Neilia Hunter Biden

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. She died in a car crash in 1972 along with her one-year-old daughter, Naomi. Her two sons, Beau and Hunter, were critically injured but survived the wreck.
Early life and education.
Neilia Hunter was born on July 28, 1942, in Skaneateles, New York, to Louise (née Basel; 1915–1993) and Robert Hunter (1914–1991). She attended Penn Hall, a secondary boarding school in Pennsylvania. She was active in the school's French club, hockey, swimming, and student council. After secondary school, she attended Syracuse University and was a school teacher in the Syracuse City School District. She was related to former Auburn city councilman Robert Hunter.
Marriage and family life.
Neilia Hunter met Joe Biden in Nassau, Bahamas, while they were both on spring break. Shortly after, Biden moved to Syracuse and attended law school. The couple married on August 27, 1966. After Biden graduated from law school, the Bidens moved to Wilmington, Delaware, where Biden was on the New Castle County Council. 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, Neilia was described by "The News Journal" as the "brains" of his campaign.
Death.
On December 18, 1972, shortly after her husband became U.S. senator-elect, Neilia was driving with children Beau, Hunter and Naomi (3, 2 and 1 years old, respectively) west along rural Valley Road in Hockessin, Delaware. At the intersection with Delaware Route 7 (Limestone Road), she pulled out in front of a tractor-trailer truck traveling north along Route 7. Police determined that Neilia drove into the path of the tractor-trailer, possibly because her head was turned and she did not see the oncoming truck. All four occupants were taken to Wilmington General Hospital. Neilia and Naomi were pronounced dead on arrival, but her two sons survived with multiple serious injuries. Joe Biden was later sworn into the Senate at the hospital where his sons were being treated.
Legacy.
In a commencement speech at Yale University in 2015, Biden 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 accident]. But by focusing on my sons, I found my redemption."
A park in a suburban area of unincorporated New Castle County, Delaware, outside the city of Wilmington, Neilia Hunter Biden Park, is dedicated in her memory. 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 for journalism and one for English literature. Among the early winners was William "Bill" Fulton, who later served as mayor of Ventura, California.