Biden's Great-Grandfather Worked in Mining

Misbar discovered that in a recent speech, President Biden claimed his great-grandfather was a coal miner. Some on social media accused the President of lying about his family’s history. According to the Washington Post, President Biden’s great-grandfather, Edward Blewitt (1859-1926), and great-great grandfather, Patrick Blewitt (1833-1911), worked in the coal mines as an engineer and an inspector. The following excerpt from a book published about Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, refers to Biden’s great-great grandfather Patrick Blewitt as a mining engineer.  

President Biden’s great-grandfather, Edward Blewitt, also worked in the mining business, becoming a civil and mining engineer. He later became a state senator. 

While President Biden’s great-grandfather was not an actual coal miner, he did work in the mining business, and his work most likely took him into the coal mines on a regular basis. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, mining engineers are involved in designing, supervising, and monitoring mining production as examples of work tasks.