Jon Favreau, then a 23 year old college graduate of Holy Cross, met Barack Obama during the 2004 Democratic National Convention. At the time, Favreau was working as a deputy speechwriter for John Kerry, a position that opened up when the Kerry campaign lost ground to Howard Dean. The campaign couldn't afford to hire anyone new, so Favreau, who was assembling audio clips at the time, took the job.

Mr. Obama was rehearsing his keynote address, when Favreau interuppted, suggesting part of the speech be rewritten to avoid an overlap.

The following year, given John Kerry's loss in the Presidential Election, Favreau went unemployed. Robert Gibbs, Mr. Obama's communication director, suggested him for a position on Mr. Obama's speech writing staff.

It was during those intial pre-campaign years that the two developed a friendship that allowed Favreau to learn about Mr. Obama absorb his ideals. And while Mr. Obama, already a successful speech writer, didn't need too much help initially in crafting speeches, the need for Favreau grew as Mr. Obama's campaign schedule became rigorous, demanding multiple speeches in a short amount of time. It was then that Favreau's deep understanding of Mr. Obama came through, in memorable campaign speeches such as the victory speech in Iowa and the concession speech in New Hampshire.

Mr. Obama would often articulate his raw thoughts to Favreau, who compiled and edited them down, and then handed them back over to Mr. Obama, who would then give the speeches the final edit.

Presently, Favreau has been named a White House staff member - Director of Speechwriting.

Executive Orders

View the list of President Obama's executive orders here.

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