Joe & Jill Biden Through The Years: Photos Of The Couple Then & Now

Jill Biden, Joe Biden — Image Credit: AP Images

Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill walk along Pennsylvania Avenue Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009, in Washington, during the inaugural parade. (AP Photo/Clarissa M. Rucker) — Image Credit: AP Images

Today, November 20, is President-elect Joe Biden‘s 78th birthday! The former Vice President will undoubtedly continue to work with his transition team to prepare for his inauguration on January 20th, but hopefully his day will also be full of warm birthday wishes, time with family, and maybe a scoop or two of ice cream. To mark the next Commander in Chief’s birthday, we’re looking back on his touching love story with his wife of 43 years, Dr. Jill Biden.

Dr. Biden and the President-elect met all the way back in 1975. At the time, Joe was a single father and Senator from Delaware, raising his two young sons — Beau and Hunter Biden. The couple met just three years after Joe’s wife, Neilia Hunter, and infant daughter, Naomi, were killed in an automobile accident, leaving the young father a widower. When Joe met Jill, he was completely bowled over. “When I met Jill, I fell in love with her when I saw her,” then-candidate Biden shared in the introduction package for his wife at the Democratic National Convention in August.

The two dated for two years before finally tying the knot, and it took some time to get there. “I asked her to marry me five times,” Joe admitted in the same video. “It wasn’t just my heart that was on the line,” Jill confessed. “I loved the boys so much; I had to be sure that it had to be forever.” After asking Jill one final time, the accomplished educator finally responded with, “ok.” Joe and Jill married on June 17, 1977 in an intimate ceremony surrounded by loved ones. Once they were married, the couple completed their family with the addition of their daughter, Ashley, born in 1981, and their life as public servants continued!

Vice President Joe Biden, accompanied by his wife Jill and President Barack Obama, announces that he will not run for the presidential nomination, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2015, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington D.C. [AP Images].

Dr. Biden and the President-elect have truly been a team throughout their relationship. Over the course of their marriage, they have acted as each other’s confidants and constant supporters. When Dr. Biden earned her doctorate degree from the University of Delaware, her husband was the one who handed her the diploma. What a moment! In the years that followed, though, the couple would be asked to serve a higher office.

Joe Biden, Jill biden — **President-elect Joe Biden stands on stage with his wife Jill, on November 7, 2020, in Wilmington, DE, after winning the 2020 Presidential Election [AP Images].**

Joe Biden was President Barack Obama‘s Vice President for his two terms between 2008-2016. Jill served as the Second Lady of the United States, prioritizing military families while also continuing her work as an educator at a community college. During that time, the couple suffered an unimaginable tragedy in May 2015 when their son, Beau, died at the age of 46 after suffering from brain cancer. During that somber chapter in their lives, Jill and Joe held fast to one another and their family and came out of the tragedy stronger than ever, ready to meet their next challenge.

After all of these years, Jill and Joe will head back to the White House in January and lead the country through an unprecedented time. It’s been incredible to see their steady, strong partnership grow over the years. Through tragedy and triumph, this soon-to-be First Couple of the United States have shown poise, empathy, and courage. We cannot wait to see what they accomplish in the years ahead! To see more images of President-elect Joe Biden & Dr. Jill Biden through the years, scroll through the images in the gallery above!