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Neilia Hunter Biden | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Biden in 1966 | |
| Born | Neilia Hunter (1942-07-28)July 28, 1942 Skaneateles, New York, U.S. |
| Died | December 18, 1972(1972-12-18) (aged 30) Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Traffic collision |
| Burial place | St. Joseph on the Brandywine Cemetery,Greenville, Delaware, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Syracuse University (MA) |
| Occupation | Teacher |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3, includingBeau andHunter |
| Family | Biden (by marriage) |
Neilia Hunter Biden (néeHunter; July 28, 1942 – December 18, 1972) was an American teacher and the first wife ofJoe Biden, who later became the 46th president of the United States. She died in a car crash with their one-year-old daughter, Naomi; their two sons,Beau andHunter, were injured but survived the incident. Her death occurred six weeks after her husband'selection to the U.S. Senate.
Neilia Hunter was born on July 28, 1942, inSkaneateles, New York, to Louise (née Basel; 1916–1993) and Robert Hunter (1914–1991), who were Presbyterians.[1][2] Neilia had two brothers, John and Michael (1950–2023).[3] She attended Penn Hall, asecondary boarding school inChambersburg, Pennsylvania. She was active in the school'sFrench club,field hockey,swimming andstudent council.[4] After secondary school, she attendedSyracuse University and was a school teacher in theSyracuse City School District.[2][5] She was an English teacher at the Bellevue School inSyracuse, New York.[5][6] She was a first cousin of formerAuburn city councilman Robert Hunter.[7]
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Neilia Hunter metJoe Biden inNassau, Bahamas, while they were both on spring break.[8] Shortly afterwards, Biden moved to Syracuse to be closer to her and attend law school.[5] The couple married on August 27, 1966.[4] After Biden graduated from law school, the couple moved toWilmington, Delaware, where he was on theNew Castle County Council. They had three children:Joseph Robinette "Beau" III,Robert Hunter and Naomi Christina ("Amy").[9]
While Biden was campaigning to unseat U.S. Delaware SenatorJ. Caleb Boggs, Neilia was described byThe News Journal as the "brains" of his campaign.[4]
On December 18, 1972, shortly after Joe became U.S. senator-elect, Neilia was driving with her three children west along rural Valley Road inHockessin, Delaware. At the intersection withDelaware Route 7 (Limestone Road), their vehicle pulled out in front of atractor-trailer truck traveling north along Route 7 and was struck by it. Police determined that Neilia had driven into the path of the tractor-trailer.[10][11] The truck driver, identified as Curtis C. Dunn, aged 47, ofAvondale, Pennsylvania, escaped without any major injury (he died in 1999).[12][13] All four occupants of the Bidens' vehicle were taken toWilmington General Hospital, where Neilia and Naomi were pronounced dead on arrival. Three-year-old Beau and two-year-old Hunter were treated for non-life-threatening injuries, Beau with a broken leg and other wounds, and Hunter with a minor skull fracture and other head injuries.[14] Two weeks after the crash, Joe was sworn into theSenate at the hospital where his two sons were being treated.[4] Neilia and Naomi were buried inSt. Joseph on the Brandywine Cemetery inGreenville, Delaware.[15]
In a commencement speech atYale University in 2015, Joe Biden, then serving asU.S. vice president in the administration led byBarack Obama, 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 [after the fatal crash]. But by focusing on my sons, I found my redemption."[16]
Dedicated in her memory, Neilia Hunter Biden Park is in a suburban area of unincorporatedNew Castle County, Delaware.[17]Cayuga Community College 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 is conferred forjournalism and the other forEnglish literature.[18] Among the early winners wasWilliam "Bill" Fulton, who later served as mayor ofVentura, California.[19]
A memorial plaque was erected at Bellevue Elementary School in Syracuse in Neilia's memory.[6]
