Who is Joe Biden?
Joe Biden, the 46th President of the United States, has a rich and varied early life that shaped his political career. Born on November 20, 1942, in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. was the eldest son of Joseph Robinette Biden Sr. and Catherine Eugenia Finnegan. His family later moved to Claymont, Delaware, where he spent most of his youth.
Biden’s childhood was marked by both love and tragedy. His father struggled financially, working various jobs, including as a used car salesman and cleaning boilers, to provide for the family. Despite their modest means, Biden’s parents instilled in him the values of hard work, perseverance, and empathy.
Tragedy struck Biden early in life when, in 1972, just weeks after his first election to the Senate, his wife Neilia and their one-year-old daughter Naomi were killed in a car accident. His two sons, Beau and Hunter, were critically injured but survived. Biden was sworn in as a Senator at his sons’ hospital bedside and commuted daily from Wilmington to Washington to care for them.
Biden’s early experiences, including his struggles with stuttering and his devout Catholic faith, deeply influenced his worldview and political career. He attended the University of Delaware, where he double-majored in history and political science, before earning his law degree from Syracuse University in 1968.
After law school, Biden briefly worked as an attorney before embarking on a political career. He was elected to the New Castle County Council in 1970 and served two terms before launching a bid for the U.S. Senate in 1972. Despite the tragic loss of his wife and daughter during the campaign, Biden won the election and became one of the youngest people ever elected to the Senate at the age of 29.
Throughout his early political career, Biden focused on issues such as crime, drug policy, and civil rights. He gained a reputation as a pragmatic and bipartisan lawmaker who was willing to work across the aisle to get things done. In 1987, he made his first run for the presidency but ultimately withdrew from the race after a plagiarism scandal.
Despite this setback, Biden continued to serve in the Senate for over three decades, eventually rising to become one of the most influential and respected figures in American politics. His early life experiences, including his resilience in the face of personal tragedy, shaped his commitment to public service and his belief in the power of empathy and compassion to bring about positive change.