Joseph Biden, Jr.

Joseph Biden is vice president of the United States. He took office in January 2009 after serving for thirty-six years as a U.S. senator from Delaware. When he was first elected in 1972, Biden became the sixth-youngest senator in U.S. history. In 2007 he campaigned for the Democratic nomination for president, but he withdrew his candidacy in January 2008. Throughout his Senate career Biden focused on criminal justice and U.S. foreign policy. A practicing Catholic, and the first Catholic to serve as vice president, Biden considered becoming a priest before being drawn to public service instead. As a senator, he met with Pope John Paul II on several occasions and attended his funeral in 2005.