On January 20, 2021, Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States. A man who spent nearly half a century in public service as a senator and vice president, Biden promises to restore America’s leadership in the world and unify a country divided by political ideologies and social differences.
But who is the man who garnered over 80 million votes in the highest voter turnout in U.S. history?
The Family
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on November 20, 1942. In 1953, the Biden family moved to Claymont, Delaware. President Biden graduated from the
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University of Delaware and Syracuse Law School and served on the New Castle County Council.
At 29, President Biden became one of the youngest people ever elected to the United States Senate. Just weeks after his election to the Senate, tragedy struck the Biden family when his wife Neilia and daughter Naomi were killed, and sons Hunter and Beau were seriously injured in a car accident.
Biden was sworn into the U.S. Senate beside his children’s hospital beds and began the daily commute from Wilmington to Washington, first by car and then by train, to be with his family. He continued to do this throughout his time in the Senate.
Biden married Jill Jacobs in 1977, and in 1980, their family was completed 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, Delaware’s Attorney General and Joe Biden’s eldest son, passed away in 2015 after battling brain cancer.
A Leader in the Senate
As Delaware’s senator for 36 years, President Biden established himself as a leader in addressing some of our nation’s most pressing domestic and international challenges. As chair or ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee for 16 years, Biden is widely recognized for his work in drafting and leading the Violence Against Women Act — 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 violence.
As chair or ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for 12 years, Biden played a key 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 the end of apartheid.
The 47th Vice President of the USA
As vice president, Biden continued his leadership on important issues facing the nation and represented the 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 the American middle class, reduce gun violence, combat violence against women, and end cancer as we know it.
Biden helped President Obama pass and then oversee the implementation of the Recovery Act — the largest economic recovery plan in the nation’s history and the largest and
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most significant commitment to clean energy. The president’s plan averted another Great Depression, created and saved millions of jobs, and led to 75 consecutive months of job growth by the end of the administration.
President Obama and Vice President Biden also ensured the passage of the Affordable Care Act, which reduced the number of uninsured Americans by 20 million by the end of their term and prohibited insurers from denying coverage due to pre-existing conditions.
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 opportunities for all Americans 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 the Presidency of the United States. Biden’s campaign was built from the start 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 resonated even more in 2020 as we faced a pandemic, an economic crisis, urgent calls for racial justice, and the existential threat of climate change.