Here’s a look at the life of Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and former 2020 Democratic presidential candidate.
Personal
Birth date: January 19, 1982
Birth place: South Bend, Indiana
Birth name: Peter Paul Montgomery Buttigieg
Father: Joseph A. Buttigieg, an English professor
Mother: Anne Montgomery, a linguist
Marriage: Chasten Glezman (2018-present)
Children: adopted with Chasten Glezman: twins, Penelope Rose and Joseph August
Education: Harvard College, 2004, B.A., History and Literature; University of Oxford, 2007 (Rhodes Scholar)
Military service: US Navy Reserves, 2009-2017, Lieutenant
Religion: Episcopalian
Other Facts
He is the first Senate-confirmed LGBTQ Cabinet secretary.
Buttigieg can be pronounced “boot-edge-edge,” “buddha-judge,” “boot-a-judge” or “boo-tuh-judge.”
Buttigieg’s father, Joseph, emigrated to the United States from Malta. Buttigieg roughly translates to “lord of the poultry.”
Speaks eight languages: English, Norwegian, Spanish, Italian, Maltese, Arabic, Dari and French.
He learned Norwegian to read the works of novelist Erlend Loe in the original language.
Plays piano and guitar and has performed with the South Bend Symphony Orchestra.
Timeline
2007-2010 – Consultant at McKinsey & Company in Chicago.
January 1, 2012-January 1, 2020 – Mayor of South Bend, Indiana.
February 27, 2013 – Releases the Vacant & Abandoned Properties Task Force Report, which calls for 1,000 abandoned houses to be addressed in 1,000 days. The goal is met in September 2015 with over 1,000 homes being demolished or refurbished.
February-September 2014 – Deployed to Kabul, Afghanistan, as an intelligence officer.
June 16, 2015 – Comes out as gay in an essay for the South Bend Tribune.
January 5, 2017 – Announces that he is entering the race for Democratic National Committee chair.
February 25, 2017 – Drops out of the race for DNC chair minutes before the vote.
December 17, 2018 – Announces that he will not seek a third term as mayor of South Bend, Indiana.
January 23, 2019 – Announces that he is launching an exploratory committee for a 2020 presidential bid.
February 12, 2019 – His memoir, “Shortest Way Home: One Mayor’s Challenge and a Model for America’s Future,” is published.
April 14, 2019 – Officially announces he is running for president during a rally in South Bend, Indiana.
April 26, 2019 – Buttigieg’s presidential campaign reverses its decision to accept donations from registered lobbyists and says it will refund the contributions it has received so far. Campaign manager, Mike Schmuhl, in an email to supporters, states that the campaign will send back $30,250 it has received from 39 individuals.
June 21, 2019 – Buttigieg skips campaign stops to return to South Bend in the wake of a fatal officer-involved shooting. He says he is “serious about fixing this” during a march protesting the shooting, referring to racial tensions in the city.
December 10, 2019 – Buttigieg releases a list of nine clients from his time working at the McKinsey consulting firm.
February 3, 2020 – The Iowa Democratic caucuses take place, but the process descends into chaos due to poor planning by the state party, a faulty app that was supposed to calculate results and an overwhelmed call center. On February 29, the Iowa Democratic Party certifies the results from the state’s caucuses, with Buttigieg winning the most national delegates, 14 to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 12 pledged delegates.
February 11, 2020 – Sanders wins narrowly over Buttigieg in the New Hampshire Democratic primary, with both candidates picking up nine pledged delegates.
March 1, 2020 – Following a disappointing finish in the South Carolina primary, Buttigieg announces that he is suspending his presidential campaign.
March 2, 2020 – Buttigieg endorses former Vice President Joe Biden for president.
September 5, 2020 – Buttigieg joins a 15-person advisory board for Biden’s presidential transition team.
December 16, 2020 – Biden introduces Buttigieg as his nominee for transportation secretary.
February 2, 2021 – The Senate votes to confirm Buttigieg as transportation secretary by a vote of 86-13.
August 17, 2021 – Announces that he and his husband Chasten have become first-time parents.
