Known for: Congressional Representative for California's Eighth District, including much of San Francisco; many 'firsts' for women in political leadership including first woman Speaker of the House; support of issues such as environmental protection, human rights, AIDS prevention, support for family planning programs internationally, pro-choice on women's reproductive issues,
Occupation: Congressional Representative (also called Congressman, Congresswoman), politician
Dates: March 26, 1940 -
Also known as: Nancy D'Alesandro Pelosi
Education: Trinity College in Washington, D.C.
Political Career:
1981-1983 - chaired California Democratic Party
1984: chaired host committee for Democratic National Convention
1987: elected to Congress in a special election
2001: elected minority whip for the Democrats in Congress, the first time a woman had held a party office
November 14, 2002: voted minority leader of the House, the first time a woman was elected to head a party's Congressional delegation
2007: first woman Speaker of the House (effective January 4, 2007)
Family:
- Father, Thomas D'Alesandro, Jr., was a Roosevelt Democrat and three-term mayor of Baltimore, the first Italian American to hold that office
- Mother attended law school
- Brother, Thomas D'Alesandro III, was mayor of Baltimore 1967-1971
- Nancy Pelosi and husband Paul have five children, Nancy Corinne, Christine, Jacqueline, Paul, and Alexandra.
- Nancy Pelosi began political volunteer work when her youngest began school; she was elected to Congress when her youngest was a senior in high school
