Biden, Joseph R. (Joseph Robinette), 1942-

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Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician serving as the 46th President of the United States. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 47th vice president of the United States from 2009 to 2017 under Barack Obama and represented Delaware in the U.S. Senate from 1973 to 2009.

Biden was raised in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and New Castle County, Delaware. He studied at the University of Delaware before receiving his law degree from Syracuse University. He became a lawyer in 1969 and was elected to the New Castle County Council in 1970. He was elected to the U.S. Senate from Delaware in 1972 when he became the sixth-youngest senator in American history. Biden was reelected six times and was the fourth-most senior senator when he resigned to assume the vice presidency in 2009.

As a senator, Biden was a longtime member and eventually chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. He opposed the Gulf War in 1991 but advocated for U.S. and NATO intervention in the Bosnian War in 1994 and 1995, expanding NATO in the 1990s, and the 1999 bombing of Serbia during the Kosovo War. He argued and voted for 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, as well as the contentious U.S. Supreme Court nominations of Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas. Biden led the efforts to pass the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act and the Violence Against Women Act.

In 2008, Biden was the running mate of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. As vice president, he oversaw infrastructure spending to counteract the Great Recession and helped formulate U.S. policy toward Iraq through the withdrawal of U.S. troops in 2011. His negotiations with congressional Republicans helped the Obama administration pass legislation including the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010, which resolved a taxation deadlock; the Budget Control Act of 2011, which resolved that year's debt ceiling crisis; and the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, which addressed the impending fiscal cliff. Obama and Biden were reelected in 2012.

In October 2015, after months of speculation, Biden announced he would not seek the presidency in the 2016 election. In January 2017, Obama awarded Biden the Presidential Medal of Freedom with distinction. After completing his second term as vice president, Biden joined the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania, where he was named the Benjamin Franklin Professor of Presidential Practice. He announced his 2020 candidacy for president on April 25, 2019, joining a large field of Democratic candidates pursuing the party nomination. Despite poor showings in the first three state contests, Biden won the South Carolina primary decisively, and several center-left candidates dropped out of the race and endorsed him before Super Tuesday. Biden went on to win 18 of the next 26 contests. With the suspension of the campaign of Bernie Sanders on April 8, 2020, Biden became the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee for the presidential election. That November, he bested Donald Trump to win the White House, becoming the oldest American President ever to assume the office on January 20, 2021.

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn Harvard Law School Forums Records Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
referencedIn Presidential Memorabilia Collection Dolph Briscoe Center for American History
referencedIn 10/15/81, Senate Foreign Relations Committee--AWACS (T-30901) Jimmy Carter Library
referencedIn Guide to the Daily Worker and Daily World Photographs Collection, 1920-2001 Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
referencedIn Records of the Office of the Staff Secretary. 1976 - 1981. Staff Scheduling Memoranda. 1977 - 1978. 1/25/78-1/31/78 Jimmy Carter Library
referencedIn Records of the Office of the Staff Secretary. 1976 - 1981. Presidential Files. 1977 - 1981. 1/31/78 Jimmy Carter Library
referencedIn Papers of Julian Bond 1897-2006 University of Virginia. Small Special Collections Library
referencedIn WCSH-TV (Television station : Portland, Me.). WCSH video collection, 1989. Bates College Library, George and Helen Ladd Library
referencedIn Hugh Morton Photographs and Films, late 1920s-2006, (bulk 1940s-1990s) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. North Carolina Collection.
contributorOf 2/22/79, Senate Foreign Relations Committee (T-17723) Jimmy Carter Library
referencedIn Seals, Woodrow, 1917-1990. Judge Woodrow Seals Papers, 1941-1990 [Part 2] Houston Metropolitan Research Center, Houston Public Libary
referencedIn Hugh Morton Photographs and Films, late 1920s-2006, (bulk 1940s-1990s) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. North Carolina Collection.
referencedIn Copeland family. Papers, 1637-1998 (bulk, 1950-1998). Hagley Museum & Library
contributorOf 1/12/81, Alexander Haig Confirmation Hearing (T-47037) Jimmy Carter Library
referencedIn Greenewalt, Crawford H., 1902-1993. Personal papers, 1948-1992. Hagley Museum & Library
referencedIn Miller, Russell R., 1937-. Russell R. Miller papers, 1970-2008. UC Berkeley Libraries
creatorOf Keys, Donald. Papers, 1972-1982. Indiana University
referencedIn Jefferson, Edward Graham, 1921-2006. Edward Graham Jefferson papers, 1962-1992 (bulk, 1979-1987) Hagley Museum & Library
referencedIn Seals, Woodrow, 1917-1990. Judge Woodrow Seals Papers, 1941-1990 [Part 1] Houston Metropolitan Research Center, Houston Public Libary
referencedIn United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry. Campaign ephemera, 2008. The Filson Historical Society
creatorOf Benson Leroy Dutton papers Pennsylvania State University Libraries
referencedIn 1/13/81, Alexander Haig Confirmation Hearing (T-27073) <3 Folders> Jimmy Carter Library
referencedIn Barack Obama collection. Detroit Public Library, Detroit Main Library
referencedIn Collection of Printed Material About the Political Campaigns and Elections of 2008 University of Virginia. Library
referencedIn City Club of Cleveland Forum sound recordings, 1960-1989, 1948-2011 Cleveland State University
referencedIn Obama Inaugural Photograph Collection, 2009-197., 2009 Dolph Briscoe Center for American History
contributorOf Vice Presidential Records of the White House Communications Agency (Obama Administration), 1/20/2009 - 1/20/2017 Barack H. Obama Library
referencedIn Presidential Political Campaign Ephemera, 2012 MSS. 3703., 2012 W.S. Hoole Special Collections Library, The University of Alabama
referencedIn Records of the National Organization for Women, 1959-2002 (inclusive), 1966-1998 (bulk) Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
creatorOf Biden, Joseph R. Joseph R. Biden : commercials , 1984-1990. University of Oklahoma, Political Community Archives
referencedIn Records of Organizations in the Executive Office of the President. 1963 - 2001. Moving Images Relating to Drug Control Policy During the Administration of President George H. W. Bush National Archives at College Park
referencedIn Campaign Photograph of Barack Obama and Joe Biden University of Virginia. Library
referencedIn Records of the Office of the Vice President (Obama Administration), 1/20/2009 - 1/20/2017. Alice Cosgrove's Files, 1/20/2009 - 1/20/2017 National Archives Library, National Archives Records Administration
referencedIn Case Files from, Cohen v. Cowles Media Company, 1982-2001 Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
referencedIn Student Coalition for Soviet Jewry at Brandeis University Records Wyner Family Jewish Heritage Center at New England Historic Genealogical Society
referencedIn Inaugural materials for the 2009 Presidential inauguration, 2008-2009. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
referencedIn McCoy, Charles Brelsford, 1909-1995. Papers, 1967-1974. Hagley Museum & Library
referencedIn Keys mss., 1972-1982 Lilly Library (Indiana University, Bloomington)
referencedIn Lee, Maurice du Pont, 1885-1974. Papers, 1900-1973 (bulk 1952-1972). Hagley Museum & Library
referencedIn Electoral College Records., 1988-2012. Minnesota Historical Society
referencedIn Newark Public Library. Barack Obama Election and Inauguration Collection 2008-2009 Newark Public Library, Main Library
referencedIn George Mason University photograph collection, 1950s-2007 George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections & Archives
referencedIn Berger, Raoul. Raoul Berger Papers. 1921-2000. Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
referencedIn Marie Walsh Papers, 1915-1999 (Bulk 1970-1999) Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
referencedIn United States Congress, Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, invitation and program to the inauguration of Barack Obama, 2009 Stanford University. Department of Special Collections and University Archives
referencedIn Records of the Office of the Vice President (Obama Administration), 1/20/2009 - 1/20/2017. Alan Hoffman's Files, 1/20/2009 - 1/20/2017 National Archives Library, National Archives Records Administration
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Berger, Raoul, 1901- person
spouseOf Biden, Jill, 1951- person
associatedWith City Club of Cleveland corporateBody
associatedWith Communist Party of the United States of America. corporateBody
associatedWith Copeland family. family
associatedWith Dutton, Benson Leroy, 1910-1992. person
associatedWith George Mason University. Special Collections and Archives. corporateBody
associatedWith Greenewalt, Crawford H., 1902-1993. person
correspondedWith Harvard Law School Forum corporateBody
associatedWith Jefferson, Edward G. (Edward Graham), 1921- person
associatedWith Kennerly, David Hume person
correspondedWith Keys, Donald person
associatedWith Keys, Donald person
associatedWith Lee, Maurice du Pont, 1885-1974. person
associatedWith McCoy, Charles Brelsford, 1909-1995. person
associatedWith McNeely, Robert person
associatedWith Miller, Russell R., 1937- person
associatedWith Minnesota. Secretary of State. corporateBody
associatedWith Minnesota. Secretary of State. corporateBody
associatedWith Morton, Hugh M. person
associatedWith Morton, Hugh M. person
associatedWith National Organization for Women corporateBody
associatedWith National Organization for Women. corporateBody
associatedWith Naythons, Matthew person
associatedWith Reilly, John R., 1928-2008 person
associatedWith Rothenberg, Elliot C., 1939- person
associatedWith Seals, Woodrow Bradley person
associatedWith Seals, Woodrow Bradley person
associatedWith Student Coalition for Soviet Jewry- Brandeis University corporateBody
alumnusOrAlumnaOf Syracuse university. College of Law corporateBody
associatedWith United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry. corporateBody
associatedWith United States. Congress. Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies corporateBody
associatedWith United States. Congress. Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies. corporateBody
memberOf United States. Congress. Senate corporateBody
alumnusOrAlumnaOf University of Delaware corporateBody
associatedWith University of Oklahoma. Political Commercial Archive. corporateBody
associatedWith Walsh, Marie person
associatedWith WCSH-TV (Television station : Portland, Me.) corporateBody
Place Name Admin Code Country
Wilmington DE US
Scranton PA US
Claymont DE US
Subject
Advertising, political
Television advertising
Occupation
Lawyers
Senators, U.S. Congress
Vice presidents
Activity

Person

Birth 1942-11-20

Male

Americans

English

Information

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SNAC ID: 84240160