Claim: Joe Biden was first elected to the Senate in 1972.

Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. -LRB- -LSB- ˈdʒoʊsᵻf_rɒbᵻˈnɛt_ˈbaɪdən -RSB- born November 20 , 1942 -RRB- is an American politician who was the 47th Vice President of the United States from 2009 to 2017 , having been jointly elected twice with President Barack Obama . A member of the Democratic Party , he represented Delaware as a United States Senator from 1973 until becoming Vice President in 2009 .   Biden was born in Scranton , Pennsylvania , in 1942 , and lived there for ten years before moving to Delaware . He became an attorney in 1969 , and was elected to the New Castle County council in 1970 . He was first elected to the Senate in 1972 , and became the sixth-youngest senator in U.S. history . He was re-elected to the Senate six times , and was the fourth most senior senator at the time of his resignation to assume the Vice Presidency in 2009 . He was a long-time member and former chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee . He opposed the Gulf War in 1991 , but advocated U.S. and NATO intervention in the Bosnian War in 1994 and 1995 . He voted in favor of the resolution authorizing the Iraq War in 2002 , but opposed the surge of U.S. troops in 2007 . He has also served as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee , dealing with issues related to drug policy , crime prevention , and civil liberties , and led the legislative efforts for creation of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act , and the Violence Against Women Act . He chaired the Judiciary Committee during the contentious U.S. Supreme Court nominations of Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas .   Biden unsuccessfully sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988 and in 2008 , both times dropping out after lackluster showings . In the 2008 U.S. presidential election , Barack Obama chose Biden to be his running mate in the race , which they won . He became the first Roman Catholic , and the first Delawarean , to be Vice President of the United States .   As Vice President in the Obama administration , Biden oversaw the infrastructure spending aimed at counteracting the Great Recession , and U.S. policy toward Iraq up until the withdrawal of U.S. troops in 2011 . His ability to negotiate with congressional Republicans helped bring about legislation such as the Tax Relief , Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization , and Job Creation Act of 2010 that resolved a taxation deadlock , the Budget Control Act of 2011 that resolved that year 's debt ceiling crisis , and the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 that addressed the impending `` fiscal cliff '' . In 2011 , he opposed going ahead with the military mission that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden . Obama and Biden were re-elected in 2012 . In October 2015 , after months of speculation , Biden chose not to run for President of the United States in 2016 . In December 2016 , he refused to rule out a potential bid for President in 2020 , but announced on January 13 , 2017 , that he would not run , only to seemingly backtrack just four days later , again refusing to rule out a potential bid . On January 12 , 2017 , Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom , with distinction . After leaving office , Biden was named the Benjamin Franklin Presidential Practice professor at the University of Pennsylvania .