Joe Biden marked the 50th anniversary of the automobile accident that took the lives of his first wife and their daughter, and seriously injured his two sons Beau and Hunter the month after he was first elected to the Senate in 1972, Politico reports.
Joined by his current wife, Jill, their daughter, Ashley, as well as Hunter and many of their grandchildren, Joe Biden attended a service at at St. Joseph on the Brandywine Roman Catholic Church in Wilmington. The group then laid wreaths at the graves of Neilia, who died at age 30, and Naomi, who was 13-months-old.
Neilia Biden had taken her three children with her while shopping for a Christmas tree. Her car was broadsided by a tractor trailer, killing her and her daughter. Having been elected to his first term in the Senate the previous month, 30-year-old Joe Biden considered withdrawing from the appointment but was convinced to stay by sitting Senators. To spend time with his family, Biden would commute via train from Washington to Wilmington daily.