Who was Jill Biden's first husband and what were the marriage dates?
Executive summary
Jill Biden’s first husband was William “Bill” Stevenson (sometimes reported as William Stevenson), whom she married while a University of Delaware student; most contemporary reporting gives the marriage as beginning in 1970 and ending in 1975 [1] [2] [3]. Public records and news reporting also note a separation in the fall of 1974 before the formal end of the marriage in 1975, and Jill Biden has described the union as a youthful marriage that later dissolved [4] [5].
1. Who he was: William “Bill” Stevenson and how sources identify him
Contemporary news outlets and biographical profiles identify Jill Biden’s first husband as William Stevenson, widely referred to in reporting as Bill Stevenson, a former college football player and later founder of a music venue in Newark known as the Stone Balloon [1] [2]. Multiple major outlets—including AP and People—explicitly name him as Jill Biden’s first spouse when recounting her biography and recent criminal charges involving him, establishing the identity consistently across reporting [1] [6] [2].
2. Marriage dates and timeline offered by sources
The mainstream account used by reputable outlets states the marriage began in 1970 and ended in 1975: the Associated Press reports the marriage as occurring from 1970 to 1975, and People and other long-form profiles likewise place the wedding in 1970 with the dissolution in the mid-1970s [1] [2]. The Guardian specifies a February 1970 wedding date while other sources emphasize that Jill separated from Stevenson in the fall of 1974 and that the legal end of the marriage was recorded in 1975, reflecting a short marriage of roughly five years [3] [4] [5].
3. Conflicting recollections and allegations about timing and conduct
The record is not without dispute: Stevenson himself has publicly asserted a different chronology, claiming a closer relationship with Joe Biden earlier than the Bidens’ account and casting the split as contentious, while Jill Biden and官方 biographical summaries maintain that she and Joe Biden first dated in March 1975—after her separation—and married Joe in June 1977 [4] [7] [5]. Reporting includes both sides: Stevenson’s claims have been aired in interviews and conservative outlets, and Jill Biden has denied assertions that an affair with Joe Biden predated her separation [4] [1]. These divergent narratives underscore that personal memories and retrospective accounts can differ and that media coverage has relayed both perspectives [4] [7].
4. Why the dates matter now and how reporting frames them
The mid-1970s timeline has resurged in public attention because of recent criminal charges against Stevenson unrelated to the Biden family’s later life together; outlets such as AP, PBS and The Guardian note Stevenson’s indictment and explicitly link him to Jill Biden as her former husband while repeating the 1970–1975 marriage dates used in their profiles [1] [6] [3]. Reporting typically treats the marriage dates as settled biographical facts while also flagging Stevenson’s contested claims about the early 1970s timeline and the Bidens’ responses, which is relevant context for readers assessing motives, characterizations and potential bias in firsthand statements [4] [1].
5. What can’t be concluded from the available reporting
Public-source accounts consistently identify Stevenson as Jill Biden’s first husband and give the marriage as spanning approximately 1970–1975, but granular primary documents such as the marriage certificate date or the exact finalization date of the divorce are not reproduced in the cited reporting; therefore absolute precision beyond the published ranges requires consultation of primary legal records, which the current set of news and biographical sources does not provide [1] [3] [2].