US Election 2020: What connection does Joe Biden have with India?: Kamala Harris, who was elected Vice President of the United States, has roots in India’s Tamil Nadu, but does newly elected President Joe Biden also have any connection with Tamil Nadu?
When the Democratic Party announced Joe Biden as President and Kamala Harris as the Vice Presidential candidate, visiting professor Tim Wallasey-Willsey at King’s College, London, indicated in an article published on a website called ‘Gatewayhouse.in’ Biden’s family may also have lived in Chennai.
Now that Biden has been elected President of the US, Tim’s article is drawing attention.
Joe Biden came to Mumbai in July 2013 as the Vice-President of the United States when he said that his ancestors had lived in this city. In a 2015 speech in Washington DC, Biden stated that his great-grandfather’s father was a captain in the East India Company. When he was elected senator in 1972, he got this information in a letter written from Mumbai.
The only descendant of George Biden
Biden told that the person who sent this letter to him is also Biden. At that time, he did not pay much attention to this letter. Joe Biden also told in this conversation in Washington that five people of Biden surname live in Mumbai city.
He had said that he is a descendant of George Biden, a captain in the East India Company.
Tim Villas has described all these things in his article. Tim Villase says that there is no record of a person named Biden in India. Although he definitely says that two people named William Henry Biden and Christopher Biden have worked in the East India Company.
According to Tim Willsey, William Henry Biden and Christopher Biden were brothers. He worked as a Class IV employee on a ship from England to China.
Journey to India
In those days, travelling to India via the Cape of Good Hope was considered very dangerous. But there was a lot of risk in this journey as well as the possibility of profit, so many people were interested in it.
William Henry Biden went on to become the captain of the first ship, Ana Robertson, then captained the ships named Ganga and Thalia. He died in Rangoon at the age of 51.
Christopher Biden was his elder brother. He lived in Chennai and was a very popular person. In 1807, he started from a lower level on a ship named Royal George, and in 1818 he reached an important position.
In 1821, the princess became captain of the ship named Sherley of Wales. Later he was also the captain of Royal George. She married Harit Freeth in 1819. They had two daughters and a son.
Bombay and Colombo
He retired as captain of the Prison Sherley ship in 1930. He settled near Blackheath near London and wrote a book. Biden, who retired at the age of 41, bought a ship named Victory and sailed for Bombay and Colombo.
Details of whether the Victory was beneficial to Biden are not available. He arrived in Chennai with his wife and daughters in a ship named Marcus Camden. During the journey, one of his daughters fell ill and died.
Christopher Biden became a manager in the shipping industry after arriving in Chennai. He stayed in Chennai for 19 years and was a consultant for the safety of ships.
He also did philanthropic work for the widows of the sailors killed during the voyages and the relatives left behind.
In 1846, his son Horatio also came to Chennai and served as the Colonel in the Chennai Artillery. Christopher Biden died in Chennai on 25 February 1858 and is buried in St. George’s Cathedral here. In his memory, a stone has also been planted inside the cathedral.
His wife later returned to London and remained there until 1880. Some documents related to them are available at Cambridge University. There is no mention of Christopher Biden’s other wife.
As Biden said, there is no George Biden in India. Tim Villasse says in his article that if Biden ever had an ancestor in India, he would be associated with Christopher Biden.
Speaking to our sources, Tim Villasse said, “A few years ago I took a picture of that memorable stone in the Chennai Cathedral. I was wondering if there could be a relationship between him and Joe Biden.
Then I came to know that Joe Biden once said that his ancestors were once captains in the East India Company. Then I started collecting more information about this.
I read a lot of books and documents and found that two people fit this description. These were William Biden and Christopher Biden. When I read about Christopher Biden, I came to know that he had a lot of love for India and Indians, and he also got a lot of respect here. “
Tim says, “Joe Biden can be proud of Christopher Biden. When we read his book, we get a glimpse of his humanity.
It shows that even in a bad political system, there can be good people. Joe and Christopher’s Whatever the relationship between, they can only be proud of them. “
Add Comment