S . ▁Senator ▁and ▁Vice ▁President ▁Joe ▁B iden , ▁and ▁his ▁first ▁wife , ▁Ne ilia ▁( née ▁Hunter ). ▁On ▁December ▁ 1 8 , ▁ 1 9 7 2 , ▁B iden ' s ▁mother , ▁Ne ilia , ▁and ▁younger ▁sister ▁Na omi ▁were ▁killed ▁in ▁an ▁autom obile ▁accident ▁while ▁Christmas ▁sho pping . ▁Beau ▁was ▁less ▁than ▁four ▁years ▁old , ▁and ▁his ▁brother ▁Hunter ▁was ▁two ▁years ▁old . ▁Both ▁of ▁them ▁were ▁present ▁in ▁the ▁car ▁when ▁the ▁accident ▁took ▁place , ▁but ▁surv ived ▁with ▁critical ▁inj uries . ▁Beau ▁suffered ▁multiple ▁broken ▁b ones ▁while ▁Hunter ▁sust ained ▁inj uries ▁to ▁his ▁scal p . ▁ ▁According ▁to ▁some ▁accounts , ▁Beau ▁and ▁Hunter ▁encourag ed ▁their ▁father ▁to ▁marry ▁again , ▁even ▁going ▁so ▁far ▁as ▁to ▁ask ▁him ▁" when ▁were ▁' we ' ▁going ▁to ▁get ▁married ." ▁In ▁June ▁ 1 9 7 7 , ▁eight - year - old ▁B iden ▁wel com ed ▁J ill ▁Jacob s ▁as ▁a ▁" second ▁mother ". ▁His ▁half - s ister , ▁Ash ley , ▁was ▁born ▁in ▁ 1 9 8 1 . ▁ ▁B iden ▁married ▁Hall ie ▁O li vere ▁in ▁ 2 0 0 2 . ▁They ▁had ▁a ▁daughter , ▁Natal ie , ▁in ▁ 2 0 0 4 , ▁and ▁a ▁son , ▁Robert ▁Hunter ▁B iden ▁II , ▁in ▁ 2 0 0 6 . ▁ ▁Career ▁B iden ▁graduated ▁from ▁Arch m