Neilia Hunter

Neilia Hunter Biden (July 28, 1942 – December 18, 1972) was an American educator. She was the first wife of U.S. senator and former vice president Joe Biden and mother of Hunter, Beau and Naomi.

Neilia Hunter Biden
Born(1942-07-28)July 28, 1942
Skaneateles, New York, U.S.
DiedDecember 18, 1972(1972-12-18) (aged 30)
Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.
Cause of deathTraffic collision
Resting placeGreenville, Delaware, U.S.
Other namesNeilia Hunter Biden
Alma materSyracuse University (M.A.)
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)
Joseph R. Biden Jr.
(
m. after 1966)
ChildrenHunter · Beau · Naomi
FamilyBiden family (by marriage)

Early life, education and marriage

Hunter was born on July 28, 1942 in Skaneateles, New York, to Louise (née Basel) and Robert Hunter.[1] She attended Penn Hall, a secondary boarding school in Pennsylvania. She was active in the school's French club, hockey, swimming, and student council.[2] After secondary school, she went on to attend Syracuse University and was a school teacher in the Syracuse City School District.[1] She was related to former Auburn, New York city councilman Robert Hunter.[3] Hunter first met Joe Biden in Nassau, Bahamas, while Biden was on spring break.[4] Biden shortly after moved to Syracuse and attended law school. The couple married on August 27, 1966.[2] After wedding, the Bidens moved to Wilmington, Delaware, where Biden was on the New Castle County Council. They had three children: Robert Hunter, Joseph Robinette "Beau" and Naomi.[5] Biden's future wife, Jill, met Hunter in the winter of 1972 and describing: "She [Neilia Hunter] had an easy, natural beauty,"[6] Biden campaigned to unseat U.S. Senator from Delaware J. Caleb Boggs and Hunter was described as the “brains” of his campaign.[2]

Death and legacy

During the Christmas holiday, shortly after her husband became U.S. senator-elect, Neilia Hunter died along with their one-year-old daughter Naomi. On December 18, 1972, Neilia, along with her daughter Naomi and sons Beau and Hunter, were driving to buy a Christmas tree.[7] Neilia's vehicle was struck in the right-of-way by a truck. Neilia and Naomi died, but her two sons survived the accident.[7][8] Beau and Hunter were seriously hurt in the accident; Biden was sworn-in at the hospital where his sons were being treated.[2] In a commencement speech at Yale University in 2015, Joe Biden spoke of his late wife saying "Six weeks after my election, my whole world was altered forever. While I was in Washington hiring staff, I got a phone call. My wife and three children were Christmas shopping, a tractor trailer broadsided them and killed my wife and killed my daughter. And they weren’t sure that my sons would live."[9] A park in Wilmington, Delaware, Neilia Hunter Biden Park, is dedicated in her memory.[10]

References
  1. "Neilia Hunter to marry J. R. Biden". The News Journal. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  2. "Joe Biden Was Married To His First Wife, Neilia Hunter, For Only 6 Years". Women's Health. 13 May 2020. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  3. Rocheleau, Kelly. "'A good, caring person': Former Auburn city councilor Robert Hunter remembered". Auburn Citizen. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  4. Osnos, Evan. "The Evolution of Joe Biden". The New Yorker. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  5. "Hunter Biden: A brief bio of former Vice President Joe Biden's son". The News Journal. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  6. "Joe Biden's Capacity for Empathy Has Been Described as a "Superpower"". Marie Claire. 30 July 2019. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  7. McBride, Jessica (25 April 2019). "How Did Joe Biden's First Wife, Neilia Hunter, Die?". Heavy.com. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  8. Macon, Alexandra. "Joe and Jill Biden's Love Story Will Pull at Your Heartstrings". Vogue. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  9. "What Happened To Joe Biden's First Wife, Neilia, And Daughter Naomi? It's A Heartbreaking Story". Bustle. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  10. "Neilia Hunter Biden Park". Foursquare. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
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