Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr., was born November 20, 1942, in Scranton, Pennsylvania, the first of four siblings. Biden graduated from the University of Delaware and Syracuse Law School. Then, at age 29, he became one of the youngest people ever elected to the US Senate. Just weeks after the election, tragedy struck the Biden family when Biden’s wife, Neilia, and their one-year-old daughter, Naomi, were killed and their two young sons, Beau and Hunter, critically injured in an auto accident. Biden was sworn in to the US Senate at his sons’ hospital bedside 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 Ph.D. in Education, is a life-long educator. As a Senator from Delaware for 36 years, 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 17 years, Biden was widely recognized for his work on criminal justice issues, including the landmark 1994 Crime Law 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 US foreign policy.

Now, as the 47th Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden has continued his leadership on important issues facing the nation. The Vice President has continued to draw upon his years in the United States Senate to work with Congress on key issues including the 2013 reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act.

The Vice President has been a leading architect of the US strategic vision of a Europe whole, free and at peace. He has developed deep relationships with the world’s leaders, demonstrating US commitment to high-level, face-to-face diplomacy.

In his final State of the Union address, the President tasked Biden with heading up a new national effort to end cancer as we know it. The White House Cancer Moonshot Task Force’s mission is to double the rate of progress in cancer research and treatment, striving to accelerate what could be achieved in ten years in just five.

The Vice President’s son Beau was Delaware’s Attorney General and a Major in the 261st Signal Brigade of the Delaware National Guard and his son Hunter is an attorney in Washington, DC. The Bidens’ daughter Ashley is the Executive Director of the Delaware Center for Justice. Biden has five grandchildren: Naomi, Finnegan, Roberta Mabel “Maisy”, Natalie, and Robert Hunter.

 

Joseph Robinette “Beau” Biden III was born on February 3, 1969, in Wilmington, Delaware. A lawyer by training, Biden joined the Delaware National Guard in 2003, serving as a major in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. Biden’s unit was deployed to Iraq in 2008, while his father was running for Vice President. Biden was honored with the Bronze Star. Army Chief of Staff Raymond Odierno presented Biden with the Legion of Merit for his service in the Delaware National Guard, stating, “Beau Biden possessed the traits I have witnessed in only the greatest leaders.” Biden was also posthumously presented with The Delaware Conspicuous Service Cross, which is awarded for heroism, meritorious service and outstanding achievement.

Many in Delaware expected Biden to run for his father’s Senate seat after the 2008 election, but the younger Biden, who was elected Attorney General in 2006, declined, saying “I have a duty to fulfill as Attorney General, and the immediate need to focus on a case of great consequence. And that is what I must do.” He ran for re-election in 2010, serving a second term before deciding to seek higher office.

Biden lost his courageous battle with brain cancer on May 30, 2015. He is survived by his wife Hallie, and their children, Natalie and Hunter; his parents, the Vice President and Dr. Jill Biden; his brother, Hunter; and his sister, Ashley Biden.

The Beau Biden Foundation for the Protection of Children was created to honor the life of Biden, and to continue his life’s work: ensuring that all children are free from the threat of abuse.