In her new memoir, Growing Up Biden (April 12, Celadon Books), Biden Owens, 76, paints an authentic picture of what it was like growing up as the second of four in a devout Catholic family, one whose close-knit bond led her into a career she would enjoy for 50 years—and counting. It is a first-hand account of her relationship with her brothers, one of whom is now one of the most powerful political figures in the world, and how the two have stuck by each other through triumphs and tragedies.
The Early Years
“Family is the beginning, the middle and the end. Period." This was a philosophy that Biden Owens’ mom, Catherine “Jean” Biden, instilled in her four children: Joey, Valerie, Jimmy and Frankie. They all took heed. In Growing Up Biden, she recalls “family meetings” in which the kids would convene–never with their parents—to hash out their differences. They were typical squabbles of siblings, she recalls: “You embarrassed me,” “You hurt my feelings” and so on. Unlike other children who might argue and hold grudges, the Biden siblings got to the heart of the matter. The goal was to get the offense out in the open, discuss their feelings, mend the rift and move on. “We didn’t know it at the time, but we were learning empathy,” Biden Owens says. They grew up in a loving household that experienced financial ups and downs, but they always kept things in perspective. Joe Sr., was always there with words of wisdom and encouragement. One of his favorite sayings was, “It’s not how many times you get knocked down, but how quickly you get up.” These words would resonate for years to come with his children, even making it into Joe Biden’s inaugural address. The Biden kids were raised, for the most part, in Delaware, with a strong sense of family and a home that was almost always multigenerational—Biden Owens can barely remember a time when it wasn’t. “It did not house the same relatives permanently, but it did permanently house relatives.” So, it’s no wonder that when Joe Biden was thinking about running for high school class president, he would value his family’s help and ask his little sister Valerie to help him campaign. And thus began two political careers.
Joe Biden: The Older Brother
“She’s been my best friend since I was 3 years old,” President Biden said in Growing Up Biden. In it, the brother-sister duo is sitting together in the White House’s private residence, being asked by Biden Owens’ daughter, Missy, about their relationship. The two go on to describe an easy friendship and working partnership in which both respected and trusted each other implicitly. In 1972, at the age of 26, Biden Owens became one of the first women in U.S. history to manage a Senate campaign. At the time, she was a teacher at Wilmington Friends School but worked on her off hours as Joe Biden’s campaign manager. Her campaign strategy was a grassroots effort, in which she employed her students, friends and family to help by handing out hundreds of flyers across the state of Delaware. (They didn’t have the funding to mail the flyers, so this was the next best thing.) Her tenacity and determination paid off, and Biden upset the incumbent, much to the surprise of many in the Democratic party. While still soaking in the win, an unimaginable tragedy would affect everyone in their family. Joe Biden’s wife, Neilia, and their three kids were involved in a deadly car accident. Neilia and baby Naomi were killed when their car was struck by a truck while driving to get their Christmas tree. Biden’s sons, Hunter and Beau, were injured and hospitalized but survived. It was at this time that Biden Owens pledged to continue to help her brother not only professionally but personally. She moved in with her brother and two surviving nephews to help raise them. With Biden Owens’ assistance, her brother was able to concentrate on building a Senate career—one in which his sister would become an instrumental piece in the coming decades.
Making Her Political and Historical Mark
Biden Owens has been credited as the first female campaign manager to run a modern U.S. Senate campaign. After this 1972 feat, she would lead her brother to seven straight U.S. Senate victories. She oversaw two failed presidential runs, but never wavered in her support or belief in what she and her brother were ultimately fighting for: political leadership that valued integrity above all else. During Biden’s 1987 bid for Democratic nominee, it was his sister’s honest and genuine conviction about her brother’s integrity that shone through. After failing to credit part of his campaign speech, Biden received some critical backlash before dropping out of the race. But sitting down to have what she feared would be a difficult conversation with a reporter, Biden Owens spoke from the heart. “You want to know my brother?” she said to Washington Post reporter David Broder. She went on to tell him her take on her brother: his platform, his personality, his convictions. His response: “‘I had no idea who your brother was, thank you.’” Her unwavering support, dedication and countless campaign hours paid off when her brother was elected as the 46th president of the United States in 2020. While not the official campaign manager, she was an essential advisor. “I was asked by a reporter what it felt like not managing this final campaign, and I said: ‘Damn frustrating.’ It was, because for the first time ever, I had to convince a new team why I thought something was a good idea, instead of just saying because I said so."
Her Own Professional Achievements
Aside from her invaluable advice and campaigning, Biden Owens has also ventured out to make her own mark on the political landscape, eventually named to Forbes’ “Impact List,” a compilation of women over 50 who are making a difference in nonprofit, law, policy and education. “My work felt, well, done,” she said after her brother was named vice president under President Barack Obama. So she embarked on her own path, one that would lead her from the floors of the UN Assembly and the halls of Harvard to Liberia and Romania. She began traveling with the Women’s Campaign International (WCI), of which she had been a member for 20-plus years. The goal was to advance their mission: “Enact meaningful change worldwide by supporting women who are mobilizing their communities.” More women need to get involved in politics if this world is ever going to change for the better, she has said. And through WCI, Biden Owens has helped to train women in emerging democracies to find a seat at the political table. As the 2016 U.S. Advisor to the United Nations, she represented the U.S. and delivered three interventions from the podium on topics, including the International Court of Justice and Human rights. Biden Owens also served as the EVP for Joe Slade White and Company, a media consultant firm that works with political leaders. And last but not least, Biden Owens is the chair for the Biden Institute at the University of Delaware, whose mission is to influence, shape and work to solve the most pressing domestic policies. Through all her triumphs and tribulations, Biden Owens has remained strong and steadfast: “Kindness reverberates,” she says. “What you say and do matters. That is what I learned—growing up Biden.” Read more about Valerie Biden Owens’ remarkable life and career by ordering Growing Up Biden from Celadon Books here. Next, Jill Biden’s Deeply Personal Book Where the Light Enters Will Bring Tears to Your Eyes
