A 30-year veteran of the U.S. Senate, Joseph Biden Jr. has had to overcome devastating personal tragedy, embarrassing public scandal and serious health scares on his path to becoming a presidential hopeful.
The senator from Delaware credits his strong family ties with keeping him motivated both personally and professionally through the years.
Charles Gibson spoke with Biden as part of a new ABC News series called "Who Is," which features one interview a week with a presidential hopeful from now until December, with a focus on their private lives.
Biden was born Nov. 20, 1942, in Scranton, Pa., but spent the majority of his childhood in New Castle, Del. The eldest of four siblings, Biden said his parents made it a point to instill in their son the importance of family and faith.
Watch the full interview tonight on "World News With Charles Gibson" at 6:30 EDT
"My mom would always say, 'Just remember, you're closer to your brother and your sister than you are to me and your dad. You're the same blood,'" Biden said.
His faith was so central to his upbringing that growing up, Biden thought he wanted to be a priest.
"I come from an Irish-Catholic family," Biden said. "And [I] always thought that was the thing [to do.]"
But he feared his dreams would never come true. He had a debilitating stutter when he was a child and would often get teased by schoolmates who called him "Joe Impedimenta." With a damaged self-image, Biden limited his aspirations.
"The things I wanted to be, I worried I could never be because I couldn't talk," Biden said.
But he was determined to triumph over this setback.
"I'd stand in front of the mirror and repeat Emerson's 'Meek young men grow up in libraries, believing it their duty,' watching the muscles in my face," Biden said. "I knew I had to talk. I knew I had to overcome this."
Biden eventually learned to control his stutter and attended the University of Delaware. The transition to college was not an easy one for him.
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