Jill Biden

Jill Biden married Bill Stevenson in 1970, and they separated in 1974 before divorcing in 1975. She met Joe Biden that year on a blind date arranged by his brother, Frank Biden. Jill and Joe Biden married on June 17, 1977, at the United Nations Chapel in New York City.

Joe Biden's sons, Beau and Hunter, stood beside the couple at their wedding. Jill became their stepmother, and the couple had a daughter, Ashley, in 1981. She raised Beau and Hunter, although she did not formally adopt them.

Biden studied English at the University of Delaware and earned a bachelor's degree in 1975. She began teaching English at St. Mark's High School in Wilmington, Delaware, and later worked at Claymont High School, where she also served as a reading specialist. She taught adolescents with emotional disabilities at the Rockford Center psychiatric hospital and spent thirteen years teaching in public high schools.

She earned a Master of Education from West Chester University in 1981 and a Master of Arts in English from Villanova University in 1987. In 1993, she began teaching English and writing at Delaware Technical & Community College. Her work there continued until 2008, after which she became a professor of English at Northern Virginia Community College. She earned a Doctor of Education in educational leadership from the University of Delaware in 2007, with a dissertation titled Student Retention at the Community College: Meeting Students' Needs.

Biden continued teaching at Northern Virginia Community College while she was second lady and first lady. She was the first wife of a sitting U.S. president to hold a paying job outside the White House and the first presidential spouse to maintain an independent career outside the White House. She taught her final class at the college in 2024.

When Joe Biden became vice president under President Barack Obama in 2009, Jill Biden became second lady and continued teaching at Northern Virginia Community College. She advocated for community colleges and helped lead the Community College to Career Bus Tour with Labor Secretary Hilda Solis. She also hosted the first White House Summit on Community Colleges and served as honorary chair of the College Promise National Advisory Board.

Biden and Michelle Obama founded Joining Forces in 2011 to support service members, veterans, military families, caregivers, and survivors. Biden also supported education for women and girls and military families through public appearances and international travel. Her children's book Don't Forget, God Bless Our Troops, published in 2012, was inspired by the deployment of her stepson Beau Biden to Iraq.

After leaving the vice presidency in 2017, Jill and Joe Biden established the Biden Foundation. Biden also became board chair of Save the Children and continued teaching at Northern Virginia Community College.

Jill Biden became first lady when Joe Biden took office as president on January 20, 2021. She continued teaching English and writing at Northern Virginia Community College, first remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic and later in person. Her principal causes included education, military families, cancer research, and women's health.

As first lady, Biden revived Joining Forces and worked with the National Security Council to develop federal support for military families. She visited military installations, met with service members and their families, and promoted employment, education, health, and caregiving resources. She also worked with the Biden Cancer Moonshot, which focused on supporting people affected by cancer, improving screenings, and reducing disparities in diagnosis and treatment.

Biden and Joe Biden launched the White House Initiative on Women's Health Research in 2023. The initiative sought to increase research and funding addressing women's health, particularly areas that had been underfunded or understudied. She also advocated for free community college tuition as part of the proposed American Families Plan, although that provision did not become law.

In 2024, Biden unveiled an expanded White House public tour. The redesign added digital elements, historical context, educational features, greater access to rooms previously closed to visitors, and accommodations for blind tourists. She also represented the United States at overseas events, including the 2023 coronation of King Charles III and the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Biden published her memoir Where the Light Enters: Building a Family, Discovering Myself in 2019. The book explores her family life, education, teaching career, and path into public service. It became a New York Times bestselling book.

She has also written the children's books Don't Forget, God Bless Our Troops, Joey: The Story of Joe Biden, and Willow the White House Cat. Joey, published in 2020, describes Joe Biden's childhood, while Willow the White House Cat, published in 2024, centers on the White House cat.

Biden founded the Biden Breast Health Initiative after four friends were diagnosed with breast cancer. The organization provided free breast-health education programs for Delaware schools and community groups. She also helped found Book Buddies, which provides books to low-income children, and supported Delaware Boots on the Ground, an organization serving military families.