The United States is in mourning following the passing of Joseph R. Biden Jr., the 46th President of the United States, who died peacefully at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, on September 22, 2025. Surrounded by his family, Biden’s death closes the final chapter of a life that spanned more than eight decades and half a century of public service. He was 81 years old.
The cause of death has not been formally disclosed, though those close to the family have cited natural causes after years of health struggles and the natural wear of a long, demanding life in politics. His passing marks the end of a remarkable journey—one shaped as much by personal tragedy as by political triumph.
From Scranton to the Senate
Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in 1942, Biden was raised in a working-class family that later relocated to Delaware. He graduated from the University of Delaware and Syracuse University’s College of Law before launching his career in public service. In 1972, at just 29 years old, Biden was elected to the U.S. Senate, one of the youngest in history.
That same year, his life was shattered when his wife Neilia and their infant daughter Naomi were killed in a car crash, leaving Biden to raise his two surviving sons, Beau and Hunter, as a single father. He famously took the oath of office for the Senate at his sons’ hospital bedside and commuted daily from Delaware to Washington to be with his family—a routine that became emblematic of his priorities and devotion.