Joseph R. Biden Jr.
Official White House Photo by Aaron Schultz
Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr. was born on November 20, 1942, in Scranton, Pennsylvania. In 1953, the Biden family moved from Pennsylvania to Delaware. Joe Biden graduated from the University of Delaware and Syracuse Law School and served on the New Castle County Council. In 1972, at the age of 29, he was elected to the United States Senate.
Just weeks after the election, tragedy struck the Biden family. Biden's wife, Neilia, and their one-year-old daughter, Naomi, were killed and their two young sons, Joseph “Beau” III and Hunter, critically injured in a car accident. Biden took the Senate oath of office at the hospital and began commuting to Washington every day by train, a practice he maintained throughout his career in the Senate.
In 1977, Biden married Jill Jacobs. Jill Biden, who holds a doctorate (Ed.D.) in Education, has worked as an educator for over two decades. The Bidens raised three children: Beau, Hunter, and Ashley. In 2015, Beau Biden passed away from brain cancer.
As Chairman or Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee for 17 years, Biden was recognized for his work on criminal justice issues, including the landmark 1994 Crime Act and the Violence Against Women Act. As Chairman or Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for 12 years, Biden played a pivotal role in shaping U.S. foreign policy. Biden served 36 years in the United States Senate.
In 2008, Barack Obama chose Joe Biden as his running mate. Biden served as Vice President of the United States from 2009 to 2017. As vice president, he implemented the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, advised President Obama on key foreign policy decisions, led several initiatives to reduce violence against women, and initiated the “Cancer Moonshot” program. On January 12, 2017, President Obama awarded Biden the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his decades of public service.
In 2020, Joe Biden defeated incumbent Donald Trump to become the 46th President of the United States. Biden is the oldest person to take the oath of office (78), the first president from Delaware, and the second Roman Catholic president in United States history (the first was John F. Kennedy).
During the campaign, Biden selected Kamala Harris as his running mate. Harris is the first woman, first African American, and first person of South Asian heritage to serve as Vice President of the United States.
Read a full biography of President Biden on whitehouse.gov.
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