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 The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

. She died in a car crash in 1972 with her one-year-old daughter, Naomi. Her two sons,

Beau Beau may refer to: * Beau (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name, nickname or surname * Beau (guitarist) (born 1946), songwriter and 12-string guitar specialist * Beau (grape), another name for the Italian wine grape ...

and

Hunter Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

, were both critically injured, but survived the wreck.

Early life and career

Neilia Hunter was born on July 28, 1942, in

Skaneateles, New York Skaneateles ( , ) is a town in Onondaga County, New York, United States. The population was 7,112 at the 2020 census. The name is from the Iroquois term for the adjacent ''Skaneateles'' Lake, which means "long lake." The town is on the western ...

, to Louise (née Basel; 1915–1993) and Robert Hunter (1914–1991) who were Presbyterians. She attended Penn Hall, a secondary boarding school in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. She was active in the school's

French club French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

hockey Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

and

student council A student council (also known as a student union, associated student body or student parliament) is an administrative organization of students in different educational institutes ranging from elementary schools to universities and research or ...

. After secondary school, she attended

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

and was a school teacher in the

Syracuse City School District The Syracuse City School District is a public school district serving students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Syracuse, New York. Syracuse City Schools enrolls 20,000 students in over thirty primary and secondary school building ...

. She was an English teacher at the Bellevue Academy in

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...

. She was related to former Auburn city councilman Robert Hunter.

Marriage and family life

Neilia Hunter met Joe Biden in

Nassau, Bahamas Nassau ( ) is the capital and largest city of the Bahamas. With a population of 274,400 as of 2016, or just over 70% of the entire population of the Bahamas, Nassau is commonly defined as a primate city, dwarfing all other towns in the country. ...

, while they were both on spring break. Shortly after, Biden moved to Syracuse and attended

law school A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, ...

. The couple married on August 27, 1966. After Biden graduated from law school, the Bidens moved to

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 ...

, where Biden was on the

New Castle County Council New Castle County is the northernmost of the three counties of the U.S. state of Delaware (New Castle, Kent, and Sussex). As of the 2020 census, the population was 570,719, making it the most populous county in Delaware, with nearly 60% of the ...

. The couple had three children: Joseph Robinette "Beau", Robert Hunter and Naomi Christina "Amy". While Biden campaigned to unseat U.S. Senator from Delaware

J. Caleb Boggs James Caleb Boggs (May 15, 1909 – March 26, 1993) was an American lawyer and politician from Claymont in New Castle County, Delaware. A member of the Republican Party, he was commonly known by his middle name, Caleb, frequently shortened ...

, Neilia was described by ''The News Journal'' as the "brains" of his campaign.

Death

On December 18, 1972, shortly after Joe became U.S. senator-elect, Neilia was driving with her three children west along rural Valley Road in

Hockessin, Delaware Hockessin () is a census-designated place (CDP) in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The population was 13,527 at the 2010 census. History Hockessin came into existence as a little village in 1688 when several families settled in the a ...

. At the intersection with

Delaware Route 7 Delaware Route 7 (DE 7) is a north–south highway in New Castle County, Delaware that connects U.S. Route 13 (US 13) and DE 72 in Wrangle Hill north to the Pennsylvania border near Hockessin, where the road conti ...

(Limestone Road), she pulled out in front of a

tractor-trailer A semi-trailer truck, also known as a semitruck, (or semi, eighteen-wheeler, big rig, tractor-trailer or, by synecdoche, a semitrailer) is the combination of a tractor unit and one or more semi-trailers to carry freight. A semi-trailer a ...

truck traveling north along Route 7. Police determined that Neilia drove into the path of the tractor-trailer, possibly due to visibility issues. The truck driver, identified as Curtis C. Dunn, 33, of Avondale, Pa., escaped without any major injury. All four occupants were taken to

Wilmington General Hospital ChristianaCare is a network of private, non-profit hospitals providing health care services to all of the U.S. state of Delaware and portions of seven counties bordering the state in Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey. The system includes two h ...

, where Neilia and Naomi were pronounced dead on arrival, but Beau and Hunter both survived with multiple serious injuries. Two weeks after the crash, Joe was sworn into the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

at the hospital, where Beau and Hunter were being treated. Neilia and Naomi were buried in St. Joseph on the Brandywine Cemetery in

Greenville, Delaware Greenville is a bedroom community in New Castle County, Delaware, United States, and a suburb of Wilmington. The population was 2,326 at the 2010 census. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Greenville as a census ...

Legacy

In a commencement speech at

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

in 2015, Joe Biden, then serving as

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice ...

in the administration led by

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

, spoke of his wife, saying, "The incredible bond I have with my children is the gift I'm not sure I would have had, had I not been through what I went through fter the fatal crash But by focusing on my sons, I found my redemption." A park in a suburban area of unincorporated

New Castle County, Delaware New Castle County is the northernmost of the three counties of the U.S. state of Delaware (New Castle, Kent, and Sussex). As of the 2020 census, the population was 570,719, making it the most populous county in Delaware, with nearly 60% of th ...

, outside the city of Wilmington, Neilia Hunter Biden Park, is dedicated in her memory.

Cayuga Community College Cayuga Community College, formerly Cayuga County Community College, is a public community college in Cayuga County, New York, United States. It is part of the SUNY system and began in 1953 as Auburn Community College. Its main campus is in Aubu ...

in Auburn, New York, where Neilia's father ran the food service operation for many years, annually confers the Neilia Hunter Biden Award on two graduates, one for

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (profes ...

and one for

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from United Kingdom, its crown dependencies, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, and the countries of the former British Empire. ''The Encyclopaedia Britannica'' defines E ...

. Among the early winners was William "Bill" Fulton, who later served as mayor of

Ventura, California Ventura, officially named San Buenaventura (Spanish for "Saint Bonaventure"), is a city on the Southern Coast of California and the county seat of Ventura County. The population was 110,763 at the 2020 census. Ventura is a popular tourist des ...

. A memorial plaque was erected at Bellevue Elementary School in Syracuse in Neilia's memory.

References

External links

Neilia Hunter Biden
at

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Biden, Neilia Hunter 1942 births 1972 deaths 20th-century American educators Neilia Educators from Delaware Schoolteachers from New York (state) 20th-century American women educators People from Skaneateles, New York People from Wilmington, Delaware Road incident deaths in Delaware Spouses of Delaware politicians Syracuse City School District Syracuse University College of Arts and Sciences alumni Burials in New Castle County, Delaware