President Joe Biden's Life in Photos
See photos of the 46th president throughout his life.
Joe Biden—full name Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr.—is the 46th president of the United States. Before his election, he served as Vice President during President Barack Obama's two terms, and as a Senator from Delaware for 36 years. When he took office in 2021 at age 78, he became the oldest president in U.S. history. Now, as he runs for his second term at age 81, take a look back at Joe Biden's life in photos:
1951
Joe was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania in 1942. He's pictured here (center, the older boy) at age 9, with his siblings.
1965
In 1965, Biden graduated from University of Delaware with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He double majored in history and political science.
1965
A young Joe Biden at age 25.
1968
In 1968, Biden graduated from Syracuse University College of Law, earning his Juris Doctor degree.
1972
Joe married Neilia Hunter in 1966; here, he's pictured on this 30th birthday with Neilia and their second child, Hunter.
1972
Tragically, shortly after Biden was elected senator, Neilia was in a car crash, and she died, along with their daughter, Naomi. Their other two children, Beau and Hunter, survived. He was sworn in at his sons' hospital beside.
1974
During his time in the Senate, he commuted from Wilmington to Washington every day.
1976
In 1976, Biden became the first U.S. senator to endorse Jimmy Carter for president.
1983
Biden was re-elected to the Senate six times, and currently holds the record of Delaware's longest-serving senator.
1987
In 1987, Biden ran for president for the first time. He's pictured here with his family, Beau, Hunter, Ashley, and Jill, after announcing his bid.
1987
That same year, he would withdraw his candidacy for president.
1988
In 1988, he had an aneurysm, and a pulmonary embolism, keeping him out of the Senate for seven months. Here, he's seen on the train platform in Wilmington, Delaware, returning to work.
1990
His family is Catholic and of Irish descent, and Biden is proud to be an Irish American. Here, he's wearing a green tie in honor of St. Patrick's Day.
1991
Biden, a longtime member of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, chaired it from 1987 to 1995, and presided over the Supreme Court confirmation hearings of Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas.
1994
In 1994, Biden helped pass the Violence Against Women Act, described by the Biden White House as a "landmark legislation that strengthens penalties for violence against women, creates unprecedented resources for survivors of assault, and changes the national dialogue on domestic and sexual assault."
1998
During his tenure in the Senate, he was also a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, chairing it from 2001 to 2003 and 2007 to 2009.
2001
Biden's aviator sunglasses, which he has worn since he was a lifeguard in college, are part of his signature style.
2003
Biden, then the ranking Democrat on Senate Foreign Relations, voted to authorize the war in Iraq, but years later, called his vote a mistake.
2007
He decided to run for president again in January 2007, before ultimately dropping out of the race a year later following the Iowa caucus.
2008
Seven months later, Barack Obama selected Biden as his running mate. During their first joint appearance, Obama said, "He is still that scrappy kid from Scranton who beat the odds, the dedicated family man and committed Catholic who knows every conductor on that Amtrak train to Wilmington."
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.
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