Joe Biden (#46): The Bridge Builder
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1942-1965
Scranton, PA & Wilmington, DE
Scranton Kid
Born in 1942 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. grew up in a working-class Irish Catholic family. His father had fallen on hard times and moved the family to Delaware for work. Young Joe overcame a severe stutter through hours of practice reciting poetry in front of a mirror--an experience that gave him lifelong empathy for anyone struggling against the odds.
1972-1973
Wilmington, Delaware
Tragedy and the Senate
Biden won a U.S. Senate seat from Delaware in 1972 at age 29--one of the youngest senators in history. Weeks later, his wife Neilia and infant daughter Naomi were killed in a car accident. His two sons, Beau and Hunter, were badly injured. Biden was sworn in at their hospital bedside and commuted by Amtrak from Wilmington to Washington every day for 36 years to be home for his boys.
1973-2008
Washington, D.C.
Senate Veteran
Over 36 years in the Senate, Biden chaired both the Judiciary and Foreign Relations committees. He played key roles in the 1994 crime bill, the Violence Against Women Act, NATO expansion, and the Balkans interventions. He ran for president in 1988 and 2008, falling short both times. His Senate colleagues on both sides knew him as someone who could work across the aisle and keep his word.
2009-2017
Washington, D.C.
Vice President
Obama chose Biden as his running mate in 2008 for his foreign policy expertise and Senate relationships. Biden became one of the most influential vice presidents in history, advising on the Afghanistan surge, the auto industry bailout, and the Affordable Care Act. In 2015, his son Beau died of brain cancer at 46--a loss that devastated Biden and initially kept him from running for president in 2016.
2019-2021
United States
Third Time's the Charm
Biden entered the 2020 race as a moderate alternative in a crowded Democratic field. After a dismal start in Iowa and New Hampshire, a decisive South Carolina victory--powered by Black voters--revived his campaign. He defeated Trump amid the COVID-19 pandemic, winning 81 million votes, the most in American history. He took office promising to heal a divided nation.
2021-2023
Washington, D.C.
A Legislative Sprint
Biden signed the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to rebuild roads, bridges, and broadband. The Inflation Reduction Act was the largest climate investment in American history, pouring $370 billion into clean energy. The CHIPS and Science Act brought semiconductor manufacturing back to American soil. He passed the first significant gun safety legislation in decades and capped insulin costs at $35 for seniors.
2021-2024
Washington, D.C. & Europe
Leading the Free World
When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Biden rallied NATO and Western allies in a unified response, imposing sweeping sanctions and providing billions in military aid to Ukraine. He expanded NATO to include Finland and Sweden. He also oversaw the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, ending America's longest war in scenes that drew sharp criticism and painful comparisons to Saigon.
July 2024
Washington, D.C.
Stepping Aside
Concerns about Biden's age and cognitive sharpness intensified after a difficult debate performance in June 2024. On July 21, 2024, Biden announced he would not seek reelection, endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris. It was a stunning act of self-sacrifice--stepping aside from the office he had spent a lifetime pursuing because he believed it was best for the country. Harris went on to lose to Trump in November.
The Bridge Builder
Joe Biden's life is a story of loss, resilience, and stubborn faith in the American system. He waited nearly 50 years to become president, passed landmark legislation in a bitterly divided Congress, and then did something few leaders can: he let go. Whether history judges his presidency as transformative or transitional, his devotion to public service across six decades is beyond dispute.
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