Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro Pelosi (; born March 26, 1940) is an American politician serving as the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives since 2011, representing most of San Francisco, California. She previously served as the 52nd House Speaker from 2007 to 2011, the only woman to do so. She served as the House Minority Whip from 2002 to 2003, and was House Minority Leader from 2003 to 2007. Pelosi is the first woman, the first Californian, and the first Italian-American to lead a major party in Congress. After the Democrats took control of the House in 2007, Pelosi was elected Speaker of the House. After the Democrats lost House control in the 2010 elections, Pelosi became the Democratic Leader (Minority Leader) in the Republican-controlled House.
