For better ties: Nagpur’s Bidens will raise a toast

NAGPUR: As Joe Biden takes oath tonight at 10.30, the city’s Bidens, who have an ancestral connect with the 46th President of the United States are hopeful of good Indo-US ties.
The late Leslie Biden of Nagpur and Joe Biden are linked through their mutual great, great, great, great, great grandfather.
Leslie’s large family of six children, four daughters and two sons, has 14 grandchildren, some based in Nagpur and some in different places in India and abroad.
Family members, who did not wish to be named, said they did not get an invite for the swearing-in ceremony of Joe Biden. However, the Bidens are likely to watch the mega event on TV, live or recorded.
Leslie had found a connect with Joe through the ‘Illustrated Weekly Of India’ (April 4, 1981). Joe, then a member of the senate, had written an article titled ‘American Express’.
Leslie wrote to Joe to discuss the family tree. Joe responded, saying he was happy to have received a letter from Leslie (TOI was shown the three letters, two by Leslie (the drafted version) and one by Joe on his US letter head). Joe had also discussed the Bidens’ visit to India.
Lesie and Joe shared information regarding a common ancestor (John Biden and his wife Anne Beaumont). Both Leslie and Joe had committed to correspond in the future.
After Leslie passed away in 1983, his widow Genevieve didn’t take the communication forward with Joe. Even Joe was struck by a tragedy in 1972 — he lost his wife and daughter.
In speeches in Mumbai (July 2013) and Washington (2015), Joe Biden had referred to the Indian connection. “We (Leslie and Joe) have a mutual great, great, great, great, grandfather,” he had said at the time.