Who is Joe Biden's father, Joseph R. Biden Sr.

Current presidential candidate and former vice president Joe Biden Jr. (opens in new tab) often talks in interviews about how his family has been a major influence. This is especially true of his father, who is named after him: Joseph R. Biden Sr. (opens in new tab), who passed away in 2002. Born in Baltimore and raised in Wilmington, Delaware, Biden Sr. lived a life of trials and tribulations, including living in poverty with his young family.

During his campaign, Biden Jr. frequently referred to his father, including a quote that influenced his life. These words have been a key part of Biden's position as President Barack Obama's vice president and in his 2020 campaign.

Biden Sr. was initially wealthy, "sailing, hounding, driving fast cars, and flying airplanes off the New England coast."

In 1941, Biden Sr. married Jean (née Finnegan) from Scranton, PA. Biden Jr. is the oldest of four siblings, and says life in Scranton was idyllic. Biden Sr. worked for a company that manufactured sealants for merchant ships during World War II, but struggled to find work for the next several decades.

As a result, the family fell into financial difficulties. For a time, the children even took shelter with their maternal grandparents. Eventually, the family moved to suburban Wilmington, where Biden Sr. initially worked in used car sales.

Still, that did not stop the children from indulging in luxuries and having fun experiences. Her sister, Valerie Biden Owens, said that she always wore a nice dress to the school dance (which opened with a new tab). The only difference was that her parents bought it on layaway.

His father provided the same comfort to his oldest son. When Biden Jr. was a student at the University of Delaware, attendees were not allowed to have cars on campus. One could argue that some rules were meant to be broken, as Biden Sr. continued to lend his car to his son, a struggling student, for weekend excursions.

An old classmate from college recalled this less-than-legal exchange in the New York Times (opens in new tab): "I was always in a convertible. It was always a convertible. He was very cool, well dressed, and he showed up in a convertible and beat all of us for eight days starting Sunday."

Biden Jr. recounted an episode when his father quit a job he felt was morally objectionable:

"In his autobiography, his father quit his job as a sales manager at a car dealership because the owner liked to reward employees and customers with silver coins, He says that he decided to entertain himself by spilling buckets of silver coins on the dance floor at the dealership's Christmas party and watching the employees scramble to scoop up the coins.

Biden Jr. explained that he learned that a job is not just about getting paid, but about embodying both dignity and respect. Indeed, when Biden Jr. became a senator (and the tragic death of his first wife and daughter (opens in new tab)), according to Biden's sister, Valerie Biden Owens, "[Biden Sr.] quit auto sales and went into real estate. According to Biden's sister, Valerie Biden Owens, "He didn't want his U.S. Senator father to be a used car salesman."

Biden Sr. cared deeply about his son's campaign. He and his son took the stage at many rallies (held under a new tab) and went door-to-door for him. Biden Jr. was so young compared to the competing candidates that some citizens mistook Biden Sr. for the candidate; the two soon started wearing buttons (open in new tab) that read "I'm Joe Biden Sr." and "I'm Joe Biden U.S. Senator" to indicate who they were (opens in a new tab) began to appear.

Biden Jr. also saw the effects of alcohol on his family (opens in new tab): Biden Sr. drank and his mother's family also had problems with alcohol. His brother Frankie and son Hunter (opens in new tab) have also dealt with addiction. Biden Jr. said in 2008, "There are a lot of alcoholics in my family."

Biden Sr. has been an advocate for his son for years; in 1972, when Biden was 30, Sr. even "stood on stage at a meeting with his son and went door-to-door for him." With his senatorial appearance and rumpled suit, many voters mistook him for a candidate who barely looked old enough to vote"

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His obituary appeared in the Baltimore Sun (opens in new tab) and noted that Biden Sr.'s health had been deteriorating for several weeks before his death, but did not elaborate on the cause. He died at the home of Biden Jr. in Wilmington. His wife passed away eight years later in 2010 (opens in new tab).

And it is clear that Biden Jr.'s father is still in his heart; in 2020, Biden Jr. wished his father a Happy Father's Day and said, "As my father believed, there is no greater calling for a woman or a man than to be a good mother and father."

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