Joseph Biden Jr., born on November 20, 1942, is an American politician who served as the 46th President of the United States from 2021 to 2025. He is a member of the Democratic Party and previously served as Vice President under Barack Obama from 2009 to 2017. Biden also represented Delaware in the U.S. Senate for many years, from 1973 to 2009.
He was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and graduated from the University of Delaware in 1965. He then earned his law degree from Syracuse University in 1968. Biden entered politics in 1970 when he was elected to the New Castle County Council, and two years later, he was elected to the U.S. Senate. During his time in the Senate, he was the head of the Judiciary and Foreign Relations committees. He played a key role in passing important laws like the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act and the Violence Against Women Act. He also led hearings for some of the Supreme Court’s most controversial nominees, such as Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas.
Biden opposed the Gulf War in 1991 but supported the Iraq War resolution in 2002. He ran for president twice but did not win the nomination in 1988 and 2008. In 2008, Barack Obama chose Biden as his running mate, and Biden became a trusted advisor during Obama’s presidency.
In the 2020 election, Biden chose Kamala Harris as his vice-presidential running mate, and they beat the incumbent President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. Biden made history as the first president to serve while having a woman—Kamala Harris—as his Vice President, as well as the first with an African American vice president.