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Beau Biden

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Joseph R. Biden III
Beau Biden (left) gives his victory speech as Delaware's newly-elected Attorney General on November 7, 2006 as Jill Biden (center), Joe Biden (right) and the Biden family look on.
44th Attorney General of Delaware
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 2, 2007
Preceded byCarl Danberg
Personal details
Born (1969-02-03) February 3, 1969 (age 55)
Wilmington, Delaware
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseHallie Biden [1]
Residence(s)Wilmington, Delaware
Alma materUniversity of Pennsylvania (B.A.)
Syracuse University College of Law (J.D.)
Professionlawyer
Military service
Branch/serviceDelaware Army National Guard (Judge Advocate General's Corps)
Rank Captain
Battles/warsIraq War

Joseph Robinette "Beau" Biden III (born February 3, 1969) is an American lawyer, soldier and politician from Wilmington, Delaware. He serves as the Attorney General of Delaware and a Captain in the Delaware Army National Guard. He is a member of the Democratic Party and is also the oldest son of Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.

Early life and family

Biden was born in Wilmington, Delaware, the eldest son of former U.S. Senator and current Vice President Joe Biden and his first wife, Neilia Hunter. His mother and younger sister, Naomi Christina Biden, were killed in an automobile accident in 1972, in which he and his brother Hunter were badly injured. He and his brother encouraged his father to remarry,[2] and Jill Jacobs became Beau's stepmother in 1977. His half-sister Ashley was born in 1981.

He is a graduate of Archmere Academy, his father's high school alma mater, as well as the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a member of the Psi Upsilon fraternity, and Syracuse University College of Law. From 1995 to 2004, he worked at the United States Department of Justice in Philadelphia, first he served as Counsel to the Office of Policy Development and later as a Federal Prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney's Office. In 2004, he became a partner in the Wilmington law firm Bifferato, Gentilotti, Biden & Balick.

He is married to wife, Hallie, and they have two children: a daughter, Natalie and a son, Hunter.[1][3]

At the 2008 Democratic National Convention, after Joe Biden was nominated for Vice President of the United States, Beau introduced his father. He recounted the auto accident that killed his mother and sister and the subsequent parenting commitment his father made to his sons, a speech at which many delegates wept.[4][5]

Political career

In his first bid at political office, Biden ran for Attorney General of Delaware in 2006. Biden's opponent was a veteran state prosecutor and Assistant U.S. Attorney, Ferris Wharton. Major issues in the campaign included the candidates' experience and proposed efforts to address sex offenders, Internet predators, senior abuse, and domestic abuse. Biden won the election by approximately five percentage points.

After being elected, he appointed former Delaware Attorney General and International Judge Richard S. Gebelein as Chief Deputy Attorney General, and former assistant U.S. Attorney Richard G. Andrews was appointed as State Prosecutor. As Attorney General, Biden has supported and enforced stronger registration requirements for sex offenders.[6][7]

Joe Biden's victory in the 2008 presidential election left a vacancy in the U.S. Senate upon the time he would resign his seat. Beau Biden was once believed to have been a frontrunner for the seat, but, while deployed in Iraq, stated that he would not seek or accept an appointment to the Senate.[8]

On November 24, 2008, Governor Ruth Ann Minner named Ted Kaufman to the seat, but Kaufman indicated he would not be a candidate in the 2010 special election. This has fueled speculation Beau will run at that time.[9] Biden's father stated after the announcement of Kaufman's appointment, "It is no secret that I believe my son, Attorney General Beau Biden, would make a great United States Senator just as I believe he has been a great attorney general. But Beau has made it clear from the moment he entered public life that any office he sought he would earn on his own ... [I]f he chooses to run for the Senate in the future, he will have to run and win on his own. He wouldn't have it any other way."[10] In October 2009 Biden stated that he was considering a run for the senate and that he would make a final decision in January.


Public Offices
Office Type Location Elected Took Office Term Ends notes
Attorney General Executive Dover 2006 January 2, 2007 January 3, 2011
Election results
Year Office Election Subject Party Votes % Opponent Party Votes %
2006 Attorney General General Joseph R. Biden, III Democratic 133,152 52.5% Ferris Wharton Republican 120,062 47.4%

Military service

Biden is a member of the Delaware Army National Guard and serves as a Captain in the Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps as part of the 261st Signal Brigade in Smyrna, Delaware.[11][12]

Biden's unit was activated to deploy to Iraq on October 3, 2008, and sent to Fort Bliss, Texas for pre-deployment training,[13] the day after his father participated in the 2008 presidential campaign's only vice presidential debate. His father is on the record as saying, "I don't want him going. But I tell you what, I don't want my grandson or my granddaughters going back in 15 years, and so how we leave makes a big difference."[14]

Biden traveled to Washington, D.C. from Iraq in January 2009 for the presidential inauguration and his father's swearing-in as Vice President,[15] then returned to Iraq.[16] Biden received a visit at Camp Victory from his father on July 4, 2009.[17] Biden returned from Iraq in September 2009, his yearlong deployment complete.[18] Biden had announced that during his deployment he would continue to actively serve as Delaware's Attorney General by working in conjunction with his office's senior staff in Delaware,[19] although a member of his unit related Biden saying he had turned over most of his attorney general work to his deputy so as to focus on his duties in Iraq.[20]

References

  1. ^ a b "Attorney General Joseph Robinette 'Beau' Biden III (DE)". votesmart.org. Retrieved 2008-08-26. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  2. ^ Seelye, Katharine Q. (2008-08-24). "Jill Biden Heads Toward Life in the Spotlight". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-08-25. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ Banks, Adelle M. (2008-08-24). "Biden provides Catholic link, but renews abortion debate". USA Today. Religion News Service. Retrieved 2008-08-26. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  4. ^ Kevin Connolly (August 28, 2008). "Biden shows more bark than bite". BBC News.
  5. ^ John M. Broder (August 28, 2008). "Biden Opens New Phase With Attack on McCain". The New York Times. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  6. ^ Nadia Singh (March 29, 2007). "Lawmakers Endorse Tougher Penalties On Sex Offenders". WMDT.
  7. ^ "Delaware's enhanced sex offender law starts". The News Journal. Associated Press. January 7, 2008. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ "Rumors regarding Joe Biden III's potential run for his father's old seat in the U.S. Senate". Associated Press.
  9. ^ Former Biden advisor picked as Senate replacement
  10. ^ Brumfield, Sarah (2008-11-25). "Attorney General of Delaware". Yahoo! News. Associated Press. Retrieved 2008-11-25.
  11. ^ "Joe Biden bids farewell to son Beau Biden, headed to Iraq", Los Angeles Times, Michael Finnegan, October 4, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-11-01.
  12. ^ Delaware National Guard Office of the Staff Judge Advocate Webpage, retrieved on 2008-11-01.
  13. ^ Shailagh Murray (August 20, 2008). "Biden's Son Off to Iraq". The Washington Post. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  14. ^ "Biden's Son Headed to Iraq in 2008". ABC News. Associated Press. 2007-08-16.
  15. ^ "Beau Biden gets D.C. duty, will attend inauguration". The News Journal. January 15, 2009. Retrieved on 2009-01-28.
  16. ^ Gibson, Ginger (2009-03-10). "Poll shows Castle over Beau Biden for Senate". The News Journal. Retrieved 2009-03-17.
  17. ^ Chon, Gina (2009-07-06). "Iraqis Say Reconciliation Is an Internal Matter". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2009-07-10. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  18. ^ Chase, Randall (2009-10-01). "Vice president's son returns from Iraq". Army Times. Retrieved 2009-10-01. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  19. ^ Biden, Beau (2008-09-29). "Open Letter to Delawareans" (PDF) (Press release). Attorney General of Delaware. Retrieved 2009-04-18.
  20. ^ "Beau Biden Lays Low Amidst Senate Talk". The Washington Post. CBS News. 2009-10-23. Retrieved 2009-10-26.
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