Pete Buttigieg is an American politician who was born in South Bend, Indiana, on January 19, 1982. He is currently the Secretary of Transportation in the Joe Biden administration, having taken office in 2021. In American history, Buttigieg is the first out gay member of the cabinet. Prior to that, he served as South Bend, Indiana’s mayor from 2012 to 2020. In 2020, he made an unsuccessful bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Pete Buttigieg Biography
Stage Name | Pete Buttigieg |
Real Name | Pete Buttigieg |
Profession(s) | Politician, |
Birthday | January 19, 1982 |
Zodiac Sign | Capricorn |
Age | 42 years |
Gender | Male |
Birthplace | South Bend, United States |
Hometown | South Bend, Indiana, United States |
Nationality | American |
Childhood & Early Life
- Pete Buttigieg was born Peter Paul Montgomery Buttigieg on 19 January 1982, in South Bend, Indiana, to Joseph A Buttigieg and Jennifer Ann Montgomery.
- He studied at St. Joseph High School, where during his senior year he was honored by former President J.F. Kennedy’s family members for a prize-winning essay that he wrote as part of the Profiles in Courage Essay Contest. He was also selected as an Indiana delegate to the United States Senate Youth Program. He graduated in the year 2000.
- He later went to Harvard University where he was elected as the president of the Harvard Institute of Politics Student Advisory Committee. He got his BA in Literature and History in 2004. He also received a first-class Honors degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from the University of Oxford in 2007.
Career
- During his time in college, Pete Buttigieg started working at WMAQ-TV as an investigative intern. He had also worked as an intern for Jill Long Thompson’s 2002 congressional campaign and served as an adviser during her 2008 gubernatorial campaign. From 2004 to 2005, he worked as a conference director for the international strategic consulting firm of William Cohen, former US Secretary of Defense.
- He then worked as a consultant at McKinsey and Company, a management strategy consulting firm, from 2007 to 2010. He was a Democratic Party candidate in 2010 for the State Treasurer of Indiana.
- Buttigieg also served in the military for a few years, after being commissioned in 2009 as a naval intelligence officer in the Navy Reserve. He was deployed to Afghanistan in 2014 for seven months, after which he returned to South Bend. For his counterterrorism work, he earned a Joint Service Commendation Medal.
- He was elected Mayor of South Bend on 8th November 2011. He assumed office the following year on 1st January, becoming the youngest mayor of any US city with at least 100,000 residents.
- He was known for making redevelopment a top priority during his administration. One of his signature programs was named 1000 Properties in 1000 Days. It was a project to repair or demolish targeted properties across the cities. The goal was eventually completed by the scheduled end date. During the time he served in Afghanistan as a lieutenant in the Navy Reserves, Deputy Mayor Mark Neal took over his responsibilities.
- Pete Buttigieg was named Mayor of the Year by GovFresh.com in 2013. The following year, he was named The Most Interesting Mayor You’ve Never Heard Of. The New York Times also published an article praising his work, and wondering if he would ever be elected as America’s first openly gay president.
- In November 2014, he announced that he would seek a second term as mayor. After winning over 80% of the votes, he was elected as the mayor of South Bend once again on 3rd November 2015.
- In 2017, Buttigieg announced his candidacy for the chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee election. He withdrew from the race on the day of the election, stating “I’m not going to be the next chair.”
- On April 14, 2019, he officially announced his candidacy for the 2020 Presidential elections.
- He was appointed the US Secretary of Transportation in 2021.
Controversies
- Pete Buttigieg first kindled a controversy after he demoted Darryl Boykins, the first African American police chief of South Bend, along with police communications director Karen DePaepe, as they were found to be involved in a case of tapped telephone conversations between four white police officers which supposedly contained racist content.
- In 2016, his handling of a civil rights case gained national attention. The case involved three police officers of South Bend assaulting an African American teen for a crime he did not commit. Though the Buttigieg administration offered the boy’s family an amount of $15,000, the family rejected the offer. The case went to trial, where the officers were found guilty by the jury.
- His Smart Streets Project also gained controversy after the death of an 11-year-old boy named Tristan Moore in an accident; he had been hit by a pickup truck while going to school. Buttigieg, however, denied that the project had anything to do with the accident.
- Pete Buttigieg was also in the news in June 2019 when one of the white South Bend police officers shot and killed an African-American man who was allegedly breaking into cars downtown. Buttigieg withdrew from his presidential campaign and addressed the enraged activists in the town hall and assured he would seek an independent investigation.
- Pete supports the right to abortion and voted against the Senate that wanted to ban abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy. He stated, “trust women to make these decisions.”
Awards & Achievements
- Pete Buttigieg was named Mayor of the Year by GovFresh.com in 2013.
- He was named Rodel Fellow of the Aspen Institute in 2014.
- In 2015, Buttigieg received the John F Kennedy New Frontier Fenn Award.
Personal Life
- Peter Buttigieg identifies as gay. He wrote an essay in June 2015 disclosing his sexual orientation to the public. In addition, he is the first openly gay executive in Indiana.
- He goes to the Episcopal Church on Sundays and is a Christian.
- It was well received when he delivered a TEDx lecture on urban innovation in South Bend.
- Pete confirmed his engagement to Chasten Glezman, his boyfriend he met on a dating service, in December 2017. On June 16, 2018, they exchanged vows in a private ceremony at the Cathedral of St. James. Pete and Chasten adopted two fraternal twins on September 4, 2021.
Relationships
- Joseph Buttigieg — Father
- Chasten Glezman — Husband
- Jennifer Anne (née Montgomery) — Mother
Who is Pete Buttigieg spouse?
The well-known former mayor made his sexual orientation public in an essay that he published on June 16, 2015. Through a dating app, he connected with Chasten Glezman, his love partner, in August 2015. They announced their engagement in 2017. Thankfully, the pair got married at St. James on June 16, 2018. As of 2020, Pete Buttigieg’s age is 38
Pete Buttigieg husband, Chasten Glezman, was born on 23 June 1989. He is a famous personality and an American High School teacher for eight years. He became famous after marrying his lovely partner Pete Buttigieg. Interestingly, Chasten changed his last name from Glezman to Buttigieg.
Also Read : Kamala Harris (Vice President of the United States) Biography
Facts about Chasten Glezman spouse
- He is a Democrat.
- Pete was the first open gay mayor in Indiana.
- The former mayor, Pete, was a veteran in Afghanistan.
- Pete, is a presidential candidate in the United States of Americas’ General Election 2020.
- His mother is a resident in Indiana, and his father was an immigrant from Malta.
Pete Presidential campaign
Pete Buttigieg gay announced in April 2019 that he would vie for the United States of America presidency in 2020. Also, in the same month, he launched his presidential campaign. Unluckily, after this clear announcement, the leading Democratic Candidates did not support him. Fortunately, towards the end of the year 2019, he gained supportive grounds from his followers and his fame started growing again.
Pete Buttigieg News
The presidential candidate needs more cash for his campaign. According to some sources, Buttiegeg held a front-running performance, but he did not get the best fundraising support as he expected. However, his campaign is being supported by an army of volunteers to keep him more competitive with Bernie Sanders.
What is Pete Buttigieg net worth
The former mayor has accumulated a lot of wealth at his age, 38 years. His net worth is estimated to be about 100 million dollars as of 2020. He has got his wealth from his service as a politician. However, this is quite lower than what most of his critics and supporters have been estimating. His net worth is one of the lowest among all the 2020 presidential candidates.
Pete Buttigieg and his husband images
Fast Facts
- Was his high school senior class valedictorian
- In 2000, won the JFK Profiles in Courage Essay Contest
- Former president of the Harvard Institute of Politics Student Advisory Committee
- Was elected Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, in 2011 and 2015
- Served in Afghanistan
- Met Chasten Glezman, his husband, on a dating app
- In January 2019, announced his candidacy for the presidential election
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.
Important Notes
- Pete Buttigieg is the first openly gay cabinet member in the U.S. government’s history.
- Buttigieg is the former mayor (its youngest ever) of South Bend, Ind., where he grew up.
- He is a former Rhodes Scholar and attended Harvard University.
- Buttigieg leads the U.S. Department of Transportation under the Biden administration.
- He served in the U.S. Navy Reserve, and he was stationed in Afghanistan.
Leave a Reply