See also: Family of Barack Obama.
| Birth Name: | Charles Thomas Payne | ||||
| Birth Place: | Peru, Kansas, U.S. | ||||
| Birth Date: | February 16, 1925 | ||||
| Death Place: | Chicago, Illinois | ||||
| Allegiance: | United States | ||||
| Rank: | Private | ||||
| Branch: | United States Army | ||||
| Serviceyears: | 1943–1945 | ||||
| Unit: | 89th Infantry Division | ||||
| Battles: | World War II | ||||
| Spouse: | Melanie Payne | ||||
| Laterwork: | University of Chicago Library | ||||
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Charles Thomas Payne (February 16, 1925 – August 1, 2014) was an American librarian and soldier. A member of the Obama family, he was the brother of Madelyn Payne Dunham and granduncle of former U.S. president Barack Obama.
During World War II, Payne served as a member of the U.S. Army's 89th Infantry Division[1] [2] that liberated Ohrdruf, a sub-camp of the Buchenwald concentration camp.[3] [4] [5]
His military service was often mentioned in Obama's speeches, including the one given in 2009 commemorating the anniversary of D-Day.[6] [7] During the 2008 presidential election, there was brief media attention when Obama mistakenly identified the camp he helped liberate as Auschwitz instead of Ohrdruf.[8] In 2009, Payne spoke about this experience:
After the war, Payne earned a degree in chemical engineering from Kansas State University and worked as an engineer before pursuing studies at the University of Chicago's Graduate Library School.[9] At the university, he shared a dormitory and developed a longtime friendship with Lien Chan, the future vice president and premier of Taiwan.[10]
Payne joined the staff of the University of Chicago Library in 1964, serving as the assistant director from 1975 to 1992.[7] Meanwhile, Obama taught constitutional law at the university's law school from 1992 to 2004. Payne attended the 2008 Democratic National Convention, where his grandnephew was nominated for president.[11]
Payne died on August 1, 2014, aged 89.[12] [13]