5 Things You Might Not Know About Jill Biden

Dr. Jill Biden will not be your typical first lady. The 69-year-old born in Hammonton, New Jersey has described herself as somewhat rebellious and a bit of a prankster in her younger years. Biden's classmates described her as a good student and it was her love for English literature and language as a child that set the path for her future education and subsequent career.

A fierce protector of her family and a passionate philanthropist, Biden is sure to be an involved partner in the presidency while pursuing her own goals.

Here are five interesting facts about the new first lady.

1. Protects President Biden: Not only did Biden famously throw herself between protesters and her husband last year at his Super Tuesday victory speech, but she has also found creative ways to protect his wellbeing.

As Biden recalled in her memoir, "Where the Light Enters: Building a Family, Discovering Myself," in 2004 he was meeting with a group of advisors who were trying to convince him to challenge President George W. Bush, a Republican, she put on a bikini and wrote "No" in a Sharpie pen across her stomach before marching into the strategy room. Biden did this because she felt her husband was being pressured into running, and wanted him to decline.

Related Link: 5 Things You Might Not Know About Joe Biden

2. A Passion For Work: Biden has always loved to work and snagged her first job as a waitress at the age of 15. She now feels most comfortable being referred to as "Dr. B." She has a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Delaware, master's degrees in Education from West Chester University and in Arts from Villanova University and a Doctor of Education from the University of Delaware.

Biden plans to continue her job as a professor of writing at Northern Virginia Community College, making her the first-ever first lady to keep a job outside of the White House. 

3. She Found Religion: Biden was raised by parents identified as "agnostic realists." At the age of 15, Biden took it upon herself to attend membership classes at Abington Presbyterian Church and was confirmed a year later. Biden admittedly struggled with her faith after the couple lost her stepson, Beau Biden, to cancer in 2015.

Speaking at a fundraiser in Atlanta, Biden spoke of her surprise of reconnecting with her religion through meeting everyday Americans in the events leading up to her husband's bid for the presidency. She stated, "For all the things I expected to find on this campaign, a pathway back to my faith was not one of them."

4. It's Her Second Marriage: President Joe Biden is not her first husband. In 1970, the then-Jill Jacobs married former college football player, Bill Stevenson. Together they opened a college bar called the Stone Balloon which was immensely popular.

By 1974, the couple had drifted apart and formally separated. She met then-Senator Joe Biden on a blind date in 1975 and they married on June 17, 1977, at the United Nations Chapel in New York City.

5. Still A Practical Joker: Biden didn't lose her childhood love for pranks. She is said to be someone who laughs easily and enjoys making jokes. On the 2008 campaign trail, Biden is said to have placed a plastic rat on her husband's podium before he took the stage to speak. Later that night, he found the same rat waiting to greet him in bed on a pillow.

(Photo: White House)