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Watch President Obama deliver a moving eulogy for Beau Biden

Jun 6, 2015, 19:30 IST

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In a service on Saturday, President Barack Obama will deliver the eulogy for Vice President Joe Biden's eldest son, Beau Biden.

Beau, 46, died last week of brain cancer.

Beau Biden's life of public service has been well documented. He served two terms as Delaware's attorney general beginning in 2006.

In 2008, he turned down an opportunity to run for his father's Delaware Senate seat, saying he wanted to focus on his job as attorney general. He shipped off to Iraq with his national guard unit the same year while maintaining his post as the state's highest law enforcement official.

Beau Biden was well-liked in Delaware. As the Atlantic points out, he declined to seek a third term as attorney general in order to run for governor in 2016.

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Beau Biden's death was a difficult reminder of some of the personal tragedies the Biden family has endured throughout the vice president's political career.

Only weeks after being elected to the US Senate, a car crash killed Beau Biden's wife and 1-year-old daughter. At the time, his father considered resigning but was convinced to stay and took the oath of office with his oldest son by his side.

Beau Biden's death sparked an immediate outpouring of grief for the Biden family. Lawmakers from across the political spectrum expressed their condolences, though some couldn't keep their partisanship in check for very long.

In a statement, Obama said he was heartbroken by Beau Biden's death.

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"Like his dad, Beau was a good, big-hearted, devoutly Catholic and deeply faithful man, who made a difference in the lives of all he touched - and he lives on in their hearts," Obama said.

"Beau Biden believed the best of us all. For him, and for his family, we swing our lanterns higher."

According to Bloomberg, Biden's advisors said that the Vice President asked Obama to speak because the family believes that the president understands how the family wants Beau to be remembered.

President Obama has given several eulogies during his tenure. In 2009, Obama paid tribute to Sen. Ted Kennedy at his funeral in Arlington, Virginia. In 2013, Obama delivered a moving speech for former South African President Nelson Mandela.

Watch the livestream below, via the White House:

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