Nancy Pelosi

American politician, the highest-ranking woman in congressional history. She was elected House Democratic Whip 10/10/2001 and became the first woman to become Speaker of the House after the elections of November 7, 2006 swung the balance of power to the Democrats. The daughter of a Congressman, Pelosi was raised in politics, saying of her childhood, "Our lives were about campaigns." She was active in the California arena prior to holding public office. Married to investor Paul Pelosi, the slender, attractive brunette is the mother of five and grandmother of five. Nancy Pelosi was first elected to the House in 1987. She says she has made the economy a central issue of the Whip operation. She is the ranking Democrat on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee. Some of the issues she says she has made top priority in the House are human rights in China, AIDS treatment and prevention, and environmental protection. In the US elections of November 7, 2006 the Democrats took the majority of seats in both houses of Congress. On November 16, 2006, Pelosi was elected by her party mates to the powerful position of Speaker of the House. In January 2007, when she officially assumes the mantle of office, she becomes the first woman in US history to hold that prestigious and influential position. Link to Wikipedia biography