Barack Obama of Illinois in the United States made history on this date in 2008, becoming the first African American to be chosen by either the Democratic or Republican party to serve as a Presidential candidate. He then made history again a few months elected upon his election as the first – and so far, only – African American President. He would serve two terms as President of the United States, with Canadian Prime Ministers Stephen J. Harper and Justin Trudeau serving in Canada’s highest political office during the period. Obama gave Canada and Canadians a high honour when he traveled to Ottawa for talks with Prime Minister Harper early on during his Presidency. That visit was the first time Obama had traveled to a foreign country since his swearing-in.
You can watch Obama’s historic acceptance speech to the Democratic Party convention at this link.
Arthur Milnes is an accomplished public historian and award-winning journalist. He was research assistant on The Rt. Hon. Brian Mulroney’s best-selling Memoirs and also served as a speechwriter to then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper and as a Fellow of the Queen’s Centre for the Study of Democracy under the leadership of Tom Axworthy. A resident of Kingston, Ontario, Milnes serves as the in-house historian at the 175 year-old Frontenac Club Hotel.
Arthur Milnes is an accomplished public historian and award-winning journalist. He was research assistant on The Rt. Hon. Brian Mulroney’s best-selling Memoirs and also served as a speechwriter to then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper and as a Fellow of the Queen’s Centre for the Study of Democracy under the leadership of Tom Axworthy. A resident of Kingston, Ontario, Milnes serves as the in-house historian at the 175 year-old Frontenac Club Hotel.Arthur Milnes is an accomplished public historian and award-winning journalist. He was research assistant on The Rt. Hon. Brian Mulroney’s best-selling Memoirs and also served as a speechwriter to then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper and as a Fellow of the Queen’s Centre for the Study of Democracy under the leadership of Tom Axworthy. A resident of Kingston, Ontario, Milnes serves as the in-house historian at the 175 year-old Frontenac Club Hotel.