Kathleen Buhle, formerly known as Kathleen Biden, is an American non-profit executive and writer. Buhle is the former wife of

Hunter Biden Robert Hunter Biden (born February 4, 1970) is an American attorney who is the second son of President of the United States, U.S. President Joe Biden and his first wife Neilia Hunter Biden. He is also a hedge fund, venture capital, and privat ...

, a son of U.S. President Joe Biden. She is the author of the 2022 memoir ''If We Break: A Memoir of Marriage, Addiction, and Healing'', which details her life while married to him.

Biography

Buhle was born in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, Illinois, into a working-class Catholic family. Her mother was a schoolteacher and her father was a salesman for the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

. She was educated in Catholic schools and graduated from

St. Mary's University, Texas St. Mary's University is a private Roman Catholic university in San Antonio, Texas. Founded by the Society of Mary (Marianists) in 1852, St. Mary's is the oldest Catholic university in Texas and the American Southwest. With a student populati ...

, with a degree in psychology. In July 1992, Buhle met

, son of then-Senator Joe Biden and

Neilia Hunter Biden Neilia Hunter Biden (July 28, 1942 – December 18, 1972) was an American teacher and the first wife of Joe Biden, the 46th and current president of the United States. She died in a car crash in 1972 with her one-year-old daughter, Naomi. Her t ...

, while the two were working as Jesuit volunteers at a Catholic church in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

. Buhle became pregnant three months into their relationship, and the two married in July 1993. Biden and Buhle moved to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, where her husband was a law student at

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

. She gave birth to their first daughter,

Naomi Naomi or Naomie may refer to: People and biblical figures * Naomi (given name), a female given name and a list of people with the name * Naomi (biblical figure), Ruth's mother-in-law in the Old Testament Book of Ruth * Naomi (Romanian singer) (bo ...

, on December 23, 1993. The family later settled in

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington ( Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...

, and, in 1997, bought an estate dating back before the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

. Buhle's brother-in-law,

Beau Biden Joseph Robinette "Beau" Biden III (February 3, 1969 – May 30, 2015) was an American politician, lawyer, and officer in the Army Judge Advocate General's Corps from Wilmington, Delaware. The oldest child of current U.S. president Joe Bid ...

, moved in with them while he worked as a federal prosecutor in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. In September 1998, she gave birth to their second daughter, Finnegan. In 2000, she gave birth to their third daughter, Maisy. The family moved back to

, and rented a house in

Tenleytown Tenleytown is a historic neighborhood in Northwest, Washington, D.C. History In 1790, locals began calling the neighborhood "Tennally's Town" after area tavern owner John Tennally. Over time, the spelling has evolved and by the 19th century th ...

. When her father-in-law and step-mother-in-law

Jill Biden Jill Tracy Jacobs Biden (born June 3, 1951) is an American educator and the current first lady of the United States since 2021, as the wife of President Joe Biden. She was the second lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017 when her hus ...

were respectively serving as vice president and second lady of the United States, Buhle became close friends with First Lady

Michelle Obama Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama (born January 17, 1964) is an American attorney and author who served as first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. She was the first African-American woman to serve in this position. She is married t ...

. In 2015, Buhle and Biden formally separated due to Biden's alcoholism and drug addictions. On December 9, 2016, Buhle filed for a divorce, and on February 23, 2017, she filed a motion in the

Superior Court of the District of Columbia The Superior Court of the District of Columbia, commonly referred to as DC Superior Court, is the trial court for the District of Columbia, in the United States. It hears cases involving criminal and civil law, as well as family court, landlor ...

, seeking to freeze Biden's assets. She accused her estranged husband of creating "financial concerns for the family by spending extravagantly on his own interests", claiming that he spent money on drugs, alcohol, strip clubs, prostitutes, and gifts for women whom he became involved with. During this time, her husband began an affair with his brother's widow

Hallie Olivere Biden Hallie K. Olivere Biden (born July 6, 1973) is an American school counselor, non-profit executive, and member of the Biden family. She worked as a school counselor at the Tatnall School in Wilmington, Delaware and at Archmere Academy in Claymont ...

. Their divorced was finalized later that year. In 2019, she formally changed her surname from Biden back to her maiden name, Buhle. She authored a memoir titled ''If We Break: A Memoir of Marriage, Addiction, and Healing'' about her marriage to Biden and his drug addiction. The book came out in June 2022. Buhle lives in Washington, D.C., where she started a women's club to assist people in need.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buhle, Kathleen Living people 21st-century American memoirists American nonprofit executives American women memoirists Kathleen Catholics from Illinois St. Mary's University, Texas alumni Women nonprofit executives Year of birth missing (living people)