Editing Joe Biden (section)

=== Death of wife and daughter ===
A few weeks after Biden was elected senator, his wife Neilia and one-year-old daughter Naomi were killed in an automobile accident in [[Hockessin, Delaware]], on December 18, 1972.<ref name="ap-timeline" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=December 19, 1972 |title=Biden's Wife, Child Killed in Car Crash |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/12/19/archives/bidens-wife-child-killed-in-car-crash.html |page=9 |access-date=January 8, 2021 |agency=United Press International |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=December 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201202063824/https://www.nytimes.com/1972/12/19/archives/bidens-wife-child-killed-in-car-crash.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Their sons Beau (aged 3) and Hunter (aged 2) were in the car and were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.{{sfn|Witcover|2010|pp=93, 98}} Biden considered resigning to care for them,<ref name="aap08-bio" /> but [[Senate Majority Leader]] [[Mike Mansfield]] persuaded him not to.<ref>{{cite news|last=Levey |first=Noam M. |date=August 24, 2008 |title=In his home state, Biden is a regular Joe |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-aug-24-na-biden24-story.html |access-date=September 7, 2008 |archive-date=December 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191230125100/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-aug-24-na-biden24-story.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Biden contemplated suicide and was filled with anger and religious doubt.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Cohen |first=Max |date=August 17, 2020 |title=Biden says he thought about suicide after 1972 death of his wife and daughter |work=[[Politico]] |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/17/biden-contemplated-suicide-after-1972-deaths-wife-daughter-397487 |access-date=April 30, 2024 |archive-date=July 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240721183748/https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/17/biden-contemplated-suicide-after-1972-deaths-wife-daughter-397487 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Bedigan |first=Mike |date=April 26, 2024 |title=Biden opens up about contemplating suicide after tragic deaths of first wife and daughter |work=[[The Independent]] |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/joe-biden-suicide-howard-stern-b2535629.html |access-date=April 30, 2024 |archive-date=April 30, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240430031830/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/joe-biden-suicide-howard-stern-b2535629.html |url-status=live }}</ref> He wrote that he "felt God had played a horrible trick" on him<ref>Biden, ''Promises to Keep'', p. 81</ref> and had trouble focusing on work.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bumiller |first=Elisabeth |author-link=Elisabeth Bumiller |date=December 14, 2007 |title=Biden Campaigning With Ease After Hardships |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/14/us/politics/14biden.html |access-date=September 13, 2008 |archive-date=December 10, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081210154755/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/14/us/politics/14biden.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=August 1, 2007 |title=On Becoming Joe Biden |publisher=[[NPR]] |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12389154 |access-date=September 12, 2008 |archive-date=September 9, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080909093445/https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12389154 |url-status=live}}</ref>