James Brian 'Jim' Biden (born May 16, 1949) is an American businessman and the younger brother of U.S. President Joe Biden. The third of four children in a Catholic family, he grew up alongside his siblings Joe, Valerie, and Frank, initially in Scranton, Pennsylvania, before the family relocated to Claymont, Delaware. He attended the University of Delaware but left without completing his degree to support his family following the tragic deaths of his sister-in-law Neilia and niece Naomi in a 1972 car accident. He played a key role in his brother's early political career as the finance chairman for Joe Biden's successful 1972 U.S. Senate campaign, leveraging his skills as a fundraiser. Over the decades, James Biden built a diverse business career spanning industries such as insurance brokerage, financial services, hospitality (including nightclub ownership), energy, healthcare, affordable housing, real estate, and construction, often as an independent contractor, investor, or entrepreneur. He obtained various licenses in insurance, securities, and real estate, and was known within the family as the supportive figure ready to assist during challenges. His professional ventures have frequently intersected with his family's political prominence, leading to scrutiny over potential influence peddling. In the 2000s and 2010s, he partnered with his nephew Hunter Biden in ventures like the hedge fund Paradigm and later joined HillStone International, a construction firm subsidiary, as executive vice president in 2010, despite lacking prior experience in the field. His business dealings extended internationally, including alleged connections to foreign entities such as the Chinese energy company CEFC, which prompted Republican-led investigations by House committees into the Biden family's financial activities. James Biden has maintained that his brother Joe had no involvement in or financial interest in his businesses. In January 2025, President Joe Biden issued a preemptive pardon to James Biden amid these probes. He has faced lawsuits and recriminations from past business dealings, though no criminal convictions are documented. Biden agreed to a private interview with House Republicans in 2023, reiterating his defense of family separation from his enterprises.