Who is Lije Baley from The Caves of Steel and what is their importance?

Elijah Baley is a police officer and native of New York City. He led a tumultuous childhood, growing up with just his father who was declassified after an accident occurred at the power plant where he worked. After his father's death at the age of eight, Lije and his two older sisters are sent to live in an orphanage. In his teen years he was known for being an excellent "strip runner", once leading a pack of twenty others and claiming victory when he was the only one standing at the end of the expressways.