Finnegan Biden, the granddaughter of President Joe Biden, has emerged as a notable figure within the First Family’s younger generation. Born in 2000 to Hunter Biden and his first wife Kathleen Buhle, Finnegan represents the continuation of the Biden legacy as one of the president’s seven grandchildren. Named after her great-grandmother Catherine Eugenia Finnegan, she has established herself as a thoughtful, engaged young adult who balances her studies with occasional appearances at high-profile events and family gatherings.
The Early Years: Growing Up in the Biden Family Circle
Finnegan Biden came into the world on September 9, 2000, during a period when her grandfather Joe Biden was serving as a United States Senator from Delaware. As the middle daughter among Hunter Biden’s three children with Kathleen Buhle, Finnegan grew up alongside her sisters Naomi (born 1993) and Maisy. Her birth name carries significant meaning within the Biden family history, honoring her paternal great-grandmother, Catherine Eugenia Finnegan, Joe Biden’s mother.
The early 2000s were formative years for the Biden family, with Finnegan experiencing the normal rhythms of childhood while her grandfather continued his long service in the Senate. Despite being born into a politically prominent family, Finnegan’s parents appear to have made efforts to provide her with a relatively normal upbringing, shielding her from excessive public attention during her childhood years.
Education and Academic Accomplishments
Finnegan pursued her higher education at the University of Pennsylvania, where she majored in history with a concentration in American studies. Her time at this prestigious institution wasn’t merely spent in academic pursuits; she also demonstrated leadership qualities and a willingness to advocate for student concerns.
One notable example of her campus activism occurred in 2020, when Finnegan spearheaded a successful campaign to extend the university’s pass/fail deadline. Recognizing the challenges many students were facing, she created a petition on Change.org that garnered significant support from her peers. When interviewed by UPenn’s student publication 34th Street Magazine, Finnegan explained her motivation, saying, “I was thinking of ways to enact change and to talk about it productively so the school might respond, and the petition seemed like the most productive way to show the school that the students really did care about this.”
This initiative revealed Finnegan’s practical approach to problem-solving and her understanding of how to effectively mobilize support for a cause—qualities that might be seen as reflecting her family’s political sensibilities, though deployed in a university context.
The Granddaughter’s Perspective: Life in the Political Spotlight
As the granddaughter of a prominent political figure who would become the 46th President of the United States, Finnegan has experienced several historic moments from an insider’s perspective. President Biden has often emphasized the importance of his grandchildren in his life, once stating in a 2022 interview on the SmartLess podcast, “Every single day, I contact every one of my grandchildren.”
The 2020 presidential election marked a particularly significant period for Finnegan and her cousins. After Joe Biden secured the electoral votes needed to win the presidency, Finnegan was present for an emotional family celebration. She later recounted the experience during a Today interview, saying, “Everyone was crying. We just embraced each other. I think we’ll always remember that moment.”
This intimate glimpse into a historic political achievement underscores the unique position Finnegan and her cousins occupy—experiencing monumental national events through the lens of family connection.
Two months after the election, Finnegan joined her cousins and the rest of the Biden family on the Capitol Building’s steps to witness her grandfather’s inauguration as president. This moment represented another chapter in the Biden family’s public service legacy, with the younger generation present to witness history unfold.
Fashion and Public Appearances: Developing a Public Persona
As she has entered adulthood, Finnegan has occasionally stepped into the public eye at fashion and cultural events. In September 2024, she attended Ralph Lauren’s New York Fashion Week show, demonstrating her growing presence in fashion circles. Such appearances, while relatively infrequent, suggest her comfort in navigating high-profile social events while maintaining a degree of privacy about her personal life.
Finnegan’s public appearances are notable for their selectivity—she does not appear to court media attention but rather engages with public events that align with her interests. This balanced approach to public life reflects a thoughtful navigation of her position as a presidential grandchild, honoring both family connections and personal identity.
Family Dynamics: The Biden Grandchildren
Within the constellation of Biden grandchildren, Finnegan occupies a middle position both in age and public visibility. Her older sister Naomi has taken on a more public role in recent years, particularly around her White House wedding in 2022 and the birth of her son William Brannon Neal IV in early 2025, making President Biden a great-grandfather for the first time.
The relationship between the Biden grandchildren appears to be close-knit, with President Biden often emphasizing the importance of family connections in his public statements. The cousins share the unique experience of having their grandfather serve as Vice President and then President, creating bonds forged through shared experiences in the political spotlight.
Finnegan’s family tree extends beyond her immediate siblings to include half-siblings through her father’s subsequent relationships. These include Navy Joan Roberts and Beau Biden (named after Hunter’s late brother), adding complexity to the extended Biden family dynamics.
Navigating Privacy and Public Life
Perhaps one of the most challenging aspects of being a presidential grandchild is finding the balance between personal privacy and public visibility. Finnegan has managed this balance with apparent thoughtfulness, making selective appearances at significant events while largely maintaining privacy regarding her day-to-day life and personal relationships.
This approach stands in contrast to the experiences of presidential children and grandchildren from previous generations, who often faced intense media scrutiny. The Biden grandchildren, including Finnegan, appear to benefit from a more evolved understanding of privacy boundaries for presidential families, coupled with President Biden’s evident protective instincts toward his family members.
The Influence of Family History and Loss
The Biden family history is marked by significant tragedy, including the 1972 car accident that killed Joe Biden’s first wife Neilia (Finnegan’s grandmother) and infant daughter Naomi, as well as the 2015 death of Beau Biden from brain cancer. While Finnegan never knew her grandmother Neilia or her namesake aunt Naomi, these losses form part of the emotional backdrop against which the Biden family narrative has unfolded.
The loss of her uncle Beau Biden when Finnegan was 14 years old likely represented a more immediate experience of family grief. Beau Biden was a significant figure in the family’s life and in Delaware politics as the state’s Attorney General before his untimely death at age 46. His passing undoubtedly affected all members of the Biden family, including his nieces, and may have shaped Finnegan’s understanding of both family bonds and life’s fragility.
Looking Forward: Potential Future Paths
As Finnegan Biden approaches her mid-twenties in 2025, her future path remains open and largely self-determined. Her academic background in history and American studies might suggest interests in politics, public policy, education, or cultural institutions, though she has not made public declarations about specific career ambitions.
Like many young adults from politically prominent families, Finnegan faces choices about whether to embrace a public-facing career that builds on her family name or to pursue paths that afford greater privacy. Her demonstrated interest in student advocacy suggests potential inclinations toward public service or advocacy work, though not necessarily in electoral politics.
Whatever path Finnegan chooses, she does so with the benefit of having observed both the rewards and challenges of public service through her grandfather’s long political career. This intimate perspective on political life provides unique insights that few young adults possess.
The Biden Legacy and Its Continuation
As one of seven Biden grandchildren, Finnegan represents part of the next chapter in a family deeply intertwined with American political history. President Biden’s political narrative has consistently emphasized family—both its joys and sorrows—as central to his identity and worldview. The grandchildren, including Finnegan, embody the continuation of family values and perspectives that have informed Biden’s decades of public service.
Whether any of the Biden grandchildren will eventually pursue electoral politics themselves remains to be seen. The family has already demonstrated multi-generational involvement in public service, with Beau Biden having followed his father into politics before his untimely death. The younger generation may choose similar paths or may find other ways to make their mark on American society.
Conclusion: A Young Life in Historical Context
Finnegan Biden’s life thus far has unfolded against a backdrop of significant American political history. Born at the turn of the millennium to the son of a long-serving senator, she has witnessed her grandfather’s ascension to the vice presidency and ultimately to the presidency itself. These experiences, coupled with her education and family influences, have shaped a young woman poised to make her own contributions to society.
As she continues to navigate adulthood in 2025, Finnegan Biden represents the intersection of private identity and public heritage—a young person with deep connections to American political history who is simultaneously forging her own path. Her story continues to evolve, shaped by both the Biden legacy and her own choices in determining how that legacy will inform but not define her future.
