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BIDEN, Joseph Robinette (Joe), Jr. (1942-)
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Senate Years of Service: 1973-2009

BIDEN, JOSEPH ROBINETTE (JOE), JR., A Senator from Delaware and a Vice President of the United States; born in Scranton, Lackawanna County, Pa., November 20, 1942; educated at St. Helena's School, Wilmington, Del., and Archmere Academy, Claymont, Del.; graduated, University of Delaware, Newark, 1965, and Syracuse (N.Y.) University College of Law 1968; admitted to the Delaware bar in 1969 and commenced practice in Wilmington; served on the New Castle County Council 1970-1972; elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate in 1972 and reelected in 1978, 1984, 1990, 1996, 2002, and again in 2008 and served from January 3, 1973, until January 15, 2009, when he resigned to become Vice President; chair, Committee on the Judiciary (One Hundredth through One Hundred Third Congresses), Committee on Foreign Relations (One Hundred Seventh Congress [January 3-20, 2001; June 6, 2001-January 3, 2003], One Hundred Tenth Congress); was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination for president in 2008, but was elected Vice President of the United States on the Democratic ticket headed by Barack Obama in 2008; reelected in 2012, and served from January 20, 2009, until January 20, 2017; elected as the 46th President of the United States on November 3, 2020; and was inaugurated on January 20, 2021.

Broadcast Pioneers Library
University of Maryland
College Park, MD
1 audiotape (1975) in Westinghouse Broadcasting Company collection, 1945-1981.

Gerald R. Ford Library

Ann Arbor, MI
Papers: Correspondence and briefing papers.

Hagley Museum and Library

Greenville, DE
Papers: In the Charles Brelsford McCoy papers, 1967-1974.

National Archives and Records Administration

Washington, DC
Papers: Over 45 entries in the National Archives on-line catalog (http://www.archives.gov/research/arc/) including textual, photographic, and moving image collections at the Washington DC Archives and Presidential libraries.

University of Delaware Library
Newark, DE
Papers: Senatorial papers. Processing in progress.

University of Oklahoma
Political Commercial Archive
Norman, OK
Papers: 52 recordings. 1984-2002. Topical index on-line.

Vanderbilt University
Television News Archive
Nashville, TN
Papers: Over 9000 recordings. 1968-present. Searchable data-base index on-line.

  • Biden, Joseph R., Jr. "Congress and the Courts: Our Mutual Obligation.'' Stanford Law Review 46 (July 1994): 1285-1302.
  • ___. "The Environment and World Trade.'' Environmental Law 23 (1993): 687-96.
  • ___. "Equal, Accessible, Affordable Justice Under Law: The Civil Justice Reform Act of 1990.'' Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy 1 (1992): 1-23.
  • ___. Promises to Keep: On Life and Politics. New York: Random House, 2007.
  • ___. "Public Financing of Elections: Legislative Proposals and Constitutional Questions.'' Northwestern University Law Review 69 (March-April 1974): 1-70.
  • ___. "Who Needs the Legislative Veto?'' Syracuse Law Review 35 (1984): 685-701.
  • Biden, Joseph R., Jr., and John B. Ritch III. "The End of the Sofaer Doctrine: A Victory for Arms Control and the Constitution.'' Arms Control Today 18 (September 1988): 3-8.
  • ___. "The Treaty Power: Upholding a Constitutional Partnership.'' University of Pennsylvania Law Review 137 (May 1989): 1529-57.
  • ___. "The War Power at a Constitutional Impasse: A `Joint Decision' Solution.'' Georgetown Law Journal 77 (December 1988): 367-412.
  • U.S. Congress. Tributes Delivered in Congress: Joseph R. Biden, United States Senator, 1973-2009. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2012.