Sunday marks the 50th anniversary of the death of President Joe Biden’s first wife, Neilia Hunter Biden.
Mr Biden met her while on spring break from the University of Delaware. He sneaked in to an exclusive beach club in the Bahamas, where he saw her by the swimming pool.
“When she turned towards me, I could see she had a beautiful smile and gorgeous green eyes,” he wrote in his memoir Promises to Keep. “She was lit by the unforgiving journey of a full afternoon sun, and I couldn't see a single flaw.”
Despite their different upbringings ― hers more on the posh side and him being, “just a kid from Scranton, Pennsylvania” — along with opposing political leanings, the two were married in August 1966 with their first son Beau arriving in 1969, followed by son Hunter, and a year later daughter Naomi.
The father of three and his wife set goals and mapped out what would prove to be Mr Biden’s political ascendancy that would lead him to the highest office in the US.
Neilia supported all of her husband’s political aspirations and was a key player in Mr Biden’s first run for the senate. His victory over Republican challenger J Caleb Boggs made him the second-youngest candidate to win a seat in the US Senate.
Two weeks later, on November 20, the young family cut a cake to honour Mr Biden’s 30th birthday. Christmas would be just around the corner and then, in January, the swearing-in ceremony. The Bidens had so much to look forward to.
A week before Christmas Day, Mr Biden headed to Washington to set up his new offices on Capitol Hill, while Neilia and the children stayed behind to go holiday shopping and see Santa. She loaded up the children into the family estate car and headed out for the day.
At around 2.30pm on December 18, 1972, Neilia crashed into an oncoming lorry, launching the vehicle 46 metres into an embankment. The family was taken to hospital where Neilia and Naomi were pronounced dead on arrival.
Beau sustained a broken leg and Hunter, a fractured skull.
Mr Biden wrote in Promises to Keep that for the first time in his life he understood anguish so bad that you want to take your own life — but he stuck around for his sons and took his oath of office in their hospital room, both at his side.
“To lose a child is like having a piece of your soul ripped away. There's a hollowness in your chest, you feel like you're being sucked into it,” Mr Biden said following the Uvalde massacre at a Texas elementary school. “And it's never quite the same.”
In 2015, Mr Biden's son Beau died of brain cancer.
Mr Biden, who keeps a notebook with many of the eulogies he has delivered, has visited countless families suffering from grief — from fallen soldiers to the parents of George Floyd — earning him the nickname of consoler-in-chief.
While giving a speech at Yale University, soon after learning of Beau's cancer diagnosis, Mr Biden said: “There will come a day — I promise you, and your parents as well — when the thought of your son or daughter, or your husband or wife, brings a smile to your lips before it brings a tear to your eye.
“It will happen.”
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The inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th president of the United States took place on January 20, 2021. EPA -
Vice President Kamala Harris, left, is sworn into office by Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor, right. EPA -
Joe Biden stands with his wife, Jill Biden, as he is given the oath of office by Chief Justice John Roberts of the Supreme Court. EPA -
US President Joe Biden signs an executive order on Covid-19 during his first minutes in the Oval Office. EPA -
The US president and first lady address the National Football League Super Bowl LV between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on February 7. EPA -
Mr Biden, left, Ms Biden, second left, Ms Harris, third left, and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff hold a moment of silence outside the White House on February 22 for the 500,000 Americans who have died from Covid-19. EPA -
German Chancellor Angela Merkel takes part in the virtual international climate summit with Mr Biden on April 22 in Berlin, Germany. Getty Images -
Mr Biden delivers his first address to a joint session of Congress on April 28 as Ms Harris, second right, and speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi applaud. EPA -
Mr Biden and the first lady are driven away following their arrival at the White House on April 29. EPA -
The president's wax figure is unveiled at Musee Grevin in Paris, France, on May 18. Getty Images -
Mr Biden addresses US Air Force personnel on June 9 at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, England, ahead of the G7 summit in Cornwall. Getty Images -
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks with Mr Biden during a meeting ahead of the G7 summit. Getty Images -
Left to right, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, President of the European Council Charles Michel, Mr Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Mr Johnson, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, French President Emmanuel Macron, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and Ms Merkel pose during the G7 Summit In Carbis Bay. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth II, centre, with Mr Biden and the first lady in the Grand Corridor at Windsor Castle on June 13. Getty Images -
Mr Biden, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meet during the US-Russia summit at Villa La Grange on June 16 in Geneva, Switzerland. Getty Images -
Mr Biden delivers remarks on Afghanistan in the East Room of the White House on August 16. EPA -
Mr Johnson, left, Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison, centre, and Mr Biden attend a press conference via audio visual link from Parliament House in Canberra, Australia. EPA -
President Biden receives his coronavirus booster vaccination in Washington on September 27. Reuters -
Mr Biden meets with members of his administration, business leaders and CEOs regarding the need to address the debt limit, on October 6. EPA -
The US president walks past Swiss Guards as he arrives for a private audience with Pope Francis at the San Damaso courtyard in Vatican City on October 29. EPA -
Mr Biden arrives for the Cop26 UN Climate Summit on November 1 in Glasgow, Scotland. Getty Images -
Mr Biden, surrounded by lawmakers, signs the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act on the South Lawn of the White House on November 15. EPA -
Mr Biden and his wife attend the 2021 National Christmas Tree lighting ceremony on the Ellipse in Washington on December 2. EPA -
Mr and Mrs Biden at the casket of former senator Robert J Dole in Washington on December 9. EPA -
People walk past a big screen showing Mr Biden, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping attending a virtual summit on November 16. EPA -
Mr Biden, centre, stands with former Kentucky governor Steve Beshear, left, and Dane Maddox as he inspects damage from a tornado that struck the state on December 10. EPA -
The president and the first lady pet their dog, a German Shepherd puppy named Commander, while virtually meeting with United States military service members on Christmas Day in the White House. EPA -
Mr Biden marks the one-year anniversary of the Capitol attack on January 6. EPA
