Dr. Jill Biden: The Untold Story of America’s First Lady
Dr. Jill Biden: The Untold Story of America’s First Lady
Despite being the United States’ Second Lady for eight years, Dr. Jill Biden has managed to keep a low profile. Let’s take a closer look at the new First Lady and what makes her tick.
A Prankster at Heart
It’s not what you’d expect from a woman who became the First Lady of the United States. Back when her husband Joe was vice president, Jill would often board Air Force Two early. On one flight to California, she decided to have some fun. A keen prankster since childhood, she squeezed herself into one of the overhead lockers. Thanks to her small stature and flexibility from years of ballet barre classes, she managed to pull off the prank.
“When the first person opened the bin to stow his roller bag, I popped halfway out and screamed, ‘Boo!'” Jill recalls. “This poor soul let out a high-pitched shriek and stumbled backwards into his seat, a look of utter shock on his face. The others burst out laughing as I very ungracefully tumbled the rest of the way out of the bin.”
A Life of Joy and Humor
This is typical of 69-year-old Jill, say her family and friends. She takes her role as a politician’s wife and her work as an English professor extremely seriously, but she also likes to inject humor into life when appropriate. Other pranks have included leaving a plastic rat on the podium when Joe was speaking at a rally in 2008 and sneaking into his office to paint love hearts on the windows one Valentine’s Day.
“I’ve always believed you’ve got to steal joyful moments when you can,” she writes in her autobiography Where the Light Enters. “Life is difficult, and if you sit around waiting for fun to show up, you’ll find yourself going without it more often than not. If I can make Joe laugh by something as silly as hiding under the bed and popping out when the lights are off, why not?”
Staying Under the Radar
Despite being married for 43 years to a very high-profile man, Jill has mostly stayed under the radar. This is largely due to the fact that she’s a self-confessed introvert who has admitted that, given a choice, she would prefer not to be in the public eye. She was so successful in maintaining a low profile when she was Second Lady, and still teaching English composition at a community college, that most of her students had no idea she was married to the second most powerful man in the land.
Her Secret Service agents dressed like students and blended into the background; her name wasn’t on the teaching list, and on the first day of class, she’d tell her students to call her “Dr. B.” Once, a student sidled up to her and whispered, “I know who you are, and no one else here does.” Jill replied, “That’s right. And we’re going to keep it that way.”
A Strong and Smart Woman
What most people do know about Jill is that she is Joe Biden’s second wife. His first, Neilia, was killed in a car accident along with their 13-month-old daughter, Naomi. Their sons Beau, then three, and Hunter, two, survived. Joe has said that Jill “gave me back my life. She made me start to think my family might be whole again.”
It’s also common knowledge that Jill has four degrees—a Bachelor of Arts, two master’s degrees, and a doctorate in education. The Wall Street Journal caused a furor in December when it published an opinion piece suggesting Jill should drop her doctor title. While her supporters raged about the author’s misogyny and disrespect, Jill made her point more subtly, tweeting, “Together, we will build a world where the accomplishments of our daughters will be celebrated, rather than diminished.”
Those who know her well say she is a strong, smart woman who will make an exemplary First Lady. “She has a backbone like a ramrod,” says her husband. “She is the glue that holds our family together.”
Feisty and Devoted
While her sense of fun is a big part of who she is, Jill is also known for being feisty. Fiercely devoted to her family, she never hesitates to stand up for her loved ones. When protesters stormed the stage during a campaign rally in Los Angeles last year, she jumped in front of her husband to fend them off, with no consideration for her own safety. “You’ve got to protect those you love, right?” she later said.
And while she might be naturally quiet, when it’s necessary, she will make her opinion heard—or, in one case, seen. She wasn’t happy when, in 2003, senior members of the Democratic Party turned up at their home to try to talk Joe into running for president against George W. Bush. The Bidens had already decided the time wasn’t right, and Jill was furious that Joe was being pressured to change his mind.
“They sat themselves down in our living room and spoke to Joe for hours about how he was the only one who could take on President Bush. Meanwhile, I was sitting at the pool in my swimsuit, fuming. My temper got the best of me. I decided I needed to contribute to the conversation. As I walked through the kitchen, a Sharpie caught my eye. I drew ‘no’ on my stomach in big letters and marched through the room in my bikini. Needless to say, they got the message.”
From Humble Beginnings
Jill (née Jacobs) grew up in Pennsylvania, born to parents who came from opposite sides of the tracks. Her dad Donald grew up in a poor working-class Italian family and became a bank teller; her mum Bonny was the daughter of a pharmacist who owned a drugstore. Bonny’s mother wasn’t happy when they married, but Donald and Bonny built a life together and raised five daughters.
Jill’s feisty streak showed early. At 13, the oldest of five sisters, she once punched a boy in the face because he bullied one of her siblings. This spirit has carried her through life, making her the strong, resilient woman she is today.
