Updated: March 08, 2011

Nancy Pelosi is the speaker of the House of Representatives, the highest ranking member of Congress. She is the first woman to hold this office and, and as 2nd in the line of succession to the presidency, the highest ranking female politician in U.S. history.

Pelosi became a congressperson in 1987, after the youngest of her five children as the representative from the 8th Congressional district in California which includes most of the city of San Fransisco. A Baltimore native, Pelosi moved to California in 1969.

A Democrat, her political stances include opposing the privatization of social security as well as the move to impeach former President Bush. After the 2006 elections, Pelosi made a promise to pass the entire Democratic agenda in the first 100 hours after congress was in session. Though there was some controversy about whether she meant 100 literal hours or 100 legislative hours -- 87 hours after congress convened the house had passed every measure in question.