Pelosi, Nancy

Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro Pelosi (Democrat, California) was the first woman in U.S. history to be elected to top party leadership positions in the U.S. Congress. A member of the House of Representatives since 1987 from the 8th District in San Francisco, she was elected House minority whip in 2002, House minority leader in 2003, and Speaker of the House in 2007. As of this writing, no woman has ascended to any other top-tier leadership positions in either party in the U.S. House of Representatives or the U.S. Senate.

Pelosi was born on March 26, 1940, in Baltimore, Maryland, to a political family. Her father served in the U.S. House of Representatives and as Mayor of Baltimore; her brother also served in the latter position. In 1969, Pelosi and her husband Paul settled in San Francisco. As the mother of five children, Pelosi focused primarily on raising her family and volunteering in Democratic politics. After many years of service, she was elected chair of the California Democratic Party in 1981. In 1987, Pelosi's friend and congressional representative, Sala Burton, died shortly after winning reelection to her House seat. Before her passing, Burton persuaded Pelosi to run for the seat. Pelosi agreed, won a special election, and assumed office in June 1987. She has been reelected handily ever since. During her years in the House, Pelosi has served on several committees including the Intelligence Committee and the powerful Appropriations Committee.

Nancy Pelosi was the first woman in U.S. history to be elected Speaker of the House of Representatives, in 2007.

Pelosi's voting record in the House is considered generally to be liberal. She has supported the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007, human rights in China, energy conservation and renewable energy, women's rights, gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender (GLBT) rights, and abortion rights. Her opposition votes have included authorization for the Iraq War, the Secure Fence Act of 2006, the Defense of Marriage Act, and welfare reform in both the Clinton and Bush administrations. However, Pelosi also supported the USA Patriot Act of 2001, the No Child Left Behind Act, and the bank and auto industry bailouts of 2009.

In 2007, Pelosi ascended to the Speakership on the strength of her record as a leading fund-raiser and party strategist. This position made her second in the line of presidential succession and the most powerful elected woman in U.S. political history. In her first speech as Speaker, Pelosi acknowledged the significance of her ascension: as quoted in her book, cited below, she noted: “This is a historic moment—for the Congress, and for the women of this country. It is a moment for which we have waited more than 200 years.” Pelosi considered her rise as having [Page 1088]shattered the “marble ceiling” after which anything would be possible.