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Beau Biden's Last Tweet Showed Delaware Devotion

by Celia Darrough

Although it was posted several months before he died, Beau Biden's final tweet was a testament to how much he cared for his home state of Delaware. Biden, the oldest son of Vice President Joe Biden, died of brain cancer at the age of 46, the vice president announced Saturday night. The tweet was simple and included a link to a New York Times article about the attempts to revitalize the downtown area of Wilmington, Delaware, which had seen the majority of its buildings abandoned, or at least underused. Biden tweeted in February, "This article is worth a read. ‘Youthful energy’ will make city stronger as we work to solve public safety challenges."

Biden was a politician, just like his father. The Democrat had served two terms as the state attorney general of Delaware, and he was considered to be a front-runner for the upcoming 2016 state governor's race. Biden also served both his state and his country: He joined the Delaware National Guard in 2003, where he was a major in the Judge Advocate General Corps — he's a trained lawyer — and his unit was deployed to Iraq in 2008. Biden was a popular politician in Delaware, The New York Times reports, and though there had been some inkling of health concerns over the past few weeks, many people still believed he would run for governor — and that he would have been a good one, too, considering how important Delaware was to him.

In fact, basically Biden's entire Twitter feed is dedicated to Delaware. The hashtag #DE litters nearly every tweet, as he posted links about the economy, the weather, and his accomplishments as attorney general.

His Twitter also proved what a family man he was. Biden is survived by his wife, Hallie; his two children, Natalie and Hunter; his brother, Hunter; and his father and stepmother, Joe and Jill Biden. Biden's mother and younger sister died in a car crash in the early 1970s. Biden tweeted about his dad and his accomplishments as the vice president of the United States, as well as tweeting sweet photos of his children.

Vice President Biden issued a touching statement about his son's death Saturday night, stating:

It is with broken hearts that Hallie, Hunter, Ashley, Jill and I announce the passing of our husband, brother and son, Beau, after he battled brain cancer with the same integrity, courage and strength he demonstrated every day of his life.

The entire Biden family is saddened beyond words. We know that Beau's spirit will live on in all of us, especially through his brave wife, Hallie, and two remarkable children.