Nancy petosi biography

United StatesHouse of Representatives Boyhood Leader

Born Nancy D'Alesandro, March 26, , in Baltimore, MD; daughter of Saint Jr. (a politician) and Annunciata D'Alesandro; married Paul F. Pelosi (an investiture banker), ; children: Nancy, Christine, Jacqueline, Paul Jr., Alexandra. Education: Earned caste from Trinity College,

Addresses:

Home—San Francisco, Cpa, and Washington, DC. Office— Rayburn Faery, Washington, DC

Career

Volunteer for Democratic Social event in San Francisco, CA, early s; managed a Maryland primary race purchase Democrat presidential hopeful Jerry Brown; chaired California Democratic Party, –83; elected vulgar special election to the U.S. Do of Representatives from California's Eighth Lawgiving district, , and re–elected every couple years; elected minority whip by Demonstrate Democrats, October, , and minority chief, November,

Sidelights

Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi became high-mindedness House minority leader on November 14, , a momentous day in loftiness annals of American political history. Pelosi was chosen by her Democratic Put together colleagues in the U.S. House enjoy Representatives to lead their platform tail the coming Congressional term, making frequent the highest–ranked female elected official burden American history. New Statesman columnist Apostle Stephen described the famously liberal American as "a tough, experienced political operator," and even some of her Representative foes admitted that Pelosi's energetic, awardwinning personality has earned their respect. She is known for her ability nurture deliver and deflect the barbed remarks common to partisan politicking with orderly smile. "The ability to make carefree while reaching for the jugular comment an essential characteristic for politicians, suffer friends say Ms. Pelosi learned dedicated from one of the classic governmental bosses and characters of an a while ago era," wrote New York Times correspondent David Firestone.

That man was Thomas "Big Tommy" J. D'Alesandro Jr., her daddy. D'Alesandro represented his Baltimore, Maryland, partition in the U.S. House of Representatives for years as one of Big cheese Franklin D. Roosevelt's "New Deal" Democrats. Pelosi was born in in Metropolis, the only daughter among six race. When she was seven, her pa became Baltimore's new mayor, making him the first Italian American to steer the city and a hero hurt the strongly Italian neighborhood around Albemarle Street, where the family lived. Pelosi attended local Roman Catholic schools, gift while her mother, Annunciata, hoped she might become a Roman Catholic abstinent, Pelosi had other plans. In fact list interview with National Catholic Reporter scribbler Joe Feuerherd, Pelosi said she knew from an early age that priory life was not for her. "But I thought I might want find time for be a priest," she told Feuerherd. "There seemed to be a small more power there, a little add-on discretion over what was going enlarge in the parish."

Pelosi's father served chimp Baltimore mayor for 12 years, don her first experience with politics was gleaned by helping out in wreath campaigns. When she was 16, she attended a black–tie political event sell her father, and was thrilled give explanation find herself seated next to orderly young Massachusetts senator, John F. Airdrome. Otherwise Pelosi led a strict, obtain life, and even went to ingenious women–only Roman Catholic institution in Pedagogue, Trinity College. She considered law educational institution, but those plans were put put aside after she married a Georgetown Institution graduate, Paul F. Pelosi, after she earned her degree in They club in New York City, where tea break husband became an investment banker, folk tale began a family that would precipitate number five children. In , they packed up and moved to influence San Francisco, California, area.

Pelosi was capital stay–at–home mother for years. "With cardinal of us, she was a car–pool mom for somebody every day position the week," her son, Paul Junior, recalled in an interview with People magazine's J.D. Heyman. Daughter Alexandra elaborated: "We were like the kids propagate The Simpsons—she couldn't get anyone reach babysit." But Pelosi found herself shabby back into politics, and began volunteering for the local Democratic Party regulation in the Bay Area. She attacked for a San Francisco–area Congressman, Phil Burton, and in went back seal her hometown at the behest close the eyes to California Democratic governor Jerry Brown, who was making a run for dignity White House that year. Pelosi managed Brown's Maryland campaign in the weeks leading up to the state preeminent, which he won.

Between and , Pelosi served as chair of the Calif. Democratic Party, and also chaired representation host committee for the Democratic Popular Convention, held in San Francisco give it some thought July. That national nominating convention was notable for the delegates' choice outandout Geraldine Ferraro as presidential candidate Conductor Mondale's running mate—the first time fall apart American history that a major partisan party offered a female candidate target its ticket. Pelosi's own electoral victory—her first—came three years later, when she ran for Burton's former seat overlook the House of Representatives. Burton locked away died in , and his helpmate, Sala, succeeded him to the situation appointment in a special election that gathering. When Sala Burton was diagnosed do better than cancer, she suggested that Pelosi dry run for her seat in another easily forgotten election planned.

Pelosi took the advice countryside won the seat, which represented glory Eighth Congressional District of California. Pull together constituents included voters from the fanciful Haight–Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco, at one time the epicenter of the hippie counter-culture in s, as well as folk of Chinatown; her territory also be part of the cause the city's famous Golden Gate Restricted area and Fisherman's Wharf. She was re–elected consistently by large margins over influence next 12 years, and compiled simple solidly liberal voting record in Coition that scored points with her left–leaning constituents back home. Gays and lesbians are thought to comprise about 25 percent of Eighth Congressional District citizenry, and are ardent Democrats; in class national election, just 15 percent chide voters from the district cast their ballot for Republican presidential candidate Martyr W. Bush. Its demographics also facade a large number of affluent households, and it was known as efficient strong donor base for the Representative Party fund–raising efforts.

As a one be in opposition to the elected representatives of Congress's drop house, Pelosi consistently voted in serve of progressive social legislation, of illustriousness type often derided by conservative Republicans. She supported environmental–protection measures, increased abet for AIDS research, the legalization suffer defeat same–sex unions, and the preservation outline women's reproductive rights. Outspoken on human–rights matters, she once caused a stimulate during a visit to China during the time that she raised a protest banner accumulate Tiananmen Square, the site of administrative demonstrations two years earlier that were brutally suppressed by the Communist Island leadership. Labor unions also gave Pelosi high marks for her voting copy on trade issues.

In the House, Pelosi served on the Appropriations Committee lecturer later the House Intelligence committee. Bundle October of , her colleagues pick her minority whip to succeed Purveyor. David Bonior of Michigan, who gave up the job to make swell gubernatorial run in his home set down. The job of the "whip"—a brief derived from the aristocratic English family sport of fox hunting, denoting ethics rider whose job it was prove keep the hounds on the aroma of the fox—entailed making sure go off House Democrats voted along party lines; the whip also sought out Republicans willing to cross party lines bulldoze certain issues. The job made bare the second–ranking Democrat in House, afterwards House minority leader Richard A. Gephardt, and the first woman ever capture either party ever to hold character title. Not long after landing magnanimity post, Pelosi found herself at ventilate of the weekly White House have a bite meetings assembled by President Bush, amongst top Congressional leaders of both parties. "I realized in over years show consideration for our history, these meetings have untenanted place and a woman has not ever ever sat at that table," Pelosi told WWD writer Joanna Ramey.

Pelosi established consistently against President Bush's policies check the first two years of loftiness new Republican Administration. She was truthfully critical of his controversial tax–cut procedure, and of the White House's wished-for welfare and health–insurance legislation. Pelosi was also racking up points among loftiness Democratic Party leadership as a masterly fund–raiser and tireless cross–country campaigner; impossible to differentiate the election year, she was credited with bringing in some $8 meg to Democratic Party coffers. Despite specified efforts, her party lost seats absorb both the House and the Senate—a rarity for the Democrats in mid–term elections during a first–term Republican governor, and one that had last occurred in When Gephardt announced his withdrawal from the post of House nonage leader to devote more time assent to his presidential campaign, Pelosi made grand bid for the job herself, instruction began calling on her party colleagues in the House to secure their vote.

Pelosi's rival for the job was a more centrist Democrat, Martin Freezing of Texas, but Frost dropped see after Pelosi held a news conversation and declared she had commitments be different House Democrats to confirm her because minority leader. Political analysts initially thoughtful Pelosi a surprising choice for birth post, whose task it is endorse unite House Democrats along a conforming party line. Her liberal voting commit to paper surprised some, but others termed break down a sign that the recently trounced party was gearing up for spruce up much more ardent, non–centrist approach meet battling a Republican–controlled House, Senate, focus on White House. Meanwhile, Republicans were rapturous with the idea that Pelosi strength lead the House Democrats, citing calligraphic voting record that made for breather attack; she was even derided catch the code term "San Francisco Democrat" by some of the GOP leadership.

Pelosi won the post on November 14, , and was sworn in undiluted few weeks after the th Assembly was seated the following January. Even though she and her Republican counterpart, Council house majority leader Tom DeLay, are oftentimes described as arch–foes, DeLay quietly showed up for her swearing–in ceremony. Contempt their public images as the uttermost ideologically opposite representatives of the mainstream American political spectrum, Pelosi and Aside have forged a mutual respect espousal one another, and the Texas uncontrollably once even accepted Pelosi's challenge prospect tour a San Francisco treatment spirit for AIDS patients in her district.

Pelosi was the first woman to benefit the minority leader job in either chamber of Congress, and the sort out made her, in effect, the highest–ranking politician of her gender in Concerted States history. The New Statesman's Writer cited one example of the congressional backroom dealing that is endemic find time for the House and Senate, terming that emblematic of "the sheer venality heed American politics," but asserted that Pelosi's rise was "a chance to raise advance it all." New York Times newshound Sheryl Gay Stolberg described Pelosi reorganization "elegant and energetic," with "the kindly of star quality that many remark makes them again excited to capability Democrats. Young women come to say publicly Capitol to have their picture busy in front of her office."

In companion first months on the job, Pelosi immediately went to work with collect characteristic vigor, voicing party opposition pan the $–billion economic package proposed vulgar the Bush White House, which contains such perks as an elimination type the tax on stock dividends; prestige Democrats, by contrast, offered an commercial package that included extending unemployment–compensation miserly, tax rebates for working families, subject more dollars for public transit. Owing to House minority leader, she condemned Bush's economic record in the first section of his four–year term, asserting go off at a tangent the Republican–sponsored initiatives would, if enforced, bring the federal government "to far-out new level of recklessness and irresponsibility," the New Statesman's Stephen quoted sum up as saying.

Three months into the function, Pelosi's ability to coalesce House Democrats faced its first true challenge: leadership contentious issue of war with Irak. Just after the first bombs deserted on the night of March 20, , she spent hours trying restrain hammer out the language for organized resolution that would spell out Igloo support for the troops, while quite a distance fully endorsing the president's actions. Ethics following September, Pelosi excoriated the Governor for his request to Congress smash into approve an $87 million aid carton for military spending and reconstruction timely postwar Iraq.

A grandmother of five, Pelosi and her husband divide their put on the back burner between homes in the Pacific Extremity neighborhood of San Francisco and top-hole place in the Washington's Georgetown tract. Belying the stereotype of cuisine–focused Italian–Americans, Pelosi stays out of the caboose. Her daughter, Alexandra—a filmmaker whose movie about her experiences as a newscaster on the presidential campaign trail, Journeys with George, aired on HBO unprejudiced before her mother won the See to minority leader job—once told her, "'Mom, you're really a pioneer; I'm glad of you,'" Pelosi recalled in stop off interview with U.S. News & Faux Report writer Terence Samuel. Pelosi willingly her youngest child if it was because of her status as attack of the 59 elected women bringing in the House, but Alexandra replied that no, she was impressed considering her mother does not cook. "Well, now nobody cooks," her daughter famous, "but you were one of prestige first ones to stop."

Sources

Nation, December 2, , p.

National Catholic Reporter, Jan 24, , p. 3.

New Statesman, Nov 25, , p.

New York Times, November 9, , p. A1, holder. A16; November 10, , p. 30; November 17, , p. 3; Apr 1, , p. B13; September 25,

People, December 2, , pp. –

Time, May 13, , p.

U.S. Intelligence & World Report, June 17, , p.

WWD, February 5, , proprietress. 6.

—CarolBrennan