10 Surprising Facts About Dr. Jill Biden, Joe Biden's Wife
When Jill Jacobs met Joe Biden in 1975, she may not have anticipated that four decades later, she would find herself months away from becoming the First Lady of the United States. Over the course of the last 43 years, Jill Biden has been a steadfast partner to the long-time senator from Delaware, former vice president, and current Democratic presidential nominee. A lifelong educator and published author, Jill Biden has not sat idly by while her husband served in the legislature and ran for public office. And if Joe Biden wins the 2020 race, the United States will have a First Lady who fully intends on continuing her long-time career as a professor.
Here are a few things you may not have known about Jill Biden.
1. Jill Biden is a native East Coaster.
Born in New Jersey, a young Jill Jacobs spent much of her childhood in Pennsylvania. She ultimately moved to Delaware to attend college, where she and then-husband Bill Stevenson both enrolled in the University of Delaware.
Though Jill once briefly studied fashion, she ultimately majored in English. But perhaps in a nod to her past in couture, she spent some time in college working as a model.
2. She met Joe Biden on a blind date.
In 1974, Jill and her first husband separated, and she met Joe Biden soon thereafter in 1975 on a blind date arranged by Joe’s brother. "We went out to see A Man and a Woman at the movie theater in Philadelphia, and we really hit it off," Jill revealed in an interview with Vogue. "When we came home...he shook my hand good night. I went upstairs and called my mother at 1 a.m. and said, 'Mom, I finally met a gentleman.'"
Joe Biden, nine years her senior and already a senator, was recovering from recent tragedy—his first wife and daughter were killed in a tragic car accident shortly after his election. As such, Jill was careful in considering her future husband’s proposal of marriage. “I really felt that this marriage had to work," she said. "Because they had lost their mom, and I couldn’t have them lose another mother. So I had to be 100% sure."
3. Jill and Joe share three children.
Jill raised Joe’s two sons, Beau and Hunter (who stood at the altar with their parents on their wedding day), as well as her daughter with Biden, Ashley. Today, the couple also share five grandchildren: Naomi, Finnegan, Maisy, Natalie, and Hunter.
4. She’s a life-long educator.
Jill’s first job in education was that of a substitute teacher in the Wilmington school district. She later taught high-school English, and has also served as a reading specialist and history teacher. Over the course of her career, Jill has spent 13 years as a public high school teacher, and most recently, Jill served as a community college professor.
5. She has two master’s degrees and doctoral degree.
Jill Biden received her Master of Education with a focus in reading from West Chester State College while pregnant with her daughter, Ashley. A few years later, she received her Master of Arts in English from Villanova, and in 2007 at the age of 55, Jill received her Doctor of Education in educational leadership from her alma mater—the University of Delaware.
6. Jill Biden continued to teach even as the Second Lady.
In the eight years that Jill Biden served as the Second Lady, she carried on her own professional life, teaching English at Northern Virginia Community College. Simultaneously, Jill was responsible for a number of initiatives to help military families (given that she is a military mother herself).
Her students, of course, are often aware of how famous their professor really is, much to Jill’s chagrin. "I never mention second lady. I do get asked once in a while, you know, 'Hey. Are you Joe Biden's wife?' And I'll say 'he's one of my relatives,'" Jill Biden told NPR in a 2013 interview. "Or if I get pushed I say...'I'm your English teacher.' We don't talk about second lady. I never mention it. I think I have a separate role there as an English teacher and that's who I want to be." she added.
7. She would continue to teach if Joe Biden were elected president.
Given that she’s taught while living in the White House before, Jill Biden has no intention of shirking her educational responsibilities should her husband win the 2020 election. "I would love to. If we get to the White House, I'm going to continue to teach," she told CBS’ Rita Braver in an interview. "I want people to value teachers and know their contributions and to lift up the profession."
8. Jill Biden is incredibly supportive (and protective) of her husband.
While Jill Biden has no intention of being a wallflower in her husband’s administration, she has also devoted significant time and effort to Joe Biden’s campaign. In fact, in 2020, she took a leave of absence from her job to join Joe on the campaign trail. As she told CNN in January, "[Joe has] always supported my career. And this is a critical time for me to support him because, you know, I want change. I want a new president."
She also made headlines earlier in 2020 when she pushed away a protestor who jumped on-stage during a rally for her husband.
9. She’s a published author.
In June 2012, Jill Biden published her first book, Don’t Forget, God Bless Our Troops. The children’s book is told from the perspective of Biden’s granddaughter, Natalie, when her father is deployed to Iraq.
Her second book, Joey: The Story of Joe Biden, is a picture book about her husband as a young boy, and includes “never before told family stories about the presidential candidate.”
10. She has quite the sense of humor.
A thick skin and an ability to laugh easily may just be the two most important characteristics for anyone on a campaign trail, and it seems as though Jill Biden has both in spades. "Things are so serious that I like to add a little humor," Jill said during the 2008 campaign cycle. And to prove her point, she placed a plastic rat on Joe’s podium, and then used the same plastic rat to greet her husband when he attempted to lay down on his pillow that night.
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