Overview
Nancy Pelosi grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. Her father, the city's powerful mayor, taught her the importance of public service. After moving to California, Pelosi became an influential political leader in her own right. She won her first election to Congress in 1987. As she climbed into House leadership, Pelosi earned a reputation as one of Washington's most liberal lawmakers, supporting gay rights, abortion rights, and funding for the arts. Pelosi made history in 2007 when she became the first woman to serve as speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. Pelosi has shepherded her agenda through Congress, where she has forged a progressive energy initiative, found compromise with her opponents on an economic stimulus plan, and opened talks with America's enemies in an effort to find a peaceful solution to the Iraq War. Read about this formidable woman of the U.S. Congress in Nancy Pelosi.Synopsis
Nancy Pelosi grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. Her father, the city's powerful mayor, taught her the importance of public service. After moving to California, Pelosi became an influential political leader in her own right. She won her first election to Congress in 1987. As she climbed into House leadership, Pelosi earned a reputation as one of Washington's most liberal lawmakers, supporting gay rights, abortion rights, and funding for the arts. Pelosi made history in 2007 when she became the first woman to serve as speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. Pelosi has shepherded her agenda through Congress, where she has forged a progressive energy initiative, found compromise with her opponents on an economic stimulus plan, and opened talks with America's enemies in an effort to find a peaceful solution to the Iraq War. Read about this formidable woman of the U.S. Congress in Nancy Pelosi.
Children's Literature
Nancy Patricia D'Alexandro Pelosi was born on March 26, 1940, in Baltimore, Maryland. Her father, Tommy, became mayor of Baltimore in 1947 and went on to serve for two more terms. Politics was a big part of Pelosi's family life. She was the youngest and the only girl in a family of six siblings. As soon as she was old enough, her father introduced her to politics by welcoming his constituents into the house and talking to them Pelosi learned how politics worked during these early years. After graduation from Trinity College in Washington, D.C., she married Paul Pelosi and settled down to raising five children. But politics called to her. In 1987, she won a special election to replace Sala Burton, a Northern California representative. In 2001, she was elected House Democratic Whip. On January 4, 2007, she won the position of U.S. House Speaker, becoming the first woman to hold such an important job. Pelosi has tackled difficult issues such as abortion rights, opposing the Iraq War, and working to adopt new measures to help college students with their educations. Sidebars and photographs illustrate the text. A chronology, chapter notes, bibliography, further resources, and websites are included. Reviewer: Della A. Yannuzzi