Trinity Washington University

10/25/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/25/2024 10:13

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The Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Speaker Emerita, U.S. House of Representatives

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi served as the 52nd Speaker of the House of Representatives, having made history in 2007 when she was elected the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House. She made history again in January 2019 when she regained her position second-in-line to the presidency - the first person to do so in more than six decades.

Pelosi is the chief architect of generation-defining legislation under two Democratic administrations, including the Affordable Care Act and the American Rescue Plan. She led House Democrats for 20 years and previously served as House Democratic Whip. In 2013, she was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Seneca Falls, the birthplace of the American women's rights movement. In 2024, she was awarded by President Biden the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.

Pelosi has represented San Francisco in Congress for 37 years. Currently she is Speaker Emerita of the House and the Representative for California's 11th Congressional District.

Pelosi comes from a strong family tradition of public service. Her late father, Thomas D'Alesandro Jr., served as Mayor of Baltimore for twelve years, after representing the city for five terms in Congress. Her brother, Thomas D'Alesandro III, also served as Mayor of Baltimore. She and her husband, Paul Pelosi, a native of San Francisco, have five grown children and ten grandchildren.

A 1962 graduate of Trinity with a B.A. in Political Science, Pelosi also holds a Trinity honorary degree. In 2022, Nancy and Paul Pelosi established the Pelosi Chair in Global Affairs and Politics at Trinity. In 2024, Nancy Pelosi published her latest book, The Art of Power: My Story as America's First Woman Speaker of the House.