The last two Democratic presidents -- Barack Obama and Bill Clinton -- are praising Beau Biden in the wake of his death from brain cancer.
Like his father -- Vice President Joe Biden -- 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," said a statement from President Obama .
Former President Bill Clinton , along with 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton , called Beau Biden "a son to be proud of, a brother to cherish, a husband and father to love and be grateful for. The pain of his loss is so great because his life was so large and good."
Beau Biden, 46, the twice-elected attorney general of Delaware, was planning a run for the governor's office when he suffered a recurrence of health problems he has had in recent years.
In his statement, Obama said that "for all that Beau Biden achieved in his life, nothing made him prouder -- nothing made him happier -- nothing claimed a fuller focus of his love and devotion than his family."
The president and first lady Michelle Obama also praised the vice president and wife Jill.
"Joe is one of the strongest men we've ever known," the president said. "He's as strong as they come, and nothing matters to him more than family. It's one of the things we love about him. And it is a testament to Joe and Jill -- to who they are -- that Beau lived a life that was full; a life that mattered; a life that reflected their reverence for family."
Obama cited the Irish poet William Butler Yeats: "I have believed the best of every man. And find that to believe it is enough to make a bad man show him at his best or even a good man swing his lantern higher."
Said the president: "Beau Biden believed the best of us all. For him, and for his family, we swing our lanterns higher."
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