The Truth About Barack Obama's Dating History Before Michelle

Scott Olson/Getty Images

Barack and Michelle Obama might be the picture-perfect power couple now, but back in the day, Barack was, as the youths say, dripping with rizz and aura. Before Michelle entered the scene, he had his fair share of romantic escapades — and then some.

His first known romantic fling? Meghan Hughes, his senior prom date from high school circa 1979. Were they officially an item or just friends? No one really knows, but if even Michelle admits Barack had "plenty of girlfriends," chances are Hughes was likely charmed by the 44th POTUS. His first serious relationship, though, was with Alex McNear, a fellow student from Occidental College. Their romance took off when Barack transferred to Columbia University in New York, but the distance took its toll after McNear returned to Occidental. They kept the spark alive through letters, and let's just say Barack wasn't shy about pouring his heart out. "When I see you, the palpitations of the heart don't boil to the surface," he wrote, as seen in the book "Rising Star" by David Garrow (via the New York Post). "I care for you as yourself, nothing less but also nothing more."

While things fizzled with McNear, Barack didn't stay single for long. Next came Genevieve Cook, who not only dated him, but even shared an apartment with him briefly. Cook seemed smitten, writing in her journal, "I have not experienced the kind of intellectual stimulation Barack offers me since I left college." Their relationship ended in 1985, and Barack took a breather from romance — at least until Sheila Jager came into the picture. But she wasn't just another girlfriend; she was the woman he nearly married. If she had said yes, she'd probably the one we'd call Mrs. Obama today.

Arturo Holmes/Getty Images

Barack Obama famously got down on one knee for Michelle in July 1991 — but not many may know that it was actually his third attempt at locking down a wife. The first two proposals? Those went to Sheila Jager, and both times she turned him down. The first rejection happened in 1986 during a visit to Jager's hometown, where Barack met her parents. They apparently weren't too thrilled about their daughter settling down so young. "Not yet," she told him at the time.

They kept dating, but Jager noticed a shift as Barack's political ambitions kicked into high gear. The man had his eyes on the presidency, and somewhere along the line, he decided that his path to the White House didn't include Jager. According to David Garrow, Barack felt the need to "fully identify as African American," a choice he believed wasn't compatible with staying with Jager, who is white. The tension only grew and Barack proposed again before heading to law school — a move Jager described as stemming from "a sense of desperation." After that, Jager moved to Seoul, and while they stayed in sporadic contact, their relationship never recovered.

In Jager's absence, Barack met Michelle. What started as a mentor-mentee dynamic quickly blossomed into something more. Barack worked his charm, and the rest, as they say, is history. To this day, they are as in love as ever. "Miche, After 30 years, I'm not sure why you look exactly the same and I don't," he wrote in an Instagram post on their 30th anniversary. "I do know that I won the lottery that day — that I couldn't have asked for a better life partner."