What Life Was Like For Joe Biden Before Entering Politics

Before Joe Biden entered the world of politics and became the 46th leader of the United States, he lived the life of a college jock and later, a lawyer. He grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania with his parents, Joseph Biden Sr., and mother Catherine Eugenia "Jean" Finnegan. The pair taught him to stand up for himself and work hard, which is something he carried with him in life and school.

Despite struggling with a stutter for much of his childhood, Biden attended the University of Delaware, where he excelled in football while pursuing an education in history and political science. However, Biden was seemingly a bit of a party animal during his freshman and sophomore year in college, opting to attend many of the Theta Chi fraternity bashes, though he never joined the organization. After graduating with his undergraduate degree in 1965, Biden went after a law degree, enrolling in Syracuse University Law School. However, he was not an ideal law student, which would haunt him before and during his future political career.

While at Syracuse, Joe Biden faced a major challenge when he reportedly plagiarized a law review article for one of his assignments. This mishap occurred during his first year, which led to him failing one of his classes. During his first presidential bid in 1987, Biden admitted to this, but maintained this was done in error, as he did not fully understand the citation and footnote rules. Thankfully, he was able to retake the class, which he passed.

Biden also struggled with his grades, with a transcript once showing that he made several C's and D's during his first year. Despite a rocky start, he graduated in 1968 and began working for a corporate law firm. He then moved on to become a public defender in Wilmington. During this time, Biden was also a husband, having married teacher Neilia Hunter, in August 1966. The couple shared children Beau, Hunter, and Naomi. Sadly, the heartbreaking loss of Biden's first wife and daughter would force him to become a single father at the start of his political career. 

When Joe Biden finally entered politics, he secured a seat on the New Castle County Council in 1970 and served for two years. Biden then moved up to the state Senate when he was dealt a devastating blow in 1972. His wife Neilia and daughter Naomi were killed in a car accident. His young sons Beau and Hunter survived, but were seriously injured. During his 2015 Yale University commencement speech (via Obama White House Archives), he credited his loved ones with getting him through the difficult transition. "Because I had the incredible good fortune of an extended family, grounded in love and loyalty, imbued with a sense of obligation imparted to each of us, I not only got help. But by focusing on my sons, I found my redemption."

Decades later, he would split his time between being a Senator and a professor. He taught at Delaware Law School and Widener University. He also worked as Benjamin Franklin Presidential Professor of the Practice at the University of Pennsylvania after his tenure as Vice President for Barack Obama. Biden may have made strides when he went full-time into the government, but before doing so, it seems that he was a normal college kid trying to find his footing before landing his first law gig, something many people never knew about the president.