“I really want women to know their power, to value their experience. To understand that nothing has been more wholesome in the political process than the increased involvement of women.”

American politician, born 1940

Nancy Pelosi is an American politician, born in 1940, who has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1987. A Democrat, she is best known for becoming the 52nd speaker of the House and for leading House Democrats over two decades. She represented California's 11th congressional district, which includes most of San Francisco, and her House leadership spanned from 2003 to 2023. She was the first woman to lead a major political party in either chamber of Congress, and her long tenure as a party leader ranks among the longest in House history.