Who is Nancy Pelosi's husband Paul Pelosi? How couple's college romance blossomed into over 50-year-long marriage
Is US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi eyeing another term as well? During an interview on Sunday, October 25, she declared that she would seek another term as Speaker of the US House of Representatives if the Democrats secure a majority in the upcoming US Elections. Not just that, the California Democrat — who created history as the first woman speaker of the House in 2007 — said she is hoping for an agreement after November 3 regardless of who takes over the White House. When she was asked what would happen if the election between President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden ends up disputed and in the hands of Congress, Pelosi told NPR's Ari Shapiro, “We're ready. We're prepared,” and continued, “We've been ready for a while because we see this irresponsibility of the president, his disrespect for the Constitution, for our democracy, and for the integrity of our elections. So we're ready for him.”
In the wake of the “prominent role” for the Speaker of the House, Pelosi said, “Our country is a great country... We're even great enough to survive one term of Donald Trump. Two terms would be such a serious setback that I worry for our country.” Amid all the ruckus around whether Pelosi will be able to hold her seat after the election results, here's a look at her personal life and relationships.
Early life
Born as Nancy D'Alesandro in Baltimore to an Italian-American family, she was the only girl and the youngest of seven children raised by Annunciata M ‘Nancy’ D'Alesandro and Thomas D'Alesandro Jr. A Baltimore Sun article dubs her as a“ friendly, independent, composed girl, with big brown eyes and coal-black hair in corkscrew curls.” At that time, her father was a Democratic congressman from Maryland and then went on to become the Mayor of Baltimore seven years later.
Pelosi's brother, Thomas D'Alesandro III, also a Democrat, was Mayor of Baltimore from 1967 to 1971. From a very early age, she had a keen interest in politics and attended John F Kennedy's inaugural address when he was sworn in as president in January 1961.
Pelosi studied at the Institute of Notre Dame, an all-girls Catholic high school in Baltimore, and then graduated from Trinity College in Washington, DC, with a Bachelor of Arts in political science in 1962. Pelosi also interned for Senator Daniel Brewster (D-Maryland) in the 1960s alongside future House majority leader Steny Hoyer? Pelosi was first elected to Congress in 1987, following in her father's footsteps.
Who is Paul Pelosi?
While still in Trinity College, Nancy D'Alesandro crossed paths with Paul Frank Pelosi and their close bond blossomed into love. They married at a grand wedding in Baltimore at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen on September 7, 1963. Soon after, they first moved to New York and then to San Francisco in 1969, where Paul's brother Ronald Pelosi was a member of the City and County of San Francisco's Board of Supervisors. The couple has five children together: Nancy Corinne, Christine, Jacqueline, Paul, and Alexandra; and nine grandchildren.
Born and raised in San Francisco, Paul was the owner of the now-defunct Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League and now owns and operates Financial Leasing Services, Inc, a San Francisco-based real estate and venture capital investment and consulting firm. According to the Los Angeles Times, Paul is an avid investor with stakes in Apple, Walt Disney, and Facebook. At one point he tried his hand at sports investing and put approximately $10 million into the United Football League, which began in 2009 but ended in 2012. As per reports, the pair has amassed a fortune of about $114 million through the firm.
Recently, rumors floated around that Pelosi's son Paul Pelosi Jr was involved in a Ukrainian business when a video of him speaking at a 2010 XPRIZE Foundation event went viral in 2019. However, the false claims were later debunked and it was found that Pelosi was speaking about his position on the board of an energy company called Viscoil Holdings LLC.
A love story for the ages
As soon as the two locked eyes, they found each other to be compatible and have been together for 57 years now. “He understands politics but he is not particularly political. He's a businessman. He likes sports. He plays golf and tennis. He's normal,” she said in an interview.
Once the couple moved to San Francisco, she formed a Democratic club in her district. “I immediately felt at home and I was happy,” she said. “I was surrounded by Democrats. I never even considered running for office when my children were small. I have five children. It would have been impossible, but I was always a hard-working volunteer.” Paul, meanwhile, deliberately tries to stay out of politics. “I’ve made a conscious effort to not be involved or give the appearance of being involved in her political career,” he told The Chronicle in 2004. “People should realize that she’s the one.”
Crediting her kids for motivating her in pursuing her political aspirations, Pelosi said, “I became so energized and efficient in the use of time and willing to delegate, to the children, responsibilities,” adding, “It really shapes you. There’s no question.”