Joe Biden and Jill Biden: A Timeline of Their Relationship

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Joe Biden and Jill Biden: A Timeline of Their Relationship

A long-lasting romance! From finding love with each other after their first marriages to becoming the first couple of the United States, President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden (née Jacobs) have built a strong marriage that has lasted more than four decades. Joe and Jill met in 1975 after the politician’s first wife, Neilia Hunter Biden, and infant daughter Naomi “Amy” tragically died in a car crash in 1972. The educator, for her part, had finalized her divorce from Bill Stevenson just before being introduced to Joe. As their relationship progressed, it became serious fast as she began helping Joe care for his sons, Beau and Hunter. The former senator proposed to his now-wife five times before she agreed to marry him. “[After each proposal], I said, ‘Not yet. Not yet. Not yet.’ Because by that time, of course, I had fallen in love with the boys, and I really felt that this marriage had to work,” she told Vogue in November 2016. “Because they had lost their mom, and I couldn’t have them lose another mother. So, I had to be 100 percent sure.” [jwplayer 7XgFgws0-l3ahXupL] The couple wed at the United Nations chapel in 1997. After the ceremony and subsequent reception held at Sign of the Dove in New York City, they took Joe’s boys with them on their honeymoon. Though Jill has been there for Joe as he continued to grow in his political career, the 46th U.S. president has also supported her along the way. He stood by her side as she pursued her various degrees, and he gave Jill her doctorate degree in 2007 when she graduated from the University of Delaware. He has additionally encouraged Jill to keep her full-time teaching role as a professor of English at Northern Virginia Community College while she serves as first lady. “I adore her,” the former vice president gushed while appearing on CBS Sunday Morning in November 2020. “I’m gonna sound so stupid — I was saying the other day, when she comes down the steps and I look at her, my heart still skips a beat.” Scroll down to see Joe and Jill’s love story through the years! [podcast_block]

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1975

Joe and Jill met on a blind date that was arranged by his brother, Frank.

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June 1977

The twosome tied the knot at the United Nations chapel and held their wedding reception at Sign of the Dove in New York City. He had proposed to Jill five times before she said yes.

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June 1981

The pair welcomed their first child together, daughter Ashley Biden.

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June 1987

Jill supported Joe as he announced his run for president. Around that time, she earned her Master of Arts degree from Villanova University, six years after receiving her Master of Education degree from West Chester University.

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September 1987

Jill stood by her husband’s side as he announced his plans to withdraw from the race, which was later won by late President George H. W. Bush.

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February 1988

The politician suffered his first of two brain aneurysms, the second of which occurred nearly three months later.

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January 2007

When Jill earned her Doctorate in Education from the University of Delaware, Joe was there to hand her degree to her. He had previously supported her as she defended her thesis to earn her doctorate.

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July 2007

Joe gushed about his love for Jill in his memoir, Promises to Keep. “She gave me back my life,” he wrote. “She made me start to think my family might be whole again.”

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August 2008

Jill joined Joe at a rally in Springfield, Illinois, where Barack Obama picked him to be his running mate during the 2008 election.

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January 2009

As Joe was sworn in as the 47th vice president, Jill held onto the Bible — a sentimental item that has been in his family since the 1890s — that he placed his hand upon.

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February 2010

For Valentine’s Day, Joe arranged for a tree swing at the vice president's residence to be marked with a plaque that read, “Joe loves Jill. Valentine's Day 2010.”

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September 2012

At the Democratic National Convention, Jill opened up about how her longtime love has always been supportive of her career. “After Joe was elected vice president, people started questioning whether I could keep teaching. Not Joe,” she explained. “He was there standing by my side saying, 'Of course you should. It's who you are, Jill.’”

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January 2013

Jill was there to hold the Bible for Joe again after Obama won a second term as president.

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May 2015

Joe’s son Beau, whom he shared with Neilia, died from brain cancer at age 46.

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May 2019

Jill opened up about her love story with Joe in her memoir, Where the Light Enters: Building a Family, Discovering Myself. “After the disappointment of my divorce, I never wanted to feel so out of control of my heart again,” she shared. “But in the months that Joe and I were dating, that desire ran up against a new reality: I was falling in love.”

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April 2019

Jill stood by Joe as he chose to run for president for the second time.

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December 2019

During a campaign stop in Iowa, Joe playfully bit his wife’s finger as she spoke while at the podium.

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March 2020

Joe was able to count on Jill during a campaign event that saw protestors storming the stage to approach him. After Jill fought them off, Joe joked: “I’m probably the only candidate running for president whose wife is my Secret Service.”

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November 2020

During his victory speech after winning the 2020 election against Donald Trump, Joe referred to himself as “Jill’s husband.”

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January 2021

For the third time, Jill was there to hold the Bible for Joe during his inauguration after he became the 46th U.S. president.

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February 2021

After decorating the White House lawn with huge candy hearts, the first couple shared the love on Valentine's Day in February 2021. "The love of my life and the life of my love. Happy Valentine’s Day, Jilly," the 46th president tweeted. The first lady, for her part, stopped by a local sweet shop in Washington, D.C. to pick up a gift for her husband.