Joe Biden profile: From being one of the youngest senators to oldest US president

Joe Biden known as a peoples person a reformer an unifier and a healer rose remarkably from humble beginnings to become the oldest American president in US history on Wednesday reaching the pinnacle of his political career spanning nearly five decadesThe 78yearold sixterm Democratic senator who triumphed over Republican President Donald Trump in the November 3 presidential election ran twice unsuccessfully for president in 1988 and 2008The presidential dreams that the veteran leader from Delaware had harboured since childhood seemed all but over for a third time until he won South Carolinas Democratic Party primary on February 29 last year forcing most rivals out of the race and making one of the most dramatic comebacks in American political historyBiden who has spent five decades in Washington and served two terms in the White House as former president Barack Obamas vice president capitalised on that experience to portray himself as a tested leader and a better alternative to TrumpWhile accepting the Democratic nomination in August Biden pledged to restore the soul of America and be an ally of the light not the darknessBiden defeated 74yearold Trump in the bitterly fought presidential election becoming the oldest person ever to occupy the White HouseIn his victory speech Biden pledged to unite the country as he called it a time to heal in AmericaI sought this office to restore the soul of America to rebuild the backbone of this nation the middle class and to make America respected around the world again and to unite us here at home he saidBiden has a strong track record of being an ardent advocate of a strong IndiaUS relationship both as a Senator from Delaware for over three decades and then as deputy of President Obama for eight yearsDuring his presidential campaign Biden had said that India and the US were natural partnersFrom playing a key role in the passage of IndiaUS civil nuclear deal during a Republican administration to setting up the goal of a USD 500 billion in bilateral trade Biden has strong ties with the Indian leadership across the aisle and has a large number of IndianAmericans within his close circuitBiden has named at least 20 Indian Americans including 13 women to key positions in his administration a new record in itself for this small ethnic community that constitutes one per cent of the countrys population As many as 17 of them would be part of the powerful White House complexBidens inauguration as the 46th US president is already historic as for the first time ever a woman Kamala Harris would be sworn as the vice president of the countryHarris 56 is also the first ever Indianorigin and first African American to become the vice president of the United StatesArtist Jagjot Singh Rubal gives final touches to portraits of US Presidentelect Joe Biden and Vice Presidentelect Kamala Harris on the eve of their oathtaking ceremony at his home workshop in Amritsar Jan 19 2021 Photo AFPBorn in Pennsylvania in 1942 to a Catholic family Joe Robinette Biden Jr studied at the University of Delaware and then earned a law degree from Syracuse University in 1968 His father worked cleaning furnaces and as a used car salesmanBiden the man of humble beginnings as the campaign website puts in was first elected in 1972 and served six terms as a senator for the state of DelawareAged 29 he was one of the youngest people ever elected to the US Senate and his age at his first election contributed to him being consistently ranked as one of the least wealthy members in the Senate Biden unsuccessfully sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988 and 2008 before finally securing his partys backing this year with strong support among Black votersKnown for blunt talk Biden speaks openly about his familys tragedies including the 1972 car crash that killed his first wife Neilia and their 13monthold daughter Naomi while his sons Beau and Hunter were critically injured in the accidentBiden met his second wife Jill Jacobs in 1975 and they married in June 1977 They had a daughter Ashley in 1981In 2015 Beau an Iraq war veteran who had served as Delawares attorney general died of a brain tumour aged 46 Bidens son Hunter struggled with drug issues as an adult Biden himself had a health scare in 1988 when he suffered two brain aneurysms He has referred to his personal losses on the campaign trail and declared Healthcare is personal to meIn October Biden pointed to his sons terminal diagnosis and said I cant fathom what would have happened if the insurance companies had the power to say last few months youre on your ownHe secured the Democratic nomination when his last competitor Senator Bernie Sanders dropped out in April 2020Biden faced allegations from former staffer Tara Reade in 2019 who said she felt uncomfortable with Biden during her time in his Senate office in the 90s In March 2020 she also accused him of sexual assault in 1993 Biden and his campaign team strongly denied the allegationBiden has voiced support for LGBT rights calling himself absolutely comfortable with the idea of samesex marriage He also led the Gun Violence Task Force in the wake of the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting in 2012His loyalty to the first African American President was rewarded with the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction presented by Obama days before he left office in 2017Obama officially endorsed Biden in April saying he will be a great president and he treats everyone with dignity and with respect