Joe Biden shares that he once contemplated suicide following the death of first wife & infant daughter

US President Joe Biden has revealed that he had once contemplated suicide following the loss of his first wife and infant daughter.

Biden made an appearance on the Howard Stern podcast, sitting with the host for an hour to discuss his personal life as well as his time in office.

In 1972 Biden's first wife, teacher Neilia Hunter Biden was killed in a car crash along with her and Joe Biden's 13-month-old daughter, Naomi.

Beau and Hunter Biden, the couple's other children, both survived.

The crash happened very shortly after Biden's first election to the senate.

Biden was sworn into office at the senate for the first time at his surviving children's bedside as they recovered.

Speaking to the families of fallen troops in 2012, Biden recalled the horrific moment, saying: "I was down in Washington hiring my staff, and I got a phone call, saying that my family had been in an accident.

"And just like you guys know, by the tone of the phone call you just knew didn't you? I don't know how I knew.

Joe and Neilia Biden in 1972, just weeks before her death. (Guy DeLort/WWD/Penske Media via Getty Images)

"But the call said my wife is dead, my daughter is dead, and I wasn't sure how my sons were going to make it."

Biden has since opened up further, revealing that the tragedy affected him so deeply that he even considered suicide.

He is known to be a teetotaller, having previously said that he never drank as 'there are too many alcoholics in my family'.

Speaking during his appearance on Howard Stern's podcast, Biden revealed that after the crushing loss of his wife and child he had considered turning to alcohol despite having never gotten drunk before.

He said: “I used to sit there and just think I’m going to take out a bottle of scotch. I’m going to just drink it and get drunk.”

Biden has opened up about how the loss affected him. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

The US president then went on to talk about how the loss had affected so deeply that he began having suicidal ideation.

Biden revealed: “I just thought about it, you don’t need to be crazy to commit suicide. If you’ve been to the top of the mountain, you think it’s never going to be there again.”

“I thought, 'Let me just go to the Delaware Memorial [Bridge] and jump.'"

Of course, this is not what happened, Biden married his second wife Jill in 1977, five years after Neilia's death, and the pair now have a daughter together, Ashley.