After dreaming of the presidency for more than five decades, Joe Biden became the 46th president of the United States at age 78. He is the first octogenarian sitting president in history, hitting the record set by his predecessor Donald Trump and Ronald Reagan. The member of the Democratic Party has a long political career featuring several policy changes. Here, we take a trip down memory lane to focus on his notable career before electing as US head of state.
Joe Biden was raised in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and moved with his family to New Castle County, Delaware. After graduating from high school, he attended the University of Delaware where he received a bachelor’s degree in 1965.
In 1968, Biden enrolled in Syracuse University College of Law where he graduated with a Juris Doctor. He ranked 76th in his class of 85 and was admitted to the Delaware bar in 1969.
Joe Biden returned to Delaware to work as an attorney after graduating from Syracuse University College of Law. He turned to politics and served on the New Castle county council from 1970 to 1972.
Biden became the fifth youngest senator in US history because he was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1972, at the age of 29. He planned to suspend his political career but was persuaded to join the Senate in 1973.
One of the most remarkable parts of Biden’s career is his long time as a member of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary. In effect, he chaired the role from 1987 to 1995, and again from 1995 to 1997.
Joe Biden was elected six times as a U.S. senator, becoming Delaware’s longest-serving senator. His senate career began on January 3, 1973, and ended on January 15, 2009.
After serving on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Biden served on the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee from 2001 to 2003. He was reelected from 2007 to 2009.
In 1988, Biden pursued the Democratic presidential nomination. He withdrew his candidacy after revealing that he duplicated his campaign speech from British Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock.
From 1991 to 2008, Joe Biden was an adjunct professor co-teaching constitutional law at Widener University School of Law. The current US president also taught other classes overseas.
Biden began his presidential campaign in 2007 after announcing his bid many months prior. He withdrew his candidacy as he garnered only one percent of the total vote in the Iowa Caucus.
On January 20, 2009, Joe Biden was inaugurated as vice president of the United States, nominated by the elected president Barack Obama. The mate was reelected for a second term in November 2012.
As vice president, Biden had roles and responsibilities to be an important adviser to Barack Obama and a vocal supporter of his initiatives. Joe Biden also helped avert many several budget crises.
Despite Biden’s high popularity ratings, he announced that he would not participate in the 2016 presidential election. Instead, he campaigned for Hillary Clinton who was defeated by the Republican candidate, Donald Trump.
On January 12, 2017, Biden was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Barack Obama. The award is given in recognition of his achievement in world peace.
After leaving the vice presidency, Joe Biden became a full professor at the University of Pennsylvania for four years. He won the honorary title of the "Benjamin Franklin Presidential Practice Professor".
In April 2019, Biden announced his presidential bid for the 2020 Democratic Party presidential. As a former vice president and long-serving senator of the United States, he was a potential 2020 candidate.
When Biden became a front-runner, he selected Kamala Harris as his vice presidential running mate. Kamala Harris became the first African American woman ever to be elected Vice President of the US.
Although Biden's path to the presidency was long and painful, he was elected the 46th president of the United States in November 2020. He defeated the former president Donald Trump, becoming the first candidate to beat a sitting president.
On January 20, 2021, US president Joe Biden was inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States at 78. He became the oldest president to enter the White House.
