Melissa Cohen

Joe Biden is an American politician who served as the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. Prior to his presidency, he held the position of the 47th vice president from 2009 to 2017 under President Barack Obama. Born on November 20, 1942, in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Biden's family background is predominantly of British Isles ancestry, with most ancestors originating from Ireland and England. Census records indicate that ten of his sixteen great-great-grandparents were born in Ireland, specifically from County Mayo and County Louth. An ancestor was born in Sussex, England, emigrating to Maryland by 1820.

Biden's immediate family includes his wives and children, many of whom have been publicly documented due to personal tragedies and political engagements. His first wife was Neilia Hunter Biden, born July 28, 1942. They married on August 27, 1966, and moved to Wilmington, Delaware, where Biden served on the New Castle County Council. Together, they had three children: Joseph Robinette "Beau" Biden III, Robert Hunter Biden, and Naomi Christina "Amy" Biden.

Tragically, Neilia, her daughter Naomi, and the children’s mother died in a car accident on December 18, 1972, while Neilia was driving to buy a Christmas tree. Neilia and Naomi died upon arrival at Wilmington General Hospital, while Biden's sons Beau and Hunter survived with serious injuries. Biden was sworn into the Senate on January 3, 1973, at the hospital where his sons were being treated.

Biden married Jill Tracy Jacobs on June 17, 1977. She was born on June 3, 1951, and was previously married to Bill Stevenson. Biden met Jill on a blind date in March 1975; she initially hesitated to assume a public role or to raise Biden's two young sons after the death of his first wife.

Joe Biden fathered four children, one from each marriage. His firstborn daughter Naomi Christina Biden, also known as "Amy," was born on November 8, 1971. She died in the same car crash that killed her mother in December 1972. His first son, Beau Biden, was born on February 3, 1969, in Wilmington, Delaware. Beau graduated from Archmere Academy, the University of Pennsylvania in 1991, and Syracuse University College of Law. He served as Delaware's Attorney General from 2007 to 2015 and was active in his father's political campaigns.

Beau Biden was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2013 and died on May 30, 2015, at age 46. During his career, he was known for his work at the U.S. Department of Justice and his electoral success in Delaware. He was married to Hallie Olivere in 2002.

Hunter Biden, born Robert Hunter Biden on February 4, 1970, in Wilmington, Delaware, is Joe Biden’s second son from his first marriage. He survived the 1972 car crash and later graduated from Georgetown University in 1992. Hunter attended Georgetown Law Center and Yale Law School, earning his JD in 1996. He has worked in finance and law, notably at MBNA America. His connections to Ukraine's Burisma Holdings and ongoing legal issues involving federal tax charges have been publicly documented. In 2024, Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to federal tax evasion and gun charges, leading to a full presidential pardon issued by Joe Biden on December 1, 2024, covering offenses from 2014 to 2024.

Naomi "Amy" Biden (born November 8, 1971) died at about one year old in the same 1972 car accident as her mother. Ashley Blazer Biden, born June 8, 1981, in Wilmington, Delaware, is Joe Biden's only child from his second marriage, to Jill Biden. She attended Wilmington Friends School and has been involved in social activism and public service.

Throughout his career, Joe Biden's family history and personal life have been marked by both tragedy and public service, with several family members holding prominent roles in law and politics.