House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced she is not going to mount another bid for Democratic leadership in an emotional speech on Thursday

She's the longest-serving Democratic Speaker and first woman to hold the gavel

Pelosi has been integral to passing key liberal agenda items like the Affordable Care Act and President Biden's bipartisan infrastructure deal

Her exposure to politics came early, growing up the youngest child of a father who was the mayor of Baltimore and a Congressional representative

Pelosi made a splash on the political scene early with an act of protest against China's authoritarian leanings in Tiananmen Square in 1991

She also led a blue wave in Congress in 2006, driven by her opposition to George W. Bush's invasion of Iraq and involvement in the Middle East