U.S. Politics: Barack Obama and Warren Buffett are more than just political allies - they are related

Ancestry.com, has confirmed that President Barack Obama and billionaire financial investor Warren Buffett are more than just political allies -- they are actually related. The discovery determined that the men are 7th cousins three times removed, related through a 17th-century Frenchman named Mareen Duvall.

Duvall, who immigrated to Maryland from France in the 1650s, is Pres. Obama's 9th great-grandfather and Buffett's 6th great-grandfather. Duvall arrived in America as an indentured servant. By 1659, he had purchased property in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, which he later named "Middle Plantation." According to historical records, Duvall belonged to a religious sect called the Jacobites, was a planter and merchant and was "conservative in his political life." And while Obama and Buffett may not share the political views of their great-grandfather, Duvall's servant-to-landowner life journey may offer clues into the successes of his influential grandsons.

"We've all watched Pres. Obama and Warren Buffett's ongoing association, from Buffett's official endorsement of Obama's 2008 presidential campaign to their sometimes differing views on economic policy," said Anastasia Tyler, a genealogist at Ancestry.com. "Like most family members, the President and Buffett may not always agree on everything, but this latest discovery confirming they are related may shed light on why the two seem to see eye-to-eye on many issues."

SOURCE Ancestry.com

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