Joe Biden Biography

Joe Biden Biography and Profile Brief Summary

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.

Joe Biden Full Biography:

Joe Biden’s Family

At age 29, President Biden became one of the youngest people ever elected to the United States Senate. Just weeks after his Senate election, tragedy struck the Biden family when his wife Neilia and daughter Naomi were killed, and sons Hunter and Beau were critically injured, in an auto accident.

Biden was sworn into the U.S. Senate at his sons’ hospital bedsides and began commuting from Wilmington to Washington every day, first by car, and then by train, in order to be with his family. He would continue to do so throughout his time in the Senate.

Biden married Jill Jacobs in 1977, and in 1980, their family was complete with the birth of Ashley Blazer Biden. A lifelong educator, Jill earned her doctorate in education and returned to teaching as an English professor at a community college in Virginia.

Beau Biden, Attorney General of Delaware and Joe Biden’s eldest son, passed away in 2015 after battling brain cancer with the same integrity, courage, and strength he demonstrated every day of his life. Beau’s fight with cancer inspires the mission of President Biden’s life — ending cancer as we know it.

A Leader In The Senate

As a Senator from Delaware for 36 years, President Biden established himself as a leader in facing some of our nation’s most important domestic and international challenges. As Chairman or Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee for 16 years, Biden is widely recognized for his work writing and spearheading the Violence Against Women Act — the landmark legislation that strengthens penalties for violence against women, creates unprecedented resources for survivors of assault, and changes the national dialogue on domestic and sexual assault.

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. He was at the forefront of issues and legislation related to terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, post-Cold War Europe, the Middle East, Southwest Asia, and ending apartheid.

“America is an idea. An idea that is stronger than any army, bigger than any ocean, more powerful than any dictator or tyrant. It gives hope to the most desperate people on earth, it guarantees that everyone is treated with dignity and gives hate no safe harbor. It instills in every person in this country the belief that no matter where you start in life, there’s nothing you can’t achieve if you work at it. That’s what we believe.” – Joe Biden, April 25, 2019.

The 47th Vice President Of The United States

As Vice President, Biden continued his leadership on important issues facing the nation and represented our country abroad. Vice President Biden convened sessions of the President’s Cabinet, led interagency efforts, and worked with Congress in his fight to raise the living standards of middle-class Americans, reduce gun violence, address violence against women, and end cancer as we know it.

Biden helped President Obama pass and then oversaw the implementation of the Recovery Act — the biggest economic recovery plan in the history of the nation and our biggest and strongest commitment to clean energy. The President’s plan prevented another Great Depression, created and saved millions of jobs, and led to 75 uninterrupted months of job growth by the end of the administration. And Biden did it all with less than 1% in waste, abuse, or fraud — the most efficient government program in our country’s history.

President Obama and Vice President Biden also secured the passage of the Affordable Care Act, which reduced the number of uninsured Americans by 20 million by the time they left office and banned insurance companies from denying coverage due to pre-existing conditions.

He served as the point person for U.S. diplomacy throughout the Western Hemisphere, strengthened relationships with our allies both in Europe and the Asia-Pacific, and led the effort to bring 150,000 troops home from Iraq.

In a ceremony at the White House, President Obama awarded Biden the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction — the nation’s highest civilian honor.

A New Chapter

After leaving the White House, the Bidens continued their efforts to expand opportunity for every American with the creation of the Biden Foundation, the Biden Cancer Initiative, the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement, and the Biden Institute at the University of Delaware.

On April 25, 2019, Biden announced his candidacy for President of the United States. Biden’s candidacy was built from the beginning around 3 pillars: the battle for the soul of our nation, the need to rebuild our middle class — the backbone of our country, and a call for unity, to act as One America. It was a message that would only gain more resonance in 2020 as we confront a pandemic, an economic crisis, urgent calls for racial justice, and the existential threat of climate change.

U.S. President Joe Biden And The War in Ukraine

U.S. President Joe Biden assailed Russian President Vladimir Putin, barred Russian flights from American airspace and led Democratic and Republican lawmakers in a rare display of unity on in a State of the Union speech dominated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“Let each of us if you’re able to stand, stand and send an unmistakable signal to Ukraine and to the world,” Joe Biden urged Democrats and Republicans.

Biden was looking to reset his presidency after a first year in office marked by rapid economic growth and trillions of dollars in new programs, but beset by the highest inflation in 40 years and a lingering coronavirus pandemic.

The annual speech to Congress gave Biden a platform to highlight his agenda, reassure fretful Americans and seek to boost his sluggish poll numbers amid dire warnings his fellow Democrats could face losses in November congressional elections.

The United States and its allies have launched withering sanctions against Russia’s economy and financial system, Putin himself and his inner circle of oligarchs. Biden announced the United States will join other nations in banning Russian flights from American airspace.

The crisis forced Biden, whose chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan last year drew wide criticism, to reshape the speech to focus on uniting Americans around a global effort to punish Moscow and support Kyiv.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has asserted Ukraine committed “genocide” in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine, without presenting evidence, and said the invasion, called a “special operation” by Russian officials, was therefore justified to end it.