Joe Biden through the years - in pictures

  • Joe Biden speaks with his bedridden son, Beau, before he was sworn in as the US senator from Delaware in January 1973. Mr Biden's first wife and daughter were killed in the car accident that injured his two sons. AP
    Joe Biden speaks with his bedridden son, Beau, before he was sworn in as the US senator from Delaware in January 1973. Mr Biden's first wife and daughter were killed in the car accident that injured his two sons. AP
  • Mr Biden on a trip to China while he was the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman in 2001. AFP
    Mr Biden on a trip to China while he was the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman in 2001. AFP
  • Mr Biden, then a senator, tours ground zero with fellow Senate members Ted Kennedy and Barbara Mikulski. AFP
    Mr Biden, then a senator, tours ground zero with fellow Senate members Ted Kennedy and Barbara Mikulski. AFP
  • Mr Biden meets Rafic Hariri, the assassinated prime minister of Lebanon, in April 2002 in Washington. AFP
    Mr Biden meets Rafic Hariri, the assassinated prime minister of Lebanon, in April 2002 in Washington. AFP
  • Mr Biden meets late Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon in June 2002. AFP
    Mr Biden meets late Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon in June 2002. AFP
  • Mr Biden meets Ibrahim Jaafari, who was Iraqi prime minister at the time, in Baghdad in May 2005. AFP
    Mr Biden meets Ibrahim Jaafari, who was Iraqi prime minister at the time, in Baghdad in May 2005. AFP
  • Mr Biden and his wife Jill celebrating their son Beau's election as attorney general of Delaware. AP
    Mr Biden and his wife Jill celebrating their son Beau's election as attorney general of Delaware. AP
  • Mr Biden in Ramadi, Iraq, in 2007. AFP
    Mr Biden in Ramadi, Iraq, in 2007. AFP
  • Mr Biden squares off against Sarah Palin during the vice presidential debate at Washington University in St Louis, Missouri, in October 2008. Reuters
    Mr Biden squares off against Sarah Palin during the vice presidential debate at Washington University in St Louis, Missouri, in October 2008. Reuters
  • The Bidens and Barack and Michelle Obama arrive for an election night party in Chicago, Illinois, in November 2008. AFP
    The Bidens and Barack and Michelle Obama arrive for an election night party in Chicago, Illinois, in November 2008. AFP
  • Mr Biden meets Jalal Talabani, the Iraqi president at the time, in Baghdad in January 2009. AFP
    Mr Biden meets Jalal Talabani, the Iraqi president at the time, in Baghdad in January 2009. AFP
  • Mr Biden and sons Hunter, left, and Beau walk in the Inaugural Parade in January 2009 in Washington. AFP / Getty Images
    Mr Biden and sons Hunter, left, and Beau walk in the Inaugural Parade in January 2009 in Washington. AFP / Getty Images