Here is a look at the life of Vice President Joe Biden.

Personal: Birth date: November 20, 1942

Birth place: Scranton, Pennsylvania

Birth name: Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr.

Father: Joseph Robinette Biden, Sr., car salesman

Mother: Catherine Eugenia (Finnegan) Biden

Marriages: Jill (Jacobs) Biden (June 17, 1977-present); Neilia (Hunter) Biden (August 27, 1966-December 18, 1972, her death)

Children: with Jill: Ashley, June 8, 1981; with Neilia: Naomi Christina, November 8, 1971-December 18, 1972; Robert Hunter, February 4, 1970; Joseph Robinette "Beau", III, February 3, 1969

Education: University of Delaware, B.A., 1965; Syracuse University Law School, J.D., 1968

Religion: Roman Catholic

Other Facts: Biden's son Beau is the Attorney General of Delaware.

Had a stuttering problem as a child.

Timeline: 1968-1970 - Defense attorney for criminal cases in Wilmington, Delaware.

1970-1972 - Serves on the New Castle County Council in Delaware.

1972 - Is first elected to the Senate at age 29, defeating Republican Senator J. Caleb Boggs. Wins reelection in 1978, 1984, 1990, 1996, 2002 and 2008.

December 18, 1972 - While Christmas shopping, Biden's first wife, Neilia Hunter, and daughter Naomi are killed in a car accident. His sons Beau and Hunter are badly injured, but survive.

January 5, 1973 - Is sworn in as U.S. senator to Delaware at son Beau's bedside in the hospital.

1987-1995 - Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

June 9, 1987 - Enters the 1988 presidential race, but drops out three months later following reports of plagiarism and false claims about his academic record.

February 1988 - Undergoes surgery to repair an aneurysm in an artery that supplies blood to the brain.

2001-2003 - Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

2002 - Votes to authorize military intervention in Iraq, but later becomes a vocal critic of the conflict.

2007-2009 - Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

January 31, 2007 - Files a statement of candidacy with the Federal Elections Commission to run for president.

August 1, 2007 - Releases his memoir, "Promises to Keep: On Life and Politics."