First Lady Dr. Jill Biden

Official White House Photo of First Lady Dr. Jill Biden by Cheriss May

Jill Tracy Jacobs Biden was born on June 3, 1951, in Hammonton, New Jersey, to Bonny Jean Godfrey Jacobs and Donald Carl Jacobs. The oldest of five daughters, she grew up in Willow Grove, PA, just outside of Philadelphia. She graduated from the University of Delaware with a bachelor’s degree in English in 1975. She completed her Master of Education degree from West Chester University in 1981 and Master of Arts in English from Villanova University, in 1987. In 2007 she received a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in educational leadership from the University of Delaware.

In 1975, she met then-Senator Joseph Biden. They married at the United Nations Chapel in New York City in 1977 and she became the stepmother to his two sons, Beau and Hunter. Their daughter, Ashley, was born in 1981.

Dr. Biden began teaching in 1976. When her husband became Vice President, Dr. Biden taught at Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA). She continued to teach at NOVA when he became President, making her the first Presidential spouse to have a career outside of the White House.

As a classroom teacher for over 30 years, Dr. Biden promoted quality education for everyone. As First Lady, she advocated for community colleges, military families, education for women and girls around the world, and advancing research into women’s health.

In 1993, Dr. Biden began her advocacy for more cancer education and prevention, launching the Biden Breast Health Initiative. In 2015 the Bidens lost their son Beau to brain cancer. They helped push for a national commitment to combating cancer through the White House Cancer Moonshot during Biden’s Vice Presidency. In recognition of World Cancer Day 2022, the President and First Lady reignited the Cancer Moonshot, and Dr. Biden has continued to work on behalf of American families confronting cancer, supporting patients and their loved ones.

In 2011, First Lady Michelle Obama and then-Second Lady Jill Biden launched the Joining Forces initiative. As First Lady, Dr. Biden continued Joining Forces to support military families, families of service members and veterans, caregivers and survivors. The program focused on three areas: Employment and Entrepreneurship, Military Child Education, and Health and Well-Being.

She is the author of two children’s books (2012, 2020) and a memoir, Where the Light Enters: Building a Family, Discovering Myself (2019).