Barack obama joe biden biography wikipedia

Joe Biden’s Early Years

Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. was born on Nov 20, 1942, in the gauche city of Scranton, Pennsylvania. Send up age 10 he moved succeed his family to the Town, Delaware, area, where his pa found work as a automobile salesman. The first of quaternary siblings, Biden attended a panel of Catholic schools, including say publicly elite preparatory high school Archmere Academy. 

Though he excelled at balls, Biden received mediocre grades abide struggled with a stutter.

In 1965 he graduated exaggerate the University of Delaware occur a double major in version and political science, and four years later he earned grand law degree from Syracuse Custom. Meanwhile, in 1966, Biden united Neilia Hunter, with whom stylishness would have three children.

Upon close law school, Biden returned know the Wilmington area and high-sounding as an attorney for class next four years.

In 1970 he won his first volition to the New Castle Region Council. Then, two years afterward, at age 29 he pulled off a surprising upset racket Republican incumbent J. Caleb Boggs in a race for blue blood the gentry U.S. Senate. Tragedy struck, nevertheless, before he was sworn mull it over as the fifth-youngest senator suggestion U.S.

history. That December, top wife and 13-month-old daughter were killed and his two spawn were hospitalized when a tractor-trailer plowed into their station waggon. Rather than move to General, D.C., a devastated Biden contracted to commute by train from time to time day so that he could spend more time with coronate sons. Biden remarried in 1977 to schoolteacher Jill Jacobs, become conscious whom he would have see to more daughter.

Senator Biden and Crowning Presidential Run

Biden won reelection in 1978 and five times after think about it. Overall, he spent 36 period in the U.S. Senate, plus eight years as chair persuade somebody to buy the Judiciary Committee and pair years as chair of probity Foreign Relations Committee.

Despite for the most part supporting civil rights, Biden demurring the forced busing of rank to end de facto isolation. Later on, he presided throw up the contentious confirmation hearings fortify U.S. Supreme Court nominees Parliamentarian Bork and Clarence Thomas. (Bork was ultimately rejected by description Senate while Thomas was by a hair's breadth approved.) 

Biden also worked to take care of Delaware’s favorable corporate climate, legislated against domestic violence and crafted an anti-crime bill that on condition that for 100,000 more cops joining together the nation’s streets, banned contravene weapons and mandated tougher penalties for drug dealers. 

Known for consummate foreign policy work, the well-traveled senator purportedly called Serbian chairman Slobodan Milosevic a war treacherous to his face during natty 1993 visit to Belgrade.

Virtually a decade later, Biden favorite to authorize the use introduce force in Iraq. Nonetheless, oversight eventually became a critic signal the way George W. Bush’s administration handled the conflict.

Having not easy a solid amount of initiative cash, Biden launched his culminating presidential bid in June 1987.

On the campaign trail, subside took to paraphrasing British Job politician Neil Kinnock. Although unquestionable had appropriately credited Kinnock select by ballot prior speeches, he failed run into do so during an affect at the Iowa State Disinterested and even borrowed facts wean away from Kinnock’s life, stating inaccurately, implication example, that he was nobleness first in his family be adjacent to go to college and deviate his ancestors were coal miners.

Soon after, reports surfaced lapse Biden had likewise allegedly wax passages from Robert F. Jfk and Hubert Humphrey, and smartness was caught on camera irreverent his academic credentials. 

With his cause on the defensive, Biden withdrew that September to concentrate scheduled the Bork hearings. He spread collapsed the following February devour a life-threatening brain aneurysm, underwent two surgeries and took clever seven-month leave from the Senate.

Biden kicked off his second crack at the White House 20 years later, during the 2008 primary, but dropped out funding securing only 1 percent confiscate the delegates in the Sioux Democratic caucuses. Barack Obama tapped him to be his running coworker after winning the Democratic designation.

In the November 2008 statesmanly elections, Obama and Biden balked their Republican opponents, John McCain and Sarah Palin, with 52.9 percent of the popular referendum. In 2012 they defeated Autonomous challenger Mitt Romney and enthrone running mate Paul Ryan. 

After taking house in January 2009 as righteousness 47th vice president of dignity United States, Biden was brimful with overseeing a $787 army economic stimulus package, running fine middle-class task force and stimulating an arms reduction treaty barter Russia.

He also played fastidious strong advisory role with deference to the conflicts in Irak and Afghanistan. In 2015, Biden's offspring son Beau died of instinct cancer, dealing a heavy expel for a man who locked away already endured such loss. Biden considered a presidential run inspect 2016 but ultimately decided despoil it.

On April 25, 2019, Biden announced his candidacy in description 2020 Democratic presidential primaries.

Monkey a popular former vice administrator, he immediately entered the set up with high name recognition. 

Biden ran alongside 28 other Democratic lea in a crowded primary go wool-gathering pitted Biden's more moderate policies against those of progressive green such as Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Throughout his campaign, Biden emphasised his working-class background, drawing capital contrast with the wealthy training of his opponent, President Flourish.

Biden often quoted his divine as telling him, “The blessing of a man is mewl how often he is knocked down, but how quickly yes gets up.”

Initially behind in honourableness race for the Democratic nomination, Biden bounced back with a immense win in the South Carolina primary at the end mock February. A key part rule Biden's win in South Carolina was a strong showing recompense support from African American voters in the state.

He run away with clinched the majority of delegation in Super Tuesday voting well-off early March. 

In May 2020, while in the manner tha the police killing of Martyr Floyd spurred nationwide protests, Biden traveled to Houston to legitimate with Floyd's family. It was his first major trip small his home in Delaware in that he had shifted his drive away from public events in the threat of COVID-19.

Importation some protests and the boys in blue response to protests escalated support violence, Biden called for ethnic justice, but also appealed tip off the country to heal, speech, “We’re a nation enraged, however we can’t let our rise consume us. We’re a procedure exhausted, but we can’t announce our exhaustion defeat us."

On Lordly 11, 2020, Biden announced Kamala Harris as his vice-presidential say mate, writing in a add up to to campaign supporters, "I need benevolent working alongside me who anticipation smart, tough, and ready join lead.

Kamala is that person." Harris, a senator from Calif., had initially campaigned on relation own ticket for the apparatus and had challenged Biden say yes issues of race during debates for the Democratic nomination. With composite selection, Harris became the good cheer Black and Asian American girl to be named on well-ordered major party's ticket. 

In the runup to the election, Biden direct Trump took part in unite presidential debates.

The first, taken aloof on September 29, was graceful chaotic event overwhelmed with interruptions, cross-talk and name-calling. A rapidly debate, held on October 22, was a calmer exchange since the moderator controlled a kept back button to silence either accuse the candidates should they keep up to speak beyond their offend or interrupt the other. 

COVID-19 direct the 2020 Election

A looming tremor throughout the election was goodness coronavirus pandemic which had described more than 230,000 American lives and infected more than 9 million in the country.

Concert-master Trump, himself, became infected mount COVID-19 in October and was hospitalized at Walter Reed Medical Inside, where he received several treatments, including an experimental antibody intervention. A central argument in Biden's campaign was that Trump locked away failed to effectively lead central part the fight against the virus.

The pandemic was not only simple prominent campaign issue, it additionally transformed the way Americans ideal in the presidential election.

States saw record numbers of cohorts taking part in early poll as well as using mail-in ballots. 

The high number of exactly and mail-in ballots was to a certain extent why Americans waited four life to learn which candidate they had elected as president. Electoral college voting outcomes that at first looked positive for President Fanfaronade, shifted in Biden's favor little more votes were counted. 

By Nov 7, Biden was declared significance winner of the 2020 statesmanlike election by the Associated Keep under control and major media outlets.

In the face the outcome, President Trump elongated to challenge the election impervious to pressuring election officials to bonanza more votes and by filing more than 50 lawsuits soupзon state and federal court, claiming there was "massive fraud."

None of the courts ruled with respect to was evidence of any smallminded voter fraud.

Despite the tedious findings, Trump’s and others’ moan claims that the election was fraudulent fueled the January 6, 2021 storming of the U.S. Capitol by extremists.

At king inauguration, Biden addressed the country's challenges and divisions, saying, “Few spread in our nation’s history conspiracy been more challenged or institute a time more challenging make available difficult than the time we’re in now...To overcome these challenges, to restore the soul service secure the future of U.s., requires so much more prevail over words and requires the cover elusive of all things acquit yourself a democracy, unity.”

Biden's 2024 Reelection Campaign and Withdrawal

At age 80, Biden officially launched his reelection campaign April 25, 2023, confront the slogan “Let’s Finish depiction Job,” focusing on legislative bombshells such as the passage criticize the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Inflation Reduction Resistant and bipartisan gun safety reforms.

Despite concerns about his freedom, stamina and ability to contrast with voters younger than 30, he secured the Democratic job easily, even as polling showed doubts among Gen Z, Period and independent voters. 

Facing Donald Flourish, four years his junior, pointless the second time, scrutiny trail Biden’s ability to win honesty election faltered dramatically after prestige first presidential debate of probity 2024 election on June 27, 2024.

Democratic leaders began tip off call for Biden to conduit his campaign immediately, but leadership president initially vowed to scale in the race. “I recollect I’m not a young man,” he said at a revival the next day. “I don’t debate as well as Hilarious used to, but I comprehend what I do know—I be versed how to tell the truth.”

Biden reiterated his intent to unique in the race as clever series of headline-making events bounteous, including an assassination attempt bite the bullet Trump in July and Biden testing positive for Covid prestige same month.

Then, on July 21, at age 81, Biden announced his exit from excellence campaign, endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris. 

“While it has been low intention to seek reelection, Unrestrained believe it is in probity best interest of my class and the country for closing stages to stand down and come to get solely focus on my duties as President for the balance of my term,” he wrote on X.

In November, Denote and his running mate, Political boss J.D. Vance, went on command somebody to win the 2024 election remain 312 electoral votes.

Citation Information

Article Title

Joe Biden

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/joe-biden

Date Accessed

January 19, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 15, 2025

Original Published Date

December 16, 2009