Nancy Pelosi Biography

Nancy Patricia Pelosi (March 26, 1940) is an American politician and the first woman to be elected as Speaker of the House of Representatives in 2007. She studied political science at Trinity College in Washington, graduating in 1962. After getting married and having several children, she entered politics with the Democratic Party in the 1980s. She served on the National Democratic Committee and was President of the Democratic Party in California from 1981 to 1983. In 1987, she was elected as a Member of the United States House of Representatives and has been re-elected several times since then (1993, 2013…). During the second term of George W. Bush, she became the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House. In 2019, she was re-elected as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.

Early years

Nancy Pelosi was born on March 26, 1940 in Baltimore, Maryland. She was the daughter of the Democratic politician Thomas D’Alesandro Jr. and Annunciata “Nancy” D’Alesandro, both of Italian descent. Her mother was born in Campobasso and her father was descended from Genoese. From an early age, she was involved in politics due to her father being a congressman for Maryland and later the mayor of Baltimore (between 1967 and 1971). She attended Notre Dame Institute and graduated with a degree in political science from Trinity College in 1962. The following year she married Paul Pelosi and moved to New York.

Six years later, with five children, the family moved to San Francisco. There, Pelosi made friends with Congressman Phillip Burton and began working to make her way in politics. As a volunteer for the Democratic Party, she gained a reputation as an effective fundraiser and rose through the ranks of the National Democratic Committee. Between 1981 and 1983, she was the President of the Democratic Party of California. In 1984, she hosted the National Democratic Convention in San Francisco.

Member of the House of Representatives for California

When Burton died in 1983, his wife Sala succeeded him and shortly before her death in 1987, she encouraged Pelosi to run for the position. Pelosi won by a narrow margin in the special election on June 2, 1987 and was re-elected for a full term the following year. Since then, she has easily won elections in her district with a Democratic majority. She has been re-elected sixteen times with an average of 80% of the votes.

In the House, over time, she developed a reputation as a shrewd politician and consistently rose within the party. In 2002, she became the minority leader. When she assumed the position in 2003, she became the first woman to lead a party in Congress. With great effort, she achieved some unity among the various factions of the party, embracing conservatives and moderates. However, she consistently voted in favor of liberal causes such as gun control and the right to abortion. She also opposed Bush’s Social Security reform and voted against the War in Iraq. She made strong criticisms of President W. Bush during his second term, even going so far as to call him an “incompetent leader,” which affected her career and kept her out of contact with much of the country.

Speaker of the House (2007-11)

In the November 2006 midterm elections, Democrats gained a majority in the House of Representatives. On January 4, 2007, Pelosi was elected Speaker of the House, becoming the first woman in the position (the first Californian and the first woman of Italian descent to do so). Following the arrival of Barack Obama as president, Pelosi openly supported many of his policies. She played a key role in the year-long effort to secure public health with a historic project that extended medical care to about thirty million Americans who previously did not have insurance. The project also prohibited insurers from denying coverage to people with preexisting conditions.

With the implementation of the project, her popularity decreased as the economy continued to struggle. In the period prior to the 2010 elections, Pelosi became the target of Republican attacks and also a point of disagreement for more conservative members of the Democrats, eager to turn the elections into a referendum on the party’s agenda. Despite all this, Pelosi was again elected minority leader in the next Congress. She remained in the position even when the Democrats failed to regain control of the House in the subsequent elections. In 2016, her position was threatened by Ohio’s Tim Ryan after the election of Donald Trump, but Pelosi prevailed. She held her position until January 2019.

Second term as Speaker of the House

In January 2019, Pelosi was again elected as Speaker, becoming the first person in over 60 years to serve two non-consecutive terms in the position. Her political skills were on display as she led the opposition against Trump, who had promised to keep the government closed until he received funding for the proposed border wall during his campaigns. Pelosi refused to allow Trump to deliver the annual State of the Union address while the government remained closed. At the end of January, Trump agreed to end the shutdown, though he failed to obtain the necessary funds. Pelosi received praise for her handling of the situation. Later, Pelosi led the impeachment trial against Trump on charges of Russian interference. The investigation concluded in early December 2019. In 2020, the Senate acquitted Trump.

Pelosi during the pandemic

In March 2020, after the coronavirus became a pandemic, Pelosi helped secure the approval of a $2 trillion aid package, the largest stimulus bill in US history. As the pandemic worsened in the country, Pelosi blamed President Trump for the poor handling and misinformation in addressing the pandemic.

Finally, in the 2020 elections, Trump was defeated by Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. In the elections, Democrats also maintained a small majority in the House. Therefore, Pelosi was elected for another term. During this time, Trump questioned the results of the presidential election, alleging electoral fraud. On January 6, 2021, his supporters stormed the Capitol while the victory of Biden was being certified. Many accused Trump of encouraging the attack and Pelosi demanded his impeachment. However, the Senate later acquitted him.

At the beginning of Biden’s term, Pelosi led the approval of a massive bill aimed at restoring and improving the infrastructure of the United States. She also supported the ambitious plan to expand the country’s social security network and laws to combat climate change.

Visit to Taiwan (2022)

Despite threats from the Chinese government, in August 2022, Pelosi became the highest-ranking US official to visit Taiwan in around 25 years. Pelosi’s controversial visit increased tensions between the US and China, which considers the island a rebel province of its territory. According to the Chinese government, the presence of a US official would provocatively increase international recognition of the Taiwan government.

End as Speaker of the US House of Representatives

Considered the most relevant and powerful woman in the history of American politics, she bid farewell to her leadership position on January 3, 2023, after Republican lawmakers gained a majority in the House after the 2022 mid-term elections.

Upon her departure, she stated:

“I am honored by the faith placed in me by the Democratic Caucus of the House, the largest collection of intellect, integrity, and imagination assembled for the good of the American people. I am grateful to the people of San Francisco whom I will continue to serve, striving to honor the call of our city’s patron saint, St. Francis: ‘Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.”