Joseph R. Biden Jr. was sworn in as our nation’s 46th President on Wednesday, Jan. 20 on Capitol Hill, and perhaps equally historic is the fact that his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, has become the first Italian American First Lady in U.S. history.
The oath of office took place after this performance of The National Anthem by Stefani Germanotta (Lady Gaga):
Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, attended Mass at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle ahead of his inauguration pic.twitter.com/2ADE7GsRjf
— Reuters (@Reuters) January 21, 2021
Her story, and its humble beginnings, read like so many accounts that have been passed down from one Italian American generation to the next.
Her grandfather, Domenico Giacoppo, emigrated with his parents (Gaetano and Concetta) from Sicily to Ellis Island in 1900, and worked as a furniture deliveryman in New Jersey. Her father, Donald, started as a bank teller and went on to become the head of a savings and loan institution in Philadelphia.
“My grandmother cooked traditional Italian dishes for Sunday dinner. We would go to my grandparents house every Sunday because her cooking was the best. The red sauce and the meatballs and the pasta,” First Lady Jill Biden said during a recent Q&A with writer Joe Battaglia. “I have beautiful memories of cooking with my grandmother, mom and four sisters. It was at their house that I made homemade tomato sauce for the first time.”
Women of the White House highlight American fashion designers of color and underrepresented voices on #InaugurationDay. https://t.co/gUlWh6l261
— MS NOW (@MSNOWNews) January 21, 2021
First Lady Biden has a bachelor’s and doctoral degree from the University of Delaware, as well as two master’s degrees. She taught English and reading in high schools for 13 years, and also taught adolescents with emotional disabilities at a psychiatric hospital.
Since 2009, she has been a professor of English at Northern Virginia Community College and is thought to be the first Second Lady to hold a paying job while her husband was vice president.
Despite a leave of absence due to her role with the campaign, she plans on returning to work during President Biden’s first term in office.
Her work ethic and close ties to her Italian American roots align with the ISDA mission of preserving and promoting our traditions, history and heritage, and we wish her and President Biden well in the months and years to come.
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(Photo credit: Phil Roeder)
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