On behalf or Vice President Joe Biden, the White House released the following statement:
It is with broken hearts that Hallie, Hunter, Ashley, Jill and I announce the passing of our husband, brother and son, Beau, after he battled brain cancer with the same integrity, courage and strength he demonstrated every day of his life.
The entire Biden family is saddened beyond words. We know that Beau’s spirit will live on in all of us—especially through his brave wife, Hallie, and two remarkable children, Natalie and Hunter.
Beau’s life was defined by service to others. As a young lawyer, he worked to establish the rule of law in war-torn Kosovo. A major in the Delaware National Guard, he was an Iraq War veteran and was awarded the Bronze Star. As Delaware’s Attorney General, he fought for the powerless and made it his mission to protect children from abuse.
More than his professional accomplishments, Beau measured himself as a husband, father, son and brother. His absolute honor made him a role model for our family. Beau embodied my father’s saying that a parent knows success when his child turns out better than he did.
In the words of the Biden family: Beau Biden was, quite simply, the finest man any of us have ever known.
The former attorney general of Delaware, whose full name is Joseph Robinette Biden III, announced during his re-election campaign that he intended to run for Governor in 2016. He wrote on his website:
After careful consideration, I have concluded that it is not right to ask for your support in 2014, knowing that my focus would be divided between doing my job as Attorney General while at the same time running as a candidate for Governor.
Therefore, I am announcing today that I will not seek reelection as your Attorney General this November.
The Office of Attorney General is a four-year commitment. Its responsibilities are too significant, and the voters’ trust too important not to give it my complete and undivided attention. It should not be, nor can it become, a two-year staging ground for another elected office.
In the meantime, there’s a lot more work to do over the next eight months, and I intend to get it done. After my term is completed, I look forward to meeting with Delawareans and continuing to discuss my plans as a candidate for Governor.
Please know that the opportunity to serve you in this office is and always has been a tremendous honor.
Thank you for the faith you’ve placed in me.
Take care…
Biden was preceded in death by his mother, Neilia Hunter, and younger sister, Naomi Christina Biden, who were killed in an automobile accident in 1972. He is survived by his wife, Hallie, and two children: a daughter, Natalie, and a son, Hunter.
