Obama Vice President: Joe Biden (Delaware)


Joe Biden was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania on November 20, 1942. He was the first of four siblings. His father is of English heritage, and his mother is of Irish heritage. He is a Roman Catholic.

At 10 years old, his family moved to Claymont, Delaware. He attended the University of Delaware in Newark, where he graduated in 1965 with a double major in History and Political Science. He later got a J.D. at Syracuse University College of Law in 1968.

Joe Biden married Neilia Hunter on August 27, 1966. They had three children: Joseph "Beau" Biden III (born 1969, Robert Hunter Biden (born 1970), and Naomi Christina (born 1971). Biden became a Senator in 1972, after an upset against the incumbent J. Caleb Boggs. He became a Senator at the age of 30, the minimum age for becoming a senator, and was the 5th youngest senator to serve. His wife and daughter were killed in a tragic automobile accident on December 19, 1972. His two sons were in critical condition, but managed a full recovery. The accident tested his religious faith, and he almost resigned from the Senate. He married Jill Tracey Jacobs on June 17, 1977, and had one daughter, Ashley Blazer (born 1981).

In February 1988, Joe Biden was hospitalized with a cerebral aneurysm. He had to take surgery that month, and again in May of that year, which saved his life. He recovery time left him out of the Senate for seven months.

Biden is one of the most experienced people in the senate, serving for 36 years. He also served on U.S. Committee on Foreign Relations, gaining great skill and wisdom in dealing with foreign relationships.

Biden has ran for the Democratic nomination for President twice. Once in 1988, the other in 2008. Both times he failed.

On August 22, 2008, Barrack Obama announced Joe Biden as his running mate. He was introduced at Springfield, the same place Obama announced his campaign for President 19 months before. He was chosen for many reasons, including his experience in foreign policy national security. He also appeals to middle-class and blue-collar voters. He still is running for Senator, which is permitted by Delaware law, but if he becomes Vice President, he would have to resign from the Senate. If elected, he would become the first Roman Catholic Vice President, and the first Vice President from Delaware.