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Charles T. Payne

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Charles T. Payne
Payne greets his grandnephew President Barack Obama in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, on the 65th anniversary of D-Day
Birth nameCharles Thomas Payne
BornFebruary 16, 1925
Peru, Kansas, U.S.
DiedAugust 1, 2014(2014-08-01) (aged 89)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
AllegianceUnited States
Service / branchUnited States Army
Years of service1943–1945
RankPrivate
Unit89th Infantry Division
Known forMaternal granduncle of U.S. president Barack Obama
Battles / warsWorld War II
Spouse(s)Melanie Payne
Relations
Other workUniversity of Chicago Library

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:

Ohrdruf was in that string of towns going across, south of Gotha and Erfurt. Our division was the first one in there. When we arrived there were no German soldiers anywhere around that I knew about. There was no fighting against the Germans, no camp guards. The whole area was overrun by people from the camp dressed in the most pitiful rags, and most of them were in a bad state of starvation.[9]

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.[10] At the university, he shared a dormitory and developed a longtime friendship with Lien Chan, the future vice president and premier of Taiwan.[11]

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.[12]

Payne died on August 1, 2014, aged 89.[13][14]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Tapper, Jake (2008-05-29). "WWII Vet Fires at Conservative Bloggers Re: Obama's Granduncle Charlie". ABC News Blogs. Archived from the original on 2012-10-17.
  2. ^ The 89th Infantry Division, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
  3. ^ Obama kin recalls liberating Nazi camp Archived 2008-08-21 at the Wayback Machine Granduncle was appalled by what he witnessed July 23, 2008 Associated Press
  4. ^ Carla K. Johnson Obama's granduncle recalls liberating Nazi camp July 22, 2008 Associated Press
  5. ^ Profile: Obama's granduncle Charles Payne June 5, 2009 BBC News
  6. ^ Steve Chaggaris Morning Bulletin: Friday, June 5, 2009 June 5, 2009 CBS News
  7. ^ a b Johnson, Carla K. (July 22, 2008). "Obama's granduncle recalls liberating Nazi camp". Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. Associated Press. Retrieved April 17, 2009.
  8. ^ Major Garrett (May 27, 2008). "Obama Campaign Scrambles to Correct the Record on Uncle's War Service". Fox News. Retrieved January 31, 2009.
  9. ^ "Spiegel Interview With Obama's Granduncle : 'I Was Horrified by Lengths Men Will Go to Mistreat Other Men'". Spiegel. May 26, 2009. Retrieved October 19, 2009.
  10. ^ Megan, Graydon (June 18, 2018). "Obama's great-uncle, innovative librarian". Chicago Tribune.
  11. ^ The China Post news staff (2009-11-16). "Lien, Obama meet at APEC summit". chinapost.com.tw. Archived from the original on 2009-11-18.
  12. ^ "Democrats salute Obama's granduncle". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. August 28, 2008. Archived from the original on 2009-09-19.
  13. ^ Barack Obama’s granduncle dies at 89; Charles Payne was WWII vet, U. of C. library official Archived August 12, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, Chicago Sun-Times, Maureen O'Donnell and Jon Seidel, August 11, 2014
  14. ^ "Charles Payne's Obituary". Chicago Tribune. August 10, 2014. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
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