Joe Biden Sr.
Joe Biden Sr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 13, 1915 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Died | September 2, 2002 (aged 86) Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. |
| Occupation | Car salesman |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4, including Joseph Jr., Valerie, James |
| Relatives | Biden family |
Joseph Robinette Biden Sr. (November 13, 1915 – September 2, 2002) was an American car salesman and the father of U.S. President Joe Biden.[1][2]
Early life and family history
[edit]Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Joseph Sr.'s parents were Mary Elizabeth (née Robinette; 1894–1943) and Joseph Harry Biden (1893–1941). Joseph Harry was an oil businessman.[3][4] and the family had English, French, and Irish descent.[5]: 8
Biden's paternal second great-grandfather, William Biden (1787–1849), a stonemason, was born in England and emigrated to the United States by 1820, where he settled in Maryland. According to historian Eddy Greenfield, he was born in Sussex,[6] and was christened at St John the Baptist's Church in Westbourne, West Sussex, on 8 March 1789. William was the second child and son of James Byden (born November 1767) and Ann Silverlock (born March 1766), who had married on 16 May 1785. James Byden, Biden's paternal third great-grandfather, was from Pagham. He was the son of Richard Byden, Biden's paternal fourth great-grandfather, and his wife Susan, beyond which the paternal family line cannot be traced.[7] Two other of Biden's second paternal great-grandfathers, Jesse Robinett and Thomas Randle, were slave owners in 19th-century Maryland.[8][9]
Joe Sr.'s father Joseph Harry started off as a wealthy man but went into debt, forcing him to sell his house at auction. The family moved to Scranton, Pennsylvania soon afterwards.[1]
Marriage and family life
[edit]
In Scranton, Biden eventually met Catherine Eugenia "Jean" Finnegan. Despite her family's reservations about Biden, the couple married in 1941.[1] They would have four children together:
- Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942), politician, serving as 46th President of the United States since 2020. Previously served as Senator from Delaware from 1973 to 2009, and 47th Vice President of the United States from 2009 to 2017, under President Barack Obama.[5]: 9 [10][5]: 5
- Mary Valerie Biden Owens (born November 5, 1945), campaign manager and political strategist. Appointed by Barack Obama as advisor to the United Nations 71st General Assembly.[11][12] She played a pivotal role in all of her brother's political campaigns. She was the campaign manager during all of his Senate elections and for his 1988 and 2008 presidential campaigns, and was a senior advisor to his successful 2020 presidential campaign.[13][14]
- James Brian "Jim" Biden (born 1949), healthcare executive.[15] According to a The Washington Post profile, he is "known in the family as the one who’s always ready to help" and "has a history of business dealings that resulted in recriminations and lawsuits."[16]
- Francis William "Frank" Biden (born 1953), non-attorney advisor to Bergman Law Group, Boca Raton, Florida.[17][18][19]
According to his children, Joe Sr. was a distant parent who did not show affection to his children. However, he did warn his children about the dangers of alcoholism in the Biden family. As a result, his eldest son became a teetotaler. His youngest son Frank, however, became an alcoholic.[1]
Biden was initially wealthy but suffered financial setbacks around the time Joe Jr. was born,[20][21][22] and for several years the family lived with Jean's parents. Scranton fell into economic decline during the 1950s and Biden could not find steady work.[23] Beginning in 1953, the family lived in an apartment in Claymont, Delaware, then moved to a house in Wilmington, Delaware. Joseph Sr. later became a successful used-car salesman, maintaining the family in a middle-class lifestyle.[24][23][25]
Death
[edit]Joe Biden Sr. died on September 2, 2002. He was buried at St. Joseph on the Brandywine Cemetery in Greenville, Delaware.[26] After his wife's death in 2010, she was buried next to her husband.[27]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Entous, Adam (August 15, 2022). "The Untold History of the Biden Family". The New Yorker. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
- ^ Igoe, Katherine J. (October 22, 2020). "Who Was Joseph R. Biden, Sr., Joe Biden's Father?". Marie Claire. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
- ^ "The Ancestry of Joseph Biden". www.countyhistorian.com. Retrieved 2020-10-16.
- ^ Witcover, Jules (2010). Joe Biden: A Life of Trial and Redemption. New York City: William Morrow. p. 6. ISBN 9780061791987.
- ^ a b c Witcover, Jules (2010). Joe Biden: A Life of Trial and Redemption. New York City: William Morrow. ISBN 978-0-06-179198-7.
- ^ Marshall, Olivia (November 3, 2020). "US presidential candidate Joe Biden has roots in Sussex". The Argus. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
- ^ "Joe Biden will be the first US president to have Sussex ancestry". Chichester Observer. November 13, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
- ^ Ben Schreckinger. "How Joe Biden Became Irish." Politico September 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
- ^ Lawrence Delevingne et al. "Explore the U.S. Elite’s Ties to Slavery." 'Reuters. 27 June 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
- ^ "DemDaily: The New Family in the White House". March 19, 2021.
- ^ "HOME". Valerie Biden Owens.
- ^ "First Sister". members.tortoisemedia.com. September 16, 2020.
- ^ News Biden Campaign accessed 11/11/2020
- ^ Meet Joe Biden Sister, Vogue Magazine accessed 11/12/2020
- ^ "James Biden's health care ventures face a growing legal morass". www.politico.com. March 9, 2020. Retrieved 2021-08-15.
- ^ Viser, Matt (May 31, 2022). "James Biden — presidential brother, family helper, political wild card". The Washington Post.
- ^ "Frank Biden's actions already testing Joe Biden's ethics claims". CNN. February 4, 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-14.
- ^ Schwartz, Brian (2021-01-27). "Biden brother touts relationship with president in Inauguration Day ad for law firm". CNBC. Retrieved 2021-08-14.
- ^ "Biden brother's role in Florida law firm complicates White House ethics message". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-08-14.
- ^ Russell, Katie (2020-11-11). "Joe Biden's family tree: how tragedy shaped the US president-elect". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
- ^ Biden, Joe (2008). Promises to Keep: On Life and Politics. Random House. pp. 16–17. ISBN 978-0812976212.
- ^ Witcover, Jules (2019). Joe Biden: A Life of Trial and Redemption. William Morrow. pp. 7–8. ISBN 978-0062982643.
- ^ a b Rubinkam, Michael (August 27, 2008). "Biden's Scranton childhood left lasting impression". Fox News. Associated Press. Retrieved September 7, 2008.
- ^ Broder, John M. (October 23, 2008). "Father's Tough Life an Inspiration for Biden". The New York Times. Retrieved October 24, 2008.
- ^ Almanac of American Politics 2008, p. 364.
- ^ "Joseph Biden Sr., 86, father of the senator". The Baltimore Sun. September 3, 2002. Archived from the original on December 30, 2019. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
- ^ "Joe Biden visits son Beau's grave on Election Day morning". TODAY.com. November 3, 2020. Archived from the original on February 26, 2022. Retrieved 2022-02-26.
External links
[edit]- Joe Biden Sr. at Find a Grave
- Family of Joe Biden on Murderous Roots Podcast
- 1915 births
- 2002 deaths
- Biden family
- Fathers of vice presidents of the United States
- Fathers of presidents of the United States
- American Roman Catholics
- American people of English descent
- American people of French descent
- American people of Irish descent
- American salespeople
- Burials in Delaware
- People from Baltimore, Maryland
- People from Scranton, Pennsylvania
- People from Wilmington, Delaware