Who is Jill Biden - the first known Second Lady

Jill was raised in Pennsylvania, and moved to Delaware for college

Biden, who is 67, was born Jill Tracy Jacobs in Hammonton, New Jersey, and later moved to Willow Grove, Pennsylvania.

The eldest of five sisters, Jill was raised by her father Donald, who worked at a savings and loan bank, and Bonny, a homemaker. Jill graduated from Upper Moreland High School in 1969, and then headed to a junior college in Pennsylvania to study fashion merchandising, according to Vogue. But the fashion path didn't stick, and soon Jill was on to her next act.

In February 1970, Jill married Bill Stevenson, and the two decided to enroll in the University of Delaware together. The couple drifted apart throughout college, and soon porced. Around the same time, Joe Biden was working through heartbreak of his own: just weeks after being elected senator in 1972, his wife, Neilia, and 1-year-old daughter, Naomi, died in a car accident. (Joe's other two children, Beau and Hunter, were in the car but survived).

She's had a lengthy career as an educator

After graduating from University of Delaware in 1975, Jill started working as an English teacher in local public schools and at a psychiatric hospital. Jill also earned two master's degrees—one in reading from West Chester University in 1981, and a second master's in English from Villanova University in 1987—while working and raising her family. Jill taught English and worked as a reading specialist in Delaware public schools, and later taught English Composition at Delaware Technical and Community College, a position she held for 15 years. In 2006, Jill went back to school for yet another degree, and earned a doctorate in education from the University of Delaware in 2007.

As second lady, she continued working as a full-time professor at Northern Virginia Community College—even more notable because Jill is thought to be the first second lady to hold a paying job during her husband's time as Vice President, according to Los Angeles Times.

Jill will continue to teach as First Lady.

Should her husband get elected president, Jill plans on working two jobs: First Lady and English professor. Given that she worked as a full-time educator while second lady, doing double duty shouldn't be too big of an adjustment.

Biden believes that having her own life and work, outside of her husband's shadow, makes a major difference in her well-being. She does not think that her career impacts her ability to be a great political collaborator.

“I knew if I let any time-lapse, I would be sucked into Joe’s life. I can have my own job, my own life, but also work on issues,” she she told People in 2009. “I can have it all, really.”

She met Joe on a blind date

Photo: Town&Country

In 1975, Jill and Joe met on a blind date coordinated by Joe's brother. Despite the fact that Jill was still in college and Joe was a senator with two children (and nine years Jill's senior), their connection was instant. Then they got married.

In 1981, Jill and Joe welcomed their daughter Ashley, and Bidens raised their three children in Wilmington, Delaware. As a senator, Joe famously commuted back and forth from Washington to Wilmington daily so he could spend time with Jill and their children. Now, the couple have five grandchildren: Naomi, Finnegan, Maisy, Natalie, and Hunter.

The Bidens, married for 43 years, have endured a series of highs and lows — from his vice presidency to the 2015 death of her stepson Beau Biden from brain cancer.

Jill and Joe's enviable relationship has stood the test of time. On the campaign trail in 2008, Joe publicly called Jill “drop dead gorgeous” and jokingly added that he married up. And on Valentine's Day this year, Joe posted a sweet tribute to his wife of over 40 years on Instagram. "Happy Valentine’s Day to the love of my life and the life of my love," Joe captioned the photo. "I love you, Jilly."

Jill works on various cancer initiatives

Jill also wrote a children's book for military families titled Don't Forget, God Bless Our Troops, which was published in June 2012. The book was inspired by the experience of Jill's granddaughter Natalie when her father, Beau, was deployed to Iraq.

The Biden family has been heavily involved in cancer research and care initiatives for decades. It's an emotional cause for the family: Beau was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2013, and died two years later at the age of 46.

After Beau's death, Joe and Jill quickly became the face of a national effort to end cancer. Specifically, Joe was tapped by Obama to lead the White House Cancer Moonshot in 2016. But Jill's involvement in cancer prevention started long before Beau's diagnosis. After four of her friends were diagnosed with breast cancer in 1993, Jill founded the the Biden Breast Health Initiative in Delaware, with the primary goal to educate young women on the importance of early cancer detection.

The Bidens have continued their work in the world of cancer research since leaving the White House with the Biden Cancer Initiative, an organization that brings together cancer researchers, health care providers, and patients to develop clinical trials, detection, care, and treatment plans.

Jill is supportive of Joe's 2020 campaign

As the presidential election 2020 looms, Dr. Jill Biden has emerged as one of the most crucial figures in the campaign.

Biden has campaigned tirelessly alongside her husband, Democratic nominee Joe Biden, throughout the 2020 race, and has supported him throughout his decades-long political career.

Though Jill is an avid supporter of her husband, she is also fiercely independent. She worked as an English teacher throughout Joe's tenure as Vice President from 2009 to 2017, becoming the first known Second Lady to work full time while serving alongside her husband.

The Bidens, married for 43 years, have endured a series of highs and lows — from his vice presidency to the 2015 death of her stepson Beau Biden from brain cancer.

Biden has campaigned tirelessly alongside her husband, Democratic nominee Joe Biden, throughout the 2020 race, and has supported him throughout his decades-long political career.

Though Jill is an avid supporter of her husband, she is also fiercely independent. She worked as an English teacher throughout Joe's tenure as Vice President from 2009 to 2017, becoming the first known Second Lady to work full time while serving alongside her husband.

Photo: Internet

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