Senator-elect Joe Biden and Neilia cut his 30th birthday cake at a party with son Hunter. Neilia was the 'brains' of his campaign, according to The N ews Journal. Caleb Boggs from his Delaware seat in the U.S. Neilia was the 'brains' behind Biden’s early political career.Īfter they tied the knot, the couple moved to Wilmington, Delaware, where Biden worked as lawyer and served on the New Castle County Council. (He was a law student on his wedding day.) Meanwhile, Neilia received her master’s degree in English and taught English in the Syracuse City public school system, according to the couple's engagement announcement in The News Journal. The couple got married on August 27, 1966.īy that time, Biden had moved to Syracuse and was attending law school there. Neilia and Biden also came from different religious backgrounds, since he is Catholic and she was raised Presbyterian. Neilia was raised Republican, and her parents initially had misgivings about the Democratic aspiring politician, per Biography. 'She had an easy, natural beauty,' and a 'warm, genuine smile,' Biden's second wife, Jill Biden, wrote about Neilia in her book, Where The Light Enters, per Marie Claire. They were both juniors in college and spending spring break in Nassau, Bahamas, when they crossed paths. It was during Neilia's time at Syracuse that she met Biden. Biden met his first wife on spring break. She went on to study at Syracuse University, per The News Journal. She attended boarding school in Pennsylvania at Penn Hall, where she was active in extracurriculars like French club, hockey, swimming, and student council. Neilia was 'the daughter of diner owners in upstate New York,' according to the New Yorker, and was born on July 28th, 1942 in Skaneateles. Neilia was born in New York's Finger Lakes region. Joe Biden and Neilia Hunter's love story was tragically cut short, but he has kept her memory alive ever since. With both women, Biden said that he knew he wanted to marry them after their first date. “No man deserves one great love, let alone two,” he said. Jill Biden, and his late wife, Neilia Hunter Biden. In the candid conversation, the Commander in Chief opened up about his love for his current wife, Dr. He calls them his best friends, explaining that “they helped me raise my kids” during such a trying time. In an episode of the “ On Purpose With Jay Shetty” iHeartPodcast, Biden said, “I had an overwhelming advantage in the loss,' before explaining that his siblings, Valerie, Jim, and Frank Biden, were there for him after Neilia and Naomi were killed. After Neilia and Naomi were killed, Biden became a single parent to his young sons, Hunter and Beau, and commuted four hours a day, every day, between their home in Wilmington, Delaware, and Washington, D.C., where, at 30, he was serving as the second-youngest senator in United States history.īiden has also talked openly about the way his family and children helped him continue in the wake of personal loss. The tragedy has informed much of Biden’s political outlook, and his support of working parents. In the past, President Biden has spoken about the 1972 car accident that killed his first wife, Neilia Hunter, and their 1-year-old daughter Naomi Biden. His granddaughters-Finnegan, Maisy, Natalie, and Naomi-and his daughter, Ashley, told Today in a 2021 interview that he calls them all everyday, making an effort to be an active figure in their lives. Senate, Biden had an unwritten rule to uphold family responsibilities. In fact, People reported that since his time in the U.S. His two living children, wife Jill, and seven grandchildren are always by his side. Throughout his decades in public office, President Joe Biden has talked about his family.

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Who Is Joe Biden’s First Wife, Neilia Hunter? Bettmann - Getty Images

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