Joe Biden

Joe Biden is the 47th Vice President of the United States. Reporters, Obama supporters and even his rivals awaited anxiously by their cell phones August 2008 for Obama's Veep announcement to arrive via text message, as the campaign had promised. In the wee hours of August 23rd, the text arrived in inboxes: Obama had picked Biden, one of the media-crowned frontrunners throughout the selection process. Later that day, the two appeared for the first time as the 2008 Democratic ticket at the Old State Capitol State Historic Site in Springfield, Illinois. They later surged to victory in November 2008, beating out Republican ticket John McCain and Sarah Palin.

The vice presidency is only the latest entry on Biden's lengthy political resume. He first entered the realm of national politics in 1972 when he was elected to the Senate by Delaware voters, beating out GOP incumbent J. Caleb Boggs at the young age of 29. He became the sixth-youngest senator in U.S. history, just clearing the 30-year-old age minimum required by the Senate before taking office.

But, he almost didn't make it to D.C. at all — five weeks after his election, his wife and infant daughter were killed and his two sons were injured in a car accident while Christmas shopping. He was convinced by then-Majority Leader Mansfield to take his seat anyway, despite being devastated by his loss. He was re-elected to the Senate six times, and was the fourth most senior senator at the time of his resignation in early 2009.

While in the Senate, one of Biden's most memorable roles was chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, where he oversaw Supreme Court nominations of Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas, the two most contentious confirmation hearings in the high court's recent history. The Bork vote was criticized for being on personal views rather than professional qualifications, while Biden was criticized for not bringing Anita Hill's sexual harassment accusations against Clarence Thomas before the committee until after they leaked in the media.

Biden also cultivated foreign policy expertise during his time in the Senate. He was chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, helping bring about U.S. military assistance and intervention during the Bosnian war. He also voted in favor of authorizing the use of force against Iraq under President Bush in October 2002, but led Democratic efforts to shape a withdrawal strategy in 2007 when the war turned ugly.

Though now in the No. 2 spot in the White House, less than a year earlier Biden had hoped to be the one behind the desk in the Oval Office. Biden unsuccessfully sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008, but dropped out early after a poor showing in the Iowa caucuses. It was his second bid for the presidency — he also ran in 1988 but left the race because of a plagiarism charge. He's the first Roman Catholic and first Delawarean to become VPOTUS. Known for frequently putting his foot in his mouth, some say Obama's biggest challenge of having Biden as his Veep will be keeping him from committing dangerous gaffes, while the White House says his straightforwardness and candor is something the American people love about their new VP.

—Katie Rooney