Family of Joe Biden facts for kids

The family of Joe Biden, who is the 46th and current president of the United States, is an American family. They are well-known in areas like law, education, helping others, and politics. When Joe Biden became president on January 20, 2021, his immediate family became the First Family of the United States. The Biden family has roots from England, France, and Ireland. One of Biden's ancestors moved from England to Maryland in 1822.

Meet the Biden Family: Immediate Members

Joe Biden's Wives: Neilia and Jill

Neilia Hunter Biden: First Wife

Neilia Hunter Biden was Joe Biden's first wife. She was born on July 28, 1942. They got married on August 27, 1966. After they married, the Bidens moved to Wilmington, Delaware. Joe Biden was a member of the New Castle County Council at that time.

Neilia and Joe had three children: Joseph Robinette "Beau" III, Robert Hunter, and Naomi Christina "Amy". Neilia was very involved in Joe's campaign when he ran for U.S. Senator from Delaware.

On December 18, 1972, a sad accident happened. Neilia was driving with their children Naomi, Beau, and Hunter to get a Christmas tree. Their car was hit by a large truck. Neilia and Naomi died in the accident. Her two sons, Beau and Hunter, survived but had serious injuries. Joe Biden was sworn into the Senate on January 3, 1973, right at the hospital where his sons were recovering.

Jill Biden: Current First Lady

Joe and Jill, soon after meeting in the 1970s

Jill Tracy Jacobs Biden is Joe Biden's second and current wife. She was born on June 3, 1951. She met Joe Biden in March 1975 on a blind date.

Jill and Joe Biden were married by a Catholic priest on June 17, 1977. Their wedding was held at the Chapel at the United Nations in New York City. This was about four and a half years after his first wife and infant daughter passed away. Joe had asked Jill to marry him several times before she said yes. She was careful about entering public life and wanted to focus on her own career. She was also a bit unsure about raising his two young sons who had survived the accident.

Joe Biden's Children

Joe Biden has four children from his two marriages. His first daughter, Naomi Christina Biden, died in 1972 in the same car accident as her mother. His first son, Joseph "Beau" R. Biden III, passed away in 2015 from brain cancer. Joe Biden's two living children are Robert Hunter Biden, from his first marriage, and Ashley Blazer Biden, from his second marriage.

Beau Biden: A Life of Service

Joseph "Beau" Robinette Biden III was born on February 3, 1969, in Wilmington, Delaware. In the car crash that took the lives of his mother and sister, Beau suffered many broken bones. He survived after spending several months in the hospital.

Beau went to Archmere Academy, the same high school as his father. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1991. He also graduated from Syracuse University College of Law, just like his father. After law school, he worked for a judge. From 1995 to 2004, he worked for the United States Department of Justice in Philadelphia as a federal prosecutor.

In 2006, Beau ran for Attorney General of Delaware and won. He played an important part in his father's 2008 campaign for Vice President. He gave a speech at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. In his speech, he talked about the car accident that killed his mother and sister. He also spoke about how his father promised to always be there for his sons. Many people at the convention were moved to tears by his words.

On November 2, 2010, he was easily re-elected for a second term as Delaware Attorney General.

For the last few years of his life, Beau had a brain tumor. He received treatments for his cancer. On May 30, 2015, he passed away at the age of 46. His funeral was held at St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church in Wilmington, Delaware. He was buried at St. Joseph's on the Brandywine in Greenville, Delaware.

Hunter Biden: Early Life and Education

Robert Hunter Biden was born on February 4, 1970, in Wilmington, Delaware. He was in the 1972 car crash with his mother and siblings. He had injuries to his skull but survived after months of medical care.

Like his father and brother, Hunter went to Archmere Academy in Claymont, Delaware. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Georgetown University in 1992. After college, he volunteered at a church in Portland, Oregon. He met Kathleen Buhle, whom he married in 1993. He then went to Yale Law School and graduated in 1996.

After law school, Hunter worked at a large bank holding company called MBNA America. By 1998, he had become an executive vice president there.

Naomi Biden: A Short Life

Naomi Christina Biden, also called "Amy," was born on November 8, 1971, in Wilmington, Delaware. She died in the same car crash as her mother Neilia on December 18, 1972. She was just over a year old.

Ashley Biden: Advocating for Animals

Ashley Blazer Biden was born on June 8, 1981, in Wilmington, Delaware. She is the only child from Joe Biden's second marriage.

Ashley went to Wilmington Friends School, a private school in Wilmington. When she was in elementary school, she found out that a cosmetics company tested its products on animals. She wrote a letter to the company asking them to stop. She later became involved in protecting dolphins. Her passion inspired her father to work with Congresswoman Barbara Boxer to create a law called the 1990 Dolphin Protection Consumer Information Act. Ashley even spoke to members of the United States Congress to support this law.

Joe Biden's Grandchildren

Joe Biden has seven grandchildren. Five are from his son Hunter, and two are from his son Beau.

• Beau Biden (Joseph R. Biden III) (1969–2015)
  • Two children: Natalie and Hunter.
• Hunter Biden (Robert Hunter Biden) (born 1970)
  • Three daughters with his first wife Kathleen: Naomi, Finnegan, and Maisy.
  • Hunter is also the biological and legal father of a child with Lunden Roberts.
  • One son with his second wife Melissa: Beau.

Presidential Pets

Joe Biden has two dogs, Champ and Major. Both are German Shepherds.

Biden Family Tree

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  Joe Biden

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  Jill Biden

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  Beau Biden

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  Hunter Biden

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  Ashley Biden

Joe Biden's Parents and Siblings

Joe Biden (left) with his mother and father in the 1970s

Joe Biden's Parents

Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden Jr. was born on November 20, 1942. His parents were Catherine Eugenia "Jean" Biden (born July 7, 1917 – died January 8, 2010) and Joseph Robinette Biden Sr. (born November 13, 1915 – died September 2, 2002). They married in 1941. After Jean Finnegan Biden passed away, President Barack Obama attended her funeral in Wilmington, Delaware.

Joe Biden's father, Joseph Sr., was wealthy at first. But he faced money problems around the time Joe was born. For several years, the family lived with Jean's parents, Joe's grandparents. The city of Scranton faced hard times in the 1950s, and Joseph Sr. could not find steady work. In 1953, the family moved to an apartment in Claymont, Delaware, and later to a house in Wilmington, Delaware. Joseph Sr. later became a successful used car salesman. This helped the family live a middle-class life.

Joe Biden's Siblings

Joe Biden is the oldest of four children in a Catholic family. His younger sister is Valerie Biden Owens (born 1945). He also has two younger brothers, Francis William "Frank" Biden and James Brian "Jim" Biden. Valerie was one of the people who managed Joe Biden's presidential campaigns. Joe Biden's niece, Missy Owens (Valerie Biden Owens' daughter), has also worked in politics.

Images for kids

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  Natalie Biden at Joe Biden's presidential inauguration

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  Joe Biden