The woman behind Joe Biden's success

Biden the “revivalist”

Jill Biden is said to be a major influence onpolitician Joe Biden. She was not only the one who “brought new life” to Mr. Biden after the great tragedies of his life, but also his companion and right-hand man. They met in 1975 when both were traumatized and almost collapsed due to tragedy. Just before Christmas 1972, Mr. Joe Biden’s first wife, Neilia, and their 1-year-old daughter died in a car accident. Their two young sons were also seriously injured.

Biden, then 30, had just been elected to the Delaware state senate. In his autobiography Promise Me, Dad, the politician called the pain “unbearable,” and said it took a long time to heal. Part of that healing came from “rebuilding” his family with Jill by his side. “She gave me life back, and I began to think that our family could be whole again,” he wrote in his memoir.

The Biden family stands at the back of a train, campaigning for Joe Biden to become the Democratic presidential nominee, in June 1987. Photo: Getty Images

For her part, after completing the divorce proceedings with her first husband, Jill Tracy Jacobs (Jill Biden's maiden name) decided to take a year off from school to stabilize her mind. That was also the time when Jill took a modeling job for a local company and it was also the chance that Joe Biden got to know her. According to Biography, Joe felt interested and wanted to get to know her after seeing Jill's photo on an advertisement at a bus stop. They finally met thanks to the matchmaking of Biden's brother.

Sharing with Vogue Magazine in 2019, Mrs. Jill revealed that the two immediately had feelings for each other after their first date. “We went to see “A Man and a Woman” at the cinema in Philadelphia. When he dropped me off, he shook my hand and wished me goodnight. I went upstairs and called my mother at 1am and said, “Mom, I finally met a gentleman.” However, it was not until the fifth time that Jill accepted Joe’s proposal because she was worried about “repeating the mistakes” of her first marriage. “At that time, I loved his two sons very much. They no longer had a biological mother and I couldn’t let them lose another mother. So I had to be 100% sure,” Mrs. Jill shared.

The couple eventually married in 1977. They settled in Wilmington, Delaware, and welcomed their daughter Ashley in 1981. When Joe Biden was elected to the Senate and moved from Delaware to Washington, Jill became an English teacher. While raising her family, Jill Biden continued her education, earning two master’s degrees and a doctorate in education from the University of Delaware.

Second Lady Jill Biden visits Fort Belvoir Elementary School in Virginia in June 2009. Photo: Getty Images

Since then, the couple has endured two failed presidential campaigns (1988 and 2008), eight years as Vice President, the death of their eldest son Beau Biden after a battle with cancer — and now, a campaign.run for the White Housealmost successful

The Joe-Jill couple’s affection and mutual respect were evident during the 2020 presidential campaign. At this year’s Democratic Convention, former Vice President Joe Biden described his wife as the love of his life and the “rock” of their family. As for Jill, she credits their complementary personalities for keeping their marriage strong: “He tends to bring me out of my shell, and I help him stay grounded,” Jill writes in her book “Where the Light Comes In.”

The 2020 presidential election marked another milestone in the couple’s four-decade journey, and the outcome could usher in the most memorable and colorful chapter of their lives. On November 8, shortly after Joe Biden was named the 46th President of the United States by US news agencies, Jill posted a photo of herself and her husband with the caption: “He will be our family’s president.”

During her husband's campaign, Jill Biden appeared with speeches urging voters to vote for Mr. Biden. Photo: ABC

The Model of the Modern American Woman

Before becoming a familiar face in American politics, few people knew that Dr. Jill disliked being involved in politics. In her memoir, Jill mentioned that she did not want to speak in front of crowds at political events. She was skeptical about her husband’s presidential campaign in 1988, but strongly urged him to run again in 2008.

Gradually, the life of a politician’s wife forced her to be strong and accustomed to the political spotlight, and at the same time become her husband’s closest “advisor” – although Jill does not like this title. According to colleagues, Jill is the person who influences her husband’s decisions, both in his work and in his personal life.

At this year's Democratic National Convention, she spoke passionately about the issues facing America, such asCovid-19 epidemicor racism through her own family stories. She talks about making America whole again in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, comparing it to rebuilding her life with Joe after the tragic loss of his first wife: “How do you rebuild a broken family? It’s actually the same way you rebuild a country: With love and understanding and small acts of kindness. I know that if we give this country to Joe, he will do for your family what he did for us,” Jill said.

Former Vice President Joe Biden, speaking with his wife Jill Biden in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on March 10, 2020. Photo: AFP

In addition to being a strong supporter of her husband's career, Jill also pursues her own work. When Mr. Biden was sworn in as Vice President in 2009, she continued to teach at Northern Virginia Community College. This year's campaign marks the first time she has taken a break from teaching since giving birth to their daughter, Ashley Biden. However, she announced that she will continue to work and pursue her own passions, even when her husbandbecome President of the United StatesIf she becomes the White House's female owner next year, Jill Biden could do something unprecedented: for the first time a First Lady still pursues her own work.

“Most American women have jobs outside the home and in the public sphere, but first ladies have never been allowed to do that,” said Katherine Jellison, a history professor at Ohio University. “But perhaps the time has come when more Americans will be comfortable with a first lady who is not in the White House 24/7.”

Observers say that Mrs. Biden could be a role model for 21st century American women. As a woman who has experienced many events, who values ​​family and work, Mrs. Jill Biden could bring a "fresh breeze" to the East Wing of the White House if everything goes well. For her personally, the new responsibility may not be a burden because she has thought about this role since 1987, when speaking at a forum on first ladies in Iowa. She said that there is no exact definition of the role of a first lady, but there is a goal.

“She can respond to the interests and concerns of American women today, who are mothers, wives, workers and struggle to balance all three roles. I think they will resonate with a first lady who is trying to balance all three of those roles.”

Jill Biden

The 2020 presidential election marks another milestone in the couple's four-decade journey - and the outcome could usher in the most memorable, colorful chapter of their lives yet. Photo: Getty Images - Reuters -CNN