SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi announced her retirement on Thursday, saying this would be her final term in Congress.

Pelosi has represented California, and specifically San Francisco, in the U.S. House of Representatives since she was first elected in 1987. She made history in 2007 when she was elected the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House. Prior to that, she was also the first woman elected as the House minority whip in 2001.

Her decades-long career has spanned many significant moments in American history— from the AIDS epidemic when she entered office, to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and up to the latest government shutdown, which has become the longest in modern history.

Pelosi has been a champion for equality and human rights, from calling for the

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