Jill Biden may well end up as First Lady of the United States. Despite those lofty aspirations,
however, she had a surprisingly modest upbringing — and a truly fascinating life. From her
false start at love to her life as Second Lady, this is the dramatic transformation
of Jill Biden.
Jill Biden's childhood appears to have been a happy one — if a little wild. Born Jill
Jacobs, the future educator had a self-proclaimed rebellious streak in her younger years, and
would often sneak out of the house in the middle of the night. Unable to afford a membership
at a popular local swim club, Jill and her friend would often climb the fence for a midnight
swim on summer nights. She later told The Philadelphia Inquirer:
"I can't even believe that I did it."
While she admits that she was kind of rebellious, as a youth, she apparently never caused any
real harm, and has gone on record as saying that her particular brand of rebellion was
fairly innocent. Mostly, it appears that her transgressions were limited to pulling pranks
and, ironically enough, occasionally sneaking out of school.
Jill Biden may have been a bit of a rebel as a child, but she was also a leader who
looked out for her loved ones. The oldest of five girls, Jill established herself as
the protector at a young age. When a neighborhood bully wouldn't leave her younger sister alone,
she even showed up at his house and punched him in the face — which, if nothing else,
earned her father's respect.
Her sister Bonny Jacobs told The Philadelphia Inquirer that the future Dr. Biden was not
just a leader but a role model, too. Liz Leonard, Jill's high school friend and classmate, also
recalled that she had been a leader on campus, that she was popular, and that she often involved
herself with various activities. Leonard explained:
"She was always willing to help with our whole class."
Jill Biden is known for her strong work ethic and her commitment to her career, and it all
started when she was still in her teens. She got her first job when she was just 15 years
old. Jill later explained her desire to work in an interview with Vogue, saying:
"From an early age, I knew I wanted my own money, my own identity, and my own career."
She later told New Jersey Monthly that she held down several different after-school jobs
while she was growing up, including two summers working at an Ocean City, New Jersey eatery
called Chris' Seafood Restaurant — a job that she admitted to loving.
Jill also did some modeling work for a local agency although she never really considered
herself a model — having only done a few small jobs for very little pay.
As hard as it is to imagine Jill Biden with anyone other than Joe, the former vice president
is actually her second husband. She was just 18 years old and a student at the University
of Delaware when she married Bill Stevenson, who played for the school's football team.
The marriage lasted only five years, ending in a divorce that left Jill a little cynical
about falling in love again. In her 2019 memoir, she wrote:
"I let go of fairy-tale endings."
The divorce was far from amicable, too. Decades after the split, Stevenson told the Daily
Mail that the marriage ended because his wife and Joe Biden were having an affair. According
to the Bidens, however, Stevenson's story is false and, contrary to Stevenson's claim,
they did not meet until 1975 — after the couple had separated and the divorce was nearly
finalized.
Jill would go on to meet Joe Biden on a blind date — three years after tragedy struck
his family. Joe's first wife and their 1-year-old daughter died in a car accident in 1972. His
sons Hunter and Beau miraculously survived the crash.
It was Joe's brother who introduced the future couple. As the future Mrs. Biden recounted
to Vogue of their first encounter:
"I was a senior [in college], and I had been dating guys in jeans and clogs and T-shirts,
he came to the door and he had a sport coat and loafers, and I thought, 'God, this is
never going to work, not in a million years.'"
Joe was also nine years older than Jill, but that didn't stop them from forming a connection.
She said:
"But we went out to see A Man and a Woman at the movie theater in Philadelphia, and
we really hit it off. When we came home [...] he shook my hand good night. I went upstairs
and called my mother at 1:00 a.m. and said, 'Mom, I finally met a gentleman.'"
They have been married for over 40 years.
After Jill fell in love with Joe and married him, she became a stepmother to his two sons,
Hunter and Beau. While she may not have been their biological mother, however, Jill was
always accepted in the Biden family. In an interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution,
she explained that she never asked Hunter and Beau to call her "mom," but that it was
their choice to do so. She said:
"They wanted our family to be a whole, complete family [...] That's how the kids wanted to
define it."
Joe wrote in his 2007 memoir that the transition happened slowly over time. He said that he
and his wife never discussed calling her mom, but that one day he noticed they were doing
so anyway — while referring to his first wife, and their mother, as "mommy." Joe noted:
"I'm sort of used to being in charge, but in truth it was Jill and the boys who shaped
the contours of our remade family."
In mid-August, Jill Biden tweeted:
"Teaching is not what I do. It's who I am."
Her decades-long career as a teacher is a testament to that statement, as is her commitment
to keep teaching — even if her husband is elected president. When asked if she'd keep
teaching should Joe enter the White House in 2021, Dr. Biden told CBS News:
"I hope so."
"Really?"
"I would love to."
Biden, who is actually Dr. Biden, holds a bachelor's degree, two master's degrees, and
a doctorate. She taught in public schools for 13 years, teaching English and acting
as a reading specialist. She also taught at Delaware Technical and Community College and
Northern Virginia Community College, where she held a job during her husband's time in
the White House as vice president. Speaking about her work in community colleges, Biden
told The News Journal:
"It sounds so trite to say I make a difference, but I really feel, especially in a community
college, I can make a difference."
It seems like Jill Biden's passion for education would be something that she would want to
carry into the White House. In her interview with CBS News, she confirmed that this is
very much the case.
"If we get to the White House, I'm gonna continue to teach. It's important, and I want people
to value teachers and know their contributions."
Biden is part of the National Education Association, and in 2010, she hosted the White House Summit
on Community Colleges to shine a spotlight on "community colleges' role in developing
America's workforce. Media outlets have speculated that, if her husband wins the election, it's
likely that Dr. Biden will champion a policy of free community college education.
While many people are familiar with Joe Biden's 2020 presidential campaign, many don't realize
that his 2020 bid for president was the third time he ran for the office. He first announced
his candidacy for president in 1987 and again in 2007.
It was Jill Biden who pushed her husband to run for the second time. She was so upset
after George W. Bush was re-elected to the presidency in 2004, that she urged her husband
to run. She explained to Vogue that her husband had wanted to run several times in the years
leading up to the 2008 presidential election, and that many people tried to get him to run
in 2004 — but that she had put her foot down at the time. When Bush won that election,
however, Biden was despondent that things would be the same for the next four years
— and told her husband he needed to make a change in America.
While Joe ended up withdrawing from the race in the 2008 election, the campaign wasn't
a wasted one — as he was named Barack Obama's running mate, and subsequently became vice
president.
After her husband became vice president, Jill Biden carried on teaching. In order to cause
as little disruption as possible at work, however, she remained quiet as she possibly
could about her identity. Secret Service agents posed as college students when they accompanied
her to her job at Northern Virginia Community College, where she was known as "Dr. B." Biden
also defended a dissertation under her maiden name so as not to attract attention.
Nor did Biden want to be defined by her relationship to the vice president — a belief she had
held since he was a senator. She once told The News Journal that, when students asked
about her last name, she would only admit to being related to Joe but wouldn't mention
being his wife. She said:
"For me, I'm their English teacher, and I want it to stay that way."
Despite her background in education, Jill Biden has never considered herself to be much
of a public speaker. Nonetheless, being comfortable talking in front of an audience is just one
of the things she had to get used to as the second lady of the United States. In addition,
being the wife of the vice president meant getting used to a whole new level of fame.
She later told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that she came at it incrementally, and that
she was motivated after recognizing that, as the second lady, she had a platform that
she couldn't afford to waste.
While Biden was a little unsure at the beginning, as she lacked confidence in public speaking,
she decided the risk was worth it — and has since become a formidable speaker..
As well as Beau and Hunter, the Bidens have had a daughter together named Ashley — and
count six grandchildren among their number, too.
Tragically, however, Beau passed away from brain cancer in 2015, at the age of 46. Jill
Biden told People magazine:
"It was totally shattering. My life changed in an instant. All during his illness, I truly
believed that he was going to live, up until the moment that he closed his eyes, and I
just never gave up hope."
"I think 1 percent of people who have this brain cancer make it, and we thought, 'Why
can't Beau be that one?'"
Biden has subsequently written about the shattering loss in her book, Where the Light Enters.
She writes:
"I feel like a piece of china that's been glued back together again. The cracks may
be imperceptible — but they're there."
On top of her long and successful career as an educator, Jill Biden is also a bestselling
author. In addition to being the author of the bestselling memoir, she is also the author
of a children's book, Don't Forget, God Bless Our Troops. Biden also wrote a children's
book about her husband called Joey: The Story of Joe Biden.
"Everybody sees Joe, these young children see Joe on TV, and I want them to know Joe
as a child."
While her children's books are just the sort of patriotic stories you'd expect the former
second lady of the United States to pen, her memoir isn't political at all. Instead, Biden
described it to People magazine as:
"The story of how we built and rebuilt our family."
The book also deals with her ongoing grief following the tragic death of her son Beau
Biden. She writes:
"Sometimes I feel like I've forgotten how to be the mom after the death of my son. I
worry about my children worrying about me, feeling like they need to be the strong ones.
It's not the right order of things. How can I be there for my children when I feel so
lost?"
Despite her grief, it's clear Jill Biden strives to be the best mother and wife she can be
for her family.
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