Nancy Pelosi

Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro Pelosi is currently the Speaker of the House and is the first woman to hold that position. She the first Californian and the first person of Italian descent to become Speaker. She is also the second person from west of the Rocky Mountains to hold the post, after fellow Democrat Tom Foley of Washington. Before becoming Speaker, she was the House Minority Leader from 2002 to 2007, holding the post during the 107th, 108th, and 109th Congresses of the United States. She is the first Democratic Speaker of the 21st Century.

Since 1987, she has represented the 8th Congressional District of California, which includes four-fifths of the City and County of San Francisco. Pelosi ranks second in the line of presidential succession, following Vice President Dick Cheney. She is the highest ranking woman in the history of the U.S. Government. No woman has ever been closer in line to the U.S. presidency.

Source: Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Pelosi