Sam Spade's San Francisco

The Life of Joe Biden.

The following timeline was prepared by Politico.com

Nov. 20, 1942 — Joseph Robinette Biden is born to car salesman Joseph R. Biden Sr. and Catherine Eugenia Finnegan in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

1953 — Moved to Claymont, Delaware with parents and three siblings.

1961 — Graduated from Archmere Academy in Claymont. Was a standout athlete but stuttered and was reluctant to speak publicly, despite fascination with politics.

1965 — Graduated from University of Delaware, majoring in political science and history.

Aug. 27, 1966 — Married New York native Neilia Hunter after meeting her two years earlier on spring break trip in the Bahamas.

1968 — Graduated from Syracuse University School of Law. Begins work as in Wilmington law firm and as a public defender. Admitted to Delaware bar a year later.

Nov. 1970 — Elected to New Castle Town Council at 28.

Nov. 1972 — Just short of his 30th birthday, Biden narrowly defeats Republican incumbent J. Caleb Boggs to become the fifth-youngest senator in history.

Dec. 18, 1972 — While Biden is in Washington, his wife and three children are involved in a car crash while Christmas shopping not far from their home in Delaware. Neilia and young daughter Naomi are killed. Two sons, Beau and Hunter, are critically injured but survive after lengthy hospitalizations.

Jan. 5, 1973 — Sworn in as senator at his sons’ bedside.

Jan. 1975 — Appointed to Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

June 17, 1977 — Married Jill Tracy Jacobs, a teacher from Delaware, following a two-year courtship. The couple have a daughter, Ashley, born in 1981.

Nov. 1978 — Easily defeats Republican James H. Baxter Jr. for reelection.

Nov. 1984 — Easily defeats Republican John M. Burris for reelection.

June 9, 1987 — Announces presidential candidacy at Wilmington’s train station, vowing to reverse Reagan-era policies.

Sept. 1987 — Accused of plagiarizing speech by British Labour leader Neil Kinnock. Later claims he had often used the quote with attribution and simply forgot to credit Kinnock on the day he was videotaped. Days later it’s discovered that he plagiarized a law review article in a class paper as a Syracuse law student. Biden also falsely claims he graduated in the "top half" of his class when he finished 76th in a class of 85.

Oct. 23, 1987 — After a contentious set of confirmation hearings chaired by Biden, the U.S. Senate rejects the Supreme Court nomination of Robert H. Bork.

Nov. 1990 — Wins reelection to U.S. Senate with 63 percent of the vote.

Oct. 1991 — Biden presides over the confirmation hearings of Clarence Thomas, drawing criticism from Democrats for his performance.

Sept. 13, 1994 — President Clinton signs the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, a massive anti-crime bill Biden helped write. The so-called Biden Crime Bill included the Violence Against Women Act, authored by Biden.

Nov. 1996 — Wins reelection to U.S. Senate with 60 percent of the vote.

June 2001 — When Vermont Senator Jim Jeffords leaves the Republican Party, Biden becomes chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He loses the position when the GOP retakes the Senate in the 2002 elections.

Sept. 2002 — Biden and Indiana Senator Richard Lugar, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, co-author an alternative version of the Iraq war resolution that would have restricted the President’s war-making authority. It fails.

Oct. 11, 2002 — Biden votes to authorize the use of force in Iraq.

Nov. 2002 — Wins reelection to U.S. Senate with 58 percent of the vote.

Aug. 11, 2003 — Biden announces he will not run for president in 2004, saying his odds would be too much of a “long shot.”

Jan. 4, 2007 — With the swearing in of the new Congress, Biden returns to his position as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Jan. 31, 2007 — Begins his candidacy for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination amid a field already crowded with high-profile candidates.

Jan. 3, 2008 — Drops out of presidential race after placing fifth in the Iowa caucuses, winning only 1 percent of the vote.

Aug. 23, 2008 — Joins Barack Obama on the Democratic ticket.

Resources:
Politico.com The Life of Biden
Contact Joe Biden (from Delaware Democratic Party)
Senator Joe Biden - Senate website
Joe Biden Biolgraphy & Info (from the Washington Post)
Joe Biden biography (from Wikipedia)
Wilmington, Delaware (from Wikipedia)
Obama-Biden Campaign Headquarters
Democratic National Convention, Aug 25-28, Denver, Colorado

The following video message from Joe Biden was made available on Sunday, August 24th, and I want to share it with you here. It runs 3 minutes and 9 seconds. Here it is:



For more information go to: Meet Joe Biden
.