Joe Biden | |
---|---|
47th Vice President of the United States | |
In office January 20, 2009 – January 20, 2017 |
|
President | Barack Obama |
Preceded by | Dick Cheney |
Succeeded by | Mike Pence |
Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee | |
In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2009 |
|
Preceded by | Richard Lugar |
Succeeded by | John Kerry |
In office June 6, 2001 – January 3, 2003 |
|
Preceded by | Jesse Helms |
Succeeded by | Richard Lugar |
Chair of the International Narcotics Control Caucus | |
In office January 4, 2007 – January 3, 2009 |
|
Preceded by | Chuck Grassley |
Succeeded by | Dianne Feinstein |
Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee | |
In office January 3, 1987 – January 3, 1995 |
|
Preceded by | Strom Thurmond |
Succeeded by | Orrin Hatch |
United States Senator from Delaware |
|
In office January 3, 1973 – January 15, 2009 |
|
Preceded by | J. Caleb Boggs |
Succeeded by | Ted Kaufman |
Personal details | |
Born |
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. November 20, 1942 Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) |
Neilia Hunter (m. 1966–72) Jill Jacobs (m. 1977) |
Children | 4 (including Beau, Hunter) |
Education |
University of Delaware, Newark (BA) Syracuse University (JD) |
Awards |
|
Signature | |
Website |
Official website Official Facebook Official Twitter |
Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden Jr. (/ˈdʒoʊsᵻf rɒbᵻˈnɛt ˈbaɪdən/; born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 47th Vice President of the United States from 2009 to 2017, having been jointly elected twice with President Barack Obama. A member of the Democratic Party, Biden represented Delaware as a United States Senator from 1973 until becoming Vice President in 2009.
Biden was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in 1942, and lived there for ten years before moving to Delaware. He became an attorney in 1969, and was elected to the New Castle County council in 1970. Biden was first elected to the Senate in 1972, and became the sixth-youngest senator in U.S. history. He was re-elected to the Senate six times, and was the fourth most senior senator at the time of his resignation to assume the Vice Presidency in 2009. Biden was a long-time member and former chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. He opposed the Gulf War in 1991, but advocated U.S. and NATO intervention in the Bosnian War in 1994 and 1995. Biden voted in favor of the resolution authorizing the Iraq War in 2002, but opposed the surge of U.S. troops in 2007. He has also served as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, dealing with issues related to drug policy, crime prevention, and civil liberties, and led the legislative efforts for creation of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, and the Violence Against Women Act. He chaired the Judiciary Committee during the contentious U.S. Supreme Court nominations of Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas.