Joe Biden

Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
U.S. Senator from Delaware
Personal details
Born	November 20, 1942 Scranton, Pennsylvania
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Jill Tracy Jacobs
Residence(s)	Wilmington, Delaware

Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. (born November 20 1942) is an American lawyer and politician from Wilmington, Delaware, in New Castle County. He is a member of the Democratic Party and the incumbent senior U.S. Senator from Delaware. Biden is currently serving his sixth term and is Delaware's longest-serving Senator. He has served as Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary and the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, is the probable Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations in the 110th Congress, and has delcared his intent to be a candidate in the 2008 presidential election.

Early life and family

Biden was born November 20, 1942 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, the son of Joseph R. Biden. He grew up in suburban New Castle County, Delaware, graduated from Archmere Academy in Claymont, Delaware, in 1961, and from the University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware, in 1965. He then attended Syracuse University College of Law, graduated in 1968, and was admitted to the Delaware Bar in 1969.

In 1966, while in law school, Biden married his first wife, Neilia Hunter, with whom he had three children, Joseph R. III (Beau), Robert Hunter, and Amy. His wife and infant daughter died in an automobile accident shortly after he was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1972. His two young sons, Beau and Hunter, were seriously injured in the accident, but both eventually made full recoveries. Biden was sworn into office from their bedside. Persuaded not to resign in order to care for them, Biden began the practice of commuting an hour and a half each day on the train from his home in the Wilmington suburbs to Washington, DC. In 1977, he married Jill Tracy Jacobs. They have one child, Ashley, and are members of the Roman Catholic Church. In February 1988, Biden was hospitalized for two brain aneurysms which kept him from the U.S. Senate for seven months, also stopping his attempt at the Presidential nomination that year.

Biden's elder son, Joseph R. "Beau" Biden, III, is a partner in the Wilmington law firm of Bifferato, Gentilotti, Biden & Balick, and was elected state Attorney General of Delaware in 2006. He is a captain in the Delaware Army National Guard, where he serves in the Judge Advocate General's (JAG) Corps. Biden's younger son, R. Hunter Biden, works as a lawyer in Washington, DC, and previously worked in the Commerce Department.

United States Senator

See also: List of current United States Senators

In 1969, Biden began the practice of law in Wilmington, Delaware, and was soon elected to the New Castle County Council, on which he served from 1970 to 1972. The 1972 U.S. Senate election presented Biden with an unusual opportunity that only he seemed to recognize. Popular Republican incumbent Senator J. Caleb Boggs was considering retirement, which would likely have left U.S. Representative Pete du Pont and Wilmington Mayor Harry G. Haskell, Jr. in a divisive primary fight. Instead U.S. President Richard M. Nixon was invited to a meeting to convince Boggs to run again with full Republican support. Boggs ran, but without much enthusiasm, which, combined with the new 18-year old voters, and a serious underestimation of Biden's campaign abilities, resulted in the very surprising Biden victory.

Biden took office on January 3 1973, at age 30, becoming the fifth-youngest U.S. Senator in United States history. He has since won additional terms easily, defeating James H. Baxter, Jr in 1978, John M. Burris in 1984, M. Jane Brady in 1990, and Raymond J. Clatworthy in 1996 and 2002, usually with about 60 percent of the vote. He is now Delaware's longest-serving U.S. Senator, having served in the Democratic Party majority in the 93rd, 94th, 95th, and 96th Congresses, again in the 100th, 101st, 102nd, and 103rd Congresses, and for two periods during the 107th Congress; the first two weeks of the Congress, and after June 6 2001. The Democratic Party was in the minority during the 97th, 98th, and 99th Congresses, and again during the 104th, 105th, 106th, 108th, 109th Congresses, and for portions of the 107th Congress. The Democratic Party returns to the majority in the 110th Congress. These Congresses met during the administrations of U.S. Presidents Richard M. Nixon, Gerald R. Ford, James E. Carter, Jr., Ronald W. Reagan, George H.W. Bush, William J. Clinton, Jr., and George W. Bush. Since 1991, Biden has also served as an adjunct professor at the Widener University School of Law, where he teaches a seminar on constitutional law.

In the small state of Delaware, Biden is highly regarded, mostly because of his frequent presence and attention to local needs. Because of his daily commute, he is a strong and knowledgeable advocate for Amtrak. He also watches closely the interests of the Dover U.S. Air Force Base and the downstate chicken processing industry.

109th Congress

Biden serves on the following committees in the 109th U.S. Congress:

• U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary
  • Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs, Ranking Minority Member
  • Subcommittee on Immigration Border Security and Citizenship
  • Subcommittee on Corrections and Rehabilitations
  • Subcommittee on Antitrust Competition Policy and Consumer Rights
  • Subcommittee on Technology Terrorism and Homeland Security
  • Subcommittee on Intellectual Property
• U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Ranking Minority Member, full committee
  • Subcommittee on European Affairs, Ranking Minority Member
  • Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs
  • Subcommittee on International Operations and Terrorism

Judiciary Committee

Biden is a long-time member of the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, which he chaired from 1987 until 1995 and served as ranking minority member from 1981 until 1987 and again from 1995 until 1997. In this capacity, he has become one of the most respected Senate voices on drug policy, crime prevention, and civil liberties. While chairman, Biden presided over two of the more contentious U.S. Supreme Court confirmation hearings ever, Robert Bork in 1987 and Clarence Thomas in 1991.

Biden has been instrumental in crafting significant federal crime laws over the last decade, including the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, also known as the Biden Crime Law. He also authored the landmark Violence against Women Act of 2000, which contains a broad array of ground breaking measures to combat domestic violence and provides billions of dollars in federal funds to address gender-based crimes; part of this legislation later was struck down as unconstitutional. He also introduced the controversial RAVE Act in April 2003.

As chairman of the International Narcotics Control Caucus, Biden wrote the laws that created the nation's "Drug Czar," who oversees and coordinates national drug control policy. In this role, Biden continues to work to stop the spread of so called, "date rape" drugs, such as Rohypnol, and drugs such as Ecstasy and Ketamine. In 2004 he worked to pass a bill outlawing steroids like androstenedione, the drug used by many baseball players.

Staunchly supportive of education, Biden's legislation has promoted college aid and loan programs and has allowed families to deduct on their annual income-tax returns up to $10,000 per year in higher-education expenses. His enacted Kids 2000 legislation which established a public/private partnership to help provide computer centers, teachers, Internet access, and technical training to young people across the nation, particularly to low-income and at-risk youth. Throughout his career Biden has vehemently opposed tort reform, while continuously joining Senate Republicans to support stricter bankruptcy laws.

Foreign Relations Committee

Biden's expertise in foreign policy, national security, and arms control issues has won him considerable bipartisan respect. In 1997, he became the ranking minority member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and chaired the committee from June 2001 through 2003. His efforts to combat hostilities in the Balkans in the 1990s brought national attention and influenced presidential policy: traveling repeatedly to the region, he made one meeting famous by calling Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic a "war criminal." He consistently argued for lifting the arms embargo, training Bosnian Muslims, investigating war crimes and administering NATO air strikes. Biden's subsequent "lift and strike" resolution was instrumental in convincing President Bill Clinton to use military force in the face of systematic human rights violations.

Following the September 11 2001 attacks, Biden was supportive of the Bush administration efforts, calling for additional ground troops in Afghanistan and agreeing with the administration's assertion that Saddam Hussein needed to be eliminated. The Bush administration rejected an effort Biden undertook with Senator Richard Lugar to pass a resolution authorizing military action only after the exhaustion of diplomatic efforts. In October 2002, Biden supported the final resolution of support for war in Iraq. He continues to support the Bush Administration's war effort and appropriations to pay for it, but has argued repeatedly that more soldiers are needed, the war should be internationalized, and the Bush administration should "level with the American people" about the cost and length of the conflict.

Presidential aspirations

1988 Presidential Campaign

Controversy broke Biden's candidacy for the U.S. presidency in the 1988 Presidential campaign. He was found to have plagiarized a speech from British Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock. The speech included adaptation of some details of Kinnock's life which were not true in Biden's case. For example, Biden's speech recast Kinnock's words to say, “Why is it that Joe Biden is the first in his family ever to go to a university? My ancestors, who worked in the coal mines in northeast Pennsylvania and who would come up after twelve hours and play football for four hours? It's not because they weren't as smart. It's not because they didn’t work as hard. It was because there was no platform on which they could stand.” After Biden withdrew from the race, it was learned that he had correctly credited Kinnock on other occasions but failed to do so in an Iowa speech that was recorded and distributed to reporters by aides to Michael Dukakis, the eventual nominee. Dukakis fired the senior aide responsible, but the damage had already been done to Biden.

It had also been alleged that Biden had plagiarized while in law school 20 years earlier in a first-year legal-writing class. Unaware of appropriate standards for legal briefs at the beginning of his legal training, Biden used a single footnote rather than multiple citations required to cite five pages from a legal article. Both Syracuse University Law School and the Delaware State Bar Association cleared Biden of plagiarism charges.

2004 Presidential Campaign

In 2003, Biden considered joining the Democratic field of candidates for the 2004 presidential race but decided otherwise, saying he did not have enough time to cultivate a sufficient fundraising base. Some thought Biden a possible running mate for presidential candidate John Kerry, but Biden urged Kerry to select Republican Senator John McCain. Biden also had been widely discussed as a possible U.S. Secretary of State in a Democratic administration.

2008 Presidential Campaign

Since the end of the last campaign, Biden has been on the list of potential Democratic candidates in the 2008 U.S. presidential election. In December 2004, he said he would pursue the possibility, noting "I'm going to proceed as if I'm going to run." In June 2005, he announced that he would seek the Democratic Presidential nomination in 2008 if he believes his message and vision for the country resonate with Americans. At that time, on Face the Nation, Biden said, "If, in fact, I think that I have a clear shot by this November or December, then I'm going to seek the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination."

In the January 23 2006 edition of The News Journal, Delaware's largest daily newspaper, columnist Harry F. Themal reported that Biden believes "he has passed his first deadline for a campaign for the presidency, and thinks the results point to all-systems go in the 2008 election." He goes on to quote Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen as saying that Biden's "manic-obsessive running of the mouth" could be the character weakness that disqualifies him.

However, Themal also said that Biden "occupies the sensible center of the Democratic Party." Themal concludes that this is the position Biden desires, and that in a campaign "he plans to stress the dangers to the security of the average American, not just from the terrorist threat, but from the lack of health assistance, crime, and energy dependence on unstable parts of the world." From an interview with Biden in January 2006, Themal reported that Biden does not plan to make a "formal announcement until late 2007 or even early 2008."

Lacking any apparent indecision about entering the race, Biden has had the highest of public profiles, often appearing on television, and attending public political events throughout the country. As noted in the "articles" section below, he regularly tells his audiences that “my intention is to run.” These articles also document some of the controversy generated by the heightened attention given to his remarks.

Public offices

Elections are held the first Tuesday after November 1st. U.S. Senators take office January 3rd, for a six year term.

Office	Type	Location	Elected	Took Office	Left Office	notes
County Council	Legislature	Wilmington	1970	January 4 1971	January 3 1973	New Castle
U.S. Senator	Legislature	Washington	1972	January 3 1973	January 3 1979
U.S. Senator	Legislature	Washington	1978	January 3 1979	January 3 1985
U.S. Senator	Legislature	Washington	1984	January 3 1985	January 3 1991
U.S. Senator	Legislature	Washington	1990	January 3 1991	January 3 1997
U.S. Senator	Legislature	Washington	1996	January 3 1997	January 3 2003
U.S. Senator	Legislature	Washington	2002	January 3 2003	January 3 2009

Election results

Year	Office	Election		Subject	Party	Votes	%		Opponent	Party	Votes	%
1972	U.S. Senate	General		Joseph R. Biden, Jr.	Democratic	116,006	50%		J. Caleb Boggs	Republican	112,844	49%
1978	U.S. Senate	General		Joseph R. Biden, Jr.	Democratic	93,930	58%		James H. Baxter, Jr.	Republican	66,479	41%
1984	U.S. Senate	General		Joseph R. Biden, Jr.	Democratic	147,831	60%		John M. Burris	Republican	98,101	40%
1990	U.S. Senate	General		Joseph R. Biden, Jr.	Democratic	112,918	63%		M. Jane Brady	Republican	64,554	36%
1996	U.S. Senate	General		Joseph R. Biden, Jr.	Democratic	165,465	60%		Raymond J. Clatworthy	Republican	105,088	38%
2002	U.S. Senate	General		Joseph R. Biden, Jr.	Democratic	135,253	58%		Raymond J. Clatworthy	Republican	94,793	41%

Works

• Administration’s Missile Defense Program and the ABM Treaty: Hearing Before the Committee on Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Diane Publishing, December 2004) ISBN 0-7567-1959-3
• Examining The Theft Of American Intellectual Property At Home And Abroad: Hearing before the Committee On Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Diane Publishing, May 2004) ISBN 0-7567-4177-7
• Hearings to Examine Threats, Responses, and Regional Considerations Surrounding Iraq: Hearing before the Committee on Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Diane Publishing, November 2003) ISBN 0-7567-2823-1
• Strategies for Homeland Defense: A Compilation by the Committee on Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Diane Publishing, September 2003) ISBN 0-7567-2623-9
• Putin Administration's Policies toward Non-Russian Regions of the Russian Federation: Hearing before the Committee on Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Diane Publishing, September 2003) ISBN 0-7567-2624-7
• Threat of Bioterrorism and the Spread of Infectious Diseases: Hearing before the Committee on Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Diane Publishing, September 2003) ISBN 0-7567-2625-5
• How Do We Promote Democratization, Poverty Alleviation, and Human Rights to Build a More Secure Future: Hearing before the Committee on Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Diane Publishing, June 2003) ISBN 0-7567-2478-3
• Political Future of Afghanistan: Hearing before the Committee on Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Diane Publishing, January 2003) ISBN 0-7567-3039-2
• International Campaign Against Terrorism: Hearing before the Committee on Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Diane Publishing, January 2003) ISBN 0-7567-3041-4
• Halting the Spread of HIV/AIDS: Future Efforts in the U.S. Bilateral & Multilateral Response: Hearings before the Comm. on Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate edited by Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Diane Publishing, 2002) ISBN 0-7567-3454-1
• Hague Convention On International Child Abduction: Applicable Law And Institutional Framework Within Certain Convention Countries Report To The Senate by Jesse Helms, Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Diane Publishing, April 2000) ISBN 0-7567-2250-0

References

• Barone, Michael (2005). Almanac of American Politics. Washington: National Journal Group. ISBN 0-89234-112-2. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
• Boyer, William W. (2000). Governing Delaware. Newark, DE: University of Delaware Press. ISBN 0-87413-721-7. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
• Peirce, Neil R. (1977). Mid-Atlantic States of America. New York: W.W. Norton & Co. ISBN 0-393-05541-8. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
• Cohen, Celia (2002). Only in Delaware, Politics and Politicians in the First State. Newark, DE: Grapevine Publishing. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

Images

• Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress [3]

External links

Congressional

• Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress [4]
• U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations [5]
• U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary [6]
• U.S. Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr.[7]

Informational

• Americans for Tax Reform [8]
• Citizens for Biden [9]
• Congress Merge [10]
• Contacting the Congress [11]
• Delaware’s Members of Congress [12]
• Genocide Intervention Network [13]
• National Freedom Scorecard [14]
• Open Secrets- career profile [15]
• Open Secrets- Top Industries [16]
• Project Vote Smart [17]
• The Political Graveyard [18]
• Unite Our States [19]
• Voting record [20]

Articles

• Biden Criticizes Princeton [21]
• Biden In; Gore Out [22]
• Biden says filibuster on Alito unlikely [23]
• Biden Staffers take Web bio entry into own hands [24]
• Biden to Seek Presidential Nomination [25].
• Biden's Gift Of Gab A Distraction, Critics Say [26]
• Biden's Leadership Is Lost In All His Talk Loose Lips Sink -
• Credit Bush's rhetoric not his actions [27]
• Debate over Sen. Biden's remarks on desi stereotypes continues [28]
• Indian Americans enriching American life: Biden [29]
• Joe Biden can't shut up [30]
• Joseph Biden's Plagiarism; Michael Dukakis's 'Attack Video' – 1988 [31]
• Leading the Mideast [32].
• Senator Biden's Biggest Lie [33].
• USC Center on Public Diplomacy Profile
• Wikinews investigates Wikipedia usage by United States Senate staff members [34]
• Wise investment in war on terror [35]

Places with more information

• Historical Society of Delaware [36] 505 Market St., Wilmington, Delaware (302) 655-7161
• University of Delaware Library [37] 181 South College Ave., Newark, Delaware (302) 831-2965