Pete Buttigieg was sworn in as the 19th U.S. Se𓆉cretary of Transportation on Feb. 3, 2021. He left officeౠ when the Biden administration ended on Jan. 20, 2025.

The former mayor of South Bend, Ind., and presidential candidate was nominated to serve as the Secretary of Transportation by President Joe Biden on Dec. 15, 2020 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Feb. 2, 2021.

As Secretary, Buttigieg oversaw the safety and efficiency of the nation’s transportation system. He was a leading force in maintaining and enhancing its infrastructure, believing that the government had under-invested in transportation projects for too long.

Early Life and Education

Buttigieg was born on Jan. 19, 1982, in his hometown of South Bend, Ind., where he spent his childhood.

His late father, Joseph Buttigieg, immigrated from Malta, and his mother, Jennifer Montgomery, was born and raised in Indiana.

His father originally studied to be a Jesuit priest but ended up teaching literature, and his mother taught linguistics. His parents were professors for nearly 30 years at Notre Dame University.

Schooling

Buttigieg attended St. Joseph High School, and was his class valedictorian. He graduated from Harvard University in 2004, earning a bachelor’s degree 🎃in history꧟ and literature.

Afteﷺr graduating, Buttigieg was awarded the prestigious title of Rhodes Scholar. He attended the University of Oxford in Englan༺d, graduating with a BA in philosophy, politics, and economics.

His desire to become involved in politics surfaced early, and he worked on John Kerry’s presidential campaign in 2004 before attending Oxford.

U.S. Navy

He joined the U.S. Navy Reserve in 2009 and served seven years as an officer, taking a leave of absence as South Bend mayor to serve in Afghanistan in 2014.

It was that tour of duty that led him in 2015 to come out as a gay man at age 33, after he realized that he could die without ever having been in love.

Notable Accomplishments

Buttigieg, a Democrat, was sworn in as mayor of South Bend in 2012 and was the youngest U.S. mayor serving a community of more than 100,000 residents at the time of his election. After serving two terms, he chose not to run again and left office on Jan. 1, 2020.

Buttigieg officially announced his presidential campaign in April 2019. He had previously run unsuccessfully for chair of the Democratic National Committee in 2017.

Considered a relative political unknown before his preside🦄ntial campaign, Bᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚuttigieg set himself apart as the youngest candidate in the Democratic primary and the first openly gay person to launch a presidential campaign.

Soon after dropping out of the race in March 2020, Buttigieg endorsed Biden.

As Secretary of Transportation, he focused more on climate change and the role of electric vehicles than some of his predecessors, as the Department of Transportation has the authority to regulate vehicle emissions.

Buttigieg also was instrumental in addressing supply-chain issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and promulgating a comprehensive national roadway safety strategy.

Personal Life

Buttigieg added diversitꦓy tౠo the cabinet as its first openly gay member.

He married middle school teacher Chasten Glezman in June 2018, and the couple has two young children, Penelope Rose and Joseph August Buttigieg, born in the late summer of 2021.

His spouse left teaching to support Buttigieg’s presidential campaign and published a memoir in June 2021.

Buttigieg is extremely close to his mother, who attended many political events with her son. As a linguist, her influence is also evident in his ability to speak fluent Italian, Spanish, Maltese, Dari Persian, Arabic, French, and Norwegian, the last of which he taught himself.

The Bottom Line

Pete Buttigieg h𒈔as been a mayor, a U.S. presidential candidate, and a Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

He advanced President Biden’s ambitious agenda for infrastructure repair, supported the administration's climate change and electric vehicle policy, addressed monumental supply-chain disruptions, and launched the nation's plan to deal with the problems of roadway safety.