 annual entertainment stipend. Before moving into the White House, the Bidens were granted $100,000 to be used for redecorating.Joe Biden Financial History For many years before becoming VP, he would frequently refer to himself as one of the “poorest” members of congress, or “middle class Joe”, with a net worth less than $500,000. Financial disclosures going back to 1998 show Joe and his wife Jill had an average annual income in the neighborhood of $215,000 a year until 2009, when they got a $55,000 boost from pensions and Social Security payments. By the time the Bidens reached their final years as VP and Second Lady, their total income had risen to about $390,000 per year.When his term as Vice President ended, Joe Biden’s last financial disclosure pegged his net worth at $1.5 million.In the years after leaving the White House he earned significant income mainly from speeches and book royalties, peaking in 2017 with income of $11 million. Between 2016 and 2019 alone Joe and Jill earned a shade under $17 million.Key FactsWas consistently one of the poorest members of the SenateReported a net worth of $1.5 million when he left the White House in 2016Earned $11 million mainly from book advances in 2017Earned $4.6 million in 2017Jill Biden earns $100,000 per year as a college professorJoe earns $100-200,000 per paid speachEarly LifeJoseph Robinette Biden Jr. was born on November 20th of 1942 in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Raised alongside three siblings in a Catholic family, Joe’s family fell on hard times when he was young. During the 50s, his father couldn’t find work in the midst of an economic decline in Scranton. Eventually, the family had to move to Delaware, where Joe’s father became a used car salesman.During his high school years, Joe Biden joined the football team and was elected class president. He also played college football when he attended the University of Delaware while double-majoring in history and political science. He graduated in 1965 with a bachelor’s degree.Joe moved on to the Syracuse University College of Law, where he earned a law degree in 1968. During this time, he was famously accused of plagiarism. As a student, Biden was able to defer his draft during the Vietnam era. When he graduated and became eligible once more, Joe received a medical deferment for asthma, despite being an athlete all of his life.Political CareerAfter college, Biden worked as a law clerk before acting as a public defender and starting his own law firm. He first became involved in politics in 1969 when he ran for a seat on the New Castle County Council, winning the election and setting his sights on the US Senate almost immediately.He won the 1972 US Senate election in Delaware despite being the clear underdog. At age thirty, he was one of the youngest senators in US history. After a long stint in the US Senate, Joe set his sights on the ultimate prize: the Presidency. In 1987, he ran for the Democratic nomination, although he ran into trouble when he was accused of plagiarizing a speech. Further controversy eventually led to Biden withdrawing from the race.In 2008, Biden tried to gain the Democratic nomination again. Although his campaign had many bright points, Biden’s comments about Barack Obama and Indian people proved to be major blunders. He also had trouble raising funds and was never a serious contender against either Hillary Clinton or Obama. In the end though, Barack Obama made him vice president. In 2008, he gave up his position in the Senate to serve in Obama’s administration. In 2020, Joe Biden became the Democratic nominee for US president.Income From SpeechesAfter leaving the White House, Joe and Jill have earned at least $15 million from speaking engagements and book deals. Biden has become an in-demand public speaker, often earning hundreds of thousands of dollars for a single speech. For example, he earned $190,000 in 2018 for one speech at Drew University in New Jersey. In total, he gave 40 speeches from 2017 to 2018, receiving 5-figure or 6-figure paydays each time.Income From Book DealsAfter Biden left the office of the Vice Presidency, he and his wife signed a $10-million, three-book deal. After writing Promise Me, Dad (a book about his son’s death), Joe promoted his book with a tour. He made over 40 stops. Basic tickets cost $25, while VIP tickets (which included a photo with Biden) cost $450.SalaryAccording to Joe’s tax returns, his earnings have fluctuated over the years. He has made his tax documents available, and the earliest records date from 1998. During this year, he earned a total of $215,432. His income then stayed at around $200,000 until 2009, when it increased by $55,000 per year due to income from social security and pensions.In 2016, when Joe Biden was preparing to leave office as the vice president, he was earning about $400,000 per year. By 2017, that number had risen dramatically to $11 million. In 2018, things slowed down slightly, and Biden earned a total of $4.6 million.Jill Biden SalaryJill Biden earns $100,000 per year as a teacher at Northern Virginia Community College.Tax ReturnsAccording to Joe’s tax returns, the Bidens earned the following amounts in recent years: 2016: $400,000 2017: $11 million 2018: $4.6 million 2019: $944,737DebtFinancial disclosure forms have revealed Biden’s struggle with debt over the years. During those years, Biden’s only financial asset was his home in Delaware. He has taken out multiple loans against his house. From 1983 to 2015, Biden borrowed against the cash value of his life insurance policies, which are valued at a maximum of $50,000. Disclosure forms released in 2015 revealed that he took out a mortgage on his home in 2013, and owed between $500,000 to $1 million on the property.Rental IncomeFederal financial disclosures also show that Joe and Jill earned $2,200 per month by renting out their guest house to members of the Secret Service while Biden was vice president. In total, they earned about $170,000 in rental income during this period.Real EstateJoe Biden’s primary residence is a home in the neighborhood of Greenville in Wilmington, Delaware. The home overlooks a man-made lake that was originally built by wealthy members of the du Pont family. Joe and Jill bought their home in 1997 for $350,000. Similar homes in the area have recently sold for a bit more than $2 million. In 2017, Joe and Jill paid $2.74 million for a six-bedroom vacation home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Between 2018 and 2019, the couple rented a $4 million mansion in McLean, Virginia, paying $20,000 per month.Marriages and ChildrenIn 1966 Joe Biden married Neilia Hunter. Joe and Neilia had three children together including Hunter Biden and Beau Biden. Tragically, Neilia and their one-year-old daughter Naomi died in December 1972 in a car crash.In 1975 Joe and Jill Jacobs were set up on a blind date. They married in June of 1977 and went on to have one child together, a daughter named Ashley.Tragically, Joe’s son Beau Biden died in May 2015 of cancer.
Read More

George H.W. Bush’s net worth, biography, fact, career, awards and life story

What was George H.W. Bush’s Net Worth?George H.W. Bush was an American politician and former American President who had a net worth of $25 million at the time of his death in 2018. Many of the Bush children are also involved in politics, most notably his eldest son George W. Bush who also served as President of the United States. His son Jeb Bush served as the Governor of Florida.? Compare George H.W. Bush’s Net WorthEarly LifeGeorge Herbert Walker Bush was born on June 12, 1924 in Milton, Massachusetts. He grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut. His father was a very successful investment banker. Due to his family’s wealth, they were largely unaffected by the Great Depression. Bush attended Greenwich Country Day School and Phillips Academy in Massachusetts, serving as president of the senior class and graduating in 1942. Bush enlisted in the Navy as a naval aviator and served in the Pacific during World War II immediately following his graduation. During an attack on Chicijima, Bush’s aircraft was downed by enemy fire and both of his fellow crew members died. Several aviators shot down during the attack were captured and executed and cannibalized by their captors, but Bush was successfully rescued by the USS Finback. Bush was released from active duty in September 1945 and he subsequently graduated from Yale with honors in 1948.Early Career and Entry to PoliticsAfter college, Bush moved his young family to West Texas where he launched a successful career in the oil business. He became a millionaire by age 40 and went on to get involved in politics. By the early ’60s, he was widely regarded as an appealing political candidate in the Republican Party. An unsuccessful 1965 run for Senate gave way to him winning a seat in the US House of Representatives in Texas’s 7th congressional district. He was then appointed by Nixon as Chair of the Republican National Committee in 1972. It was during his tenure at the RNC that the Watergate scandal emerged into public view. In January 1976, Bush became the Director of Central Intelligence and was in charge of the CIA, whose reputation had been damaged for its role in various covert operations during Watergate.Bush ran for president in 1980 but was defeated in the primaries by Ronald Reagan. He was then selected as Reagan’s running mate and was elected Vice President in 1980 and 1984.PresidencyIn 1988, Bush ran a successful presidential campaign, beating out Democrat Michael Dukakis, to succeed Reagan as the 41st President of the United States. He was the first incumbent vice president to be elected president since Martin Van Buren in 1836. Bush was the last veteran of World War II to serve as President. Foreign policy drove his presidency as he navigated the final years of the Cold War and the reunification of Germany. During his time in office, military operations were conducted in Panama and the Persian Gulf, The Berlin Wall also fell, in 1989, and the Soviet Union dissolved two years later. He also negotiated and signed NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement). Bush reneged on a 1988 campaign promise by signing a bill that increased taxes but helped to reduce the federal budget deficit. During his presidency, Bush drove attention to voluntary service as a means to solve America’s most serious social problems. He also signed the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and appointed two Supreme Court judges, David Souter and Clarence Thomas. His speeches were famous for using the phrase “a thousand points of light” to describe the power of citizens to solve community problems. Following an economic recession and decreased emphasis on foreign policy in a post-Cold War political climate, Bush lost the 1992 presidential election to Democrat Bill Clinton. He left the office of President with a job approval rating of 56 percent, an above-average ranking.Post PresidencyAfter he left office, Bush and his wife Barbara built a retirement home in Houston. He frequently spent time at his vacation home in Kennebunkport and took annual cruises in Greece. He declined to serve on any corporate boards but delivered many speeches and served as an advisor to private equity firm The Carlyle Group. Bush never published a memoir but co-wrote a book with Brent Scowcroft on a 1999 work on foreign policy, “A World Transformed.” He supported his sons George W. and Jeb in their successful runs for Governor of Texas and Governor of Florida, respectively. He also supported his George W. in his 2000 presidential election but did not actively campaign or give a speech at the 2000 Republican National Convention. George W. was elected president in 2000 and as reelected in 2004, and Bush and his son thus became the second father-son pair to each serve as President following John Adams and John Quincy Adams.In his retirement, Bush would often work with his former rival turned friend President Clinton on humanitarian efforts. They appeared together in various ads encouraging aid for victims of Hurricane Katrina and the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. Bush supported John McCain in the 2008 presidential election and Mitt Romney in 2012, but both were defeated by Barack Obama. In 2011, Obama awarded Bush with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Neither George H.W. nor George W. Bush endorsed the 2016 republican nominee Donald Trump and Bush later said he voted for the Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton.Personal LifeGeorge H. W. Bush married Barbara Pierce Bush in 1945. They would eventually have six children. His three year old daughter Robin tragically died from leukemia in 1953. On April 17, 2018, Former First Lady Barbara Bush died at the age of 92 at her home in Houston, Texas. George H. W. Bush died just seven months later, on November 30, 2018. He had suffered from Grave’s disease and a form of Parkinson’s disease and had been confined to a wheelchair for some of his final years.HonorsBush was named Time magazine’s Man of the Year in 1990. In 1997, the Houston airport was renamed the George Bush Intercontinental Airport. In 1999, the CIA headquarters was named the George Bush Center for Intelligence in his honor. An avid golfer, Bush was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2011. Bush was commemorated on a postage stamp by the USPS in 2019. The George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum was completed in 1997 on a 90 acre site on the west campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. Texas A&M is also home to the Bush School of Government and Public Service, a graduate public policy school.
Read More

Shinzō Abe’s net worth, biography, fact, career, awards and life story

What was Shinzo Abe’s Net Worth and Salary?Shinzo Abe was a Japanese politician who had a net worth of $10 million at the time of his death in July 2022. Shinzo Abe served as the prime minister of Japan from 2006 to 2007 and later from 2012 to 2020, making him the longest-serving prime minister in the history of the country. A resolute conservative and Japanese nationalist, he was known for his negationist historical views and his embrace of militarism. While giving a speech in the summer of 2022, Abe was assassinated by a former member of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. He was 67.? Compare Shinzō Abe’s Net WorthEarly Life and EducationShinzo Abe was born on September 21, 1954 in Tokyo, Japan to a prominent political family. His father Shintaro had numerous governmental positions, most notably in the House of Representatives, while his grandfather Nobusuke Kishi was a powerful bureaucrat in occupied China before serving as the prime minister of Japan from 1957 to 1960. Abe has an older brother named Hironobu and a younger brother named Nobuo. As a youth, Abe went to Seikei Elementary School and then to Seikei Junior and Senior High School. For his higher education, he attended Seikei University, graduating in 1977 with a BA in political science. Abe went on to attend the University of Southern California as a visiting student from 1978 to 1979.Career BeginningsAfter leaving USC, Abe started to work for Kobe Steel. He eventually left the company in 1982 and held a variety of governmental jobs, including private secretary to the chairperson of the general council of the Liberal Democratic Party. Abe also worked as a secretary to his father, with whom he traveled on numerous diplomatic trips.House of RepresentativesFollowing his father’s passing in 1991, Abe was elected to the House of Representatives as a delegate of the first district of Yamaguchi Prefecture. At the end of the decade, he became the director of the Social Affairs Division. He subsequently became Chief Cabinet Secretary in the cabinets of prime ministers Yoshirō Mori and Junichiro Koizumi. In 2003, Abe was appointed the secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party, and three years after that was elected the LDP’s president.Prime Minister, 2006-2007Abe became the prime minister of Japan in September of 2006. In this position, he worked toward balancing the nation’s budget. Abe also led controversial efforts to foster Japanese nationalism and negate the country’s use of government coercion in forcing women into sexual slavery during World War II. In terms of foreign affairs, he sought to strengthen Japan’s relations with India, China, and Southeast Asian countries. Additionally, Abe worked to allow de jure military forces for Japan.Leading up to the election in July of 2007, the agricultural minister in Abe’s cabinet, Toshikatsu Matsuoka, killed himself after a number of funding scandals. The Liberal Democratic Party suffered many other losses, losing control for the first time since the 1950s. To make matters worse, the newly appointed agricultural minister, Takehiko Endo, resigned only seven days into his tenure due to a financial scandal. Abe subsequently announced his resignation as prime minister. He later revealed that the decision was also prompted by his ulcerative colitis.Prime Minister, 2012-2020After Liberal Democratic Party president Sadakazu Tanigaki resigned in 2012, Abe was reelected as LDP president. Later in the year, he was elected for the second time as the prime minister of Japan, becoming the first Japanese prime minister to serve two separate terms since Shigeru Yoshida over 60 years earlier. Abe was reelected in both 2014 and 2017, making him the longest-serving prime minister in Japanese history.In his second tenure as prime minister, Abe sought to fix Japan’s economic stagnation through his policy of “Abenomics,” which had mixed results. He also helped reinstate the Trans-Pacific Partnership as a means of liberalizing various sectors of Japan’s economy. Among his other domestic policies, Abe renewed his efforts to negate the atrocities committed by Japan during World War II, omitting crucial information in school textbooks. Meanwhile, in foreign affairs, he worked to extend Japan’s ties with NATO and the EU, among other organizations outside of Asia.Abe’s time as prime minister was also characterized by massive efforts to expand the Japanese military. Abe sought to reform the Japan Self-Defense Forces by revising the part of the constitution outlawing declarations of war. In 2015, he created military reforms that permitted Japan to use collective security by allowing deployments of the JSDF overseas. This controversial policy was met with public backlash and mass protests. Abe drew further criticism in 2018 when he was involved in a favoritism scandal; his reputation was further damaged when he was seen partying with the LDP during the height of flooding in western Japan. Later, in 2019, he initiated a trade war with South Korea and fought with the country over reparations for the war. Due to health issues stemming from his colitis, Abe retired as prime minister in the summer of 2020.Personal LifeIn 1987, Abe wed socialite Akie Matsuzaki, the daughter of the president of the confectionary manufacturer Morinaga. The pair did not have any children together.AssassinationWhile giving a campaign speech in Nara, Japan on July 8, 2022, Abe was shot and killed by a man using a homemade gun. After being flown to the hospital, he was pronounced dead at the age of 67. The assassin turned out to be a former Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force member named Tetsuya Yamagami, who was promptly arrested. Yamagami said he killed Abe because he held a grudge against the Unification Church, and believed the former prime minister was responsible for spreading its religion in Japan.
Read More