Pete Buttigieg
Secretary of Transportation
Peter Paul Montgomery Buttigieg was born in January 1982 in South Bend, Indiana. He earned an undergraduate degree in history and literature from Harvard University. He was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to study at the University of Oxford where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy, politics, and economics from Pembroke College, Oxford. While at Oxford, he was an investigative news reporter.
After earning his Oxford degree, he became a consultant at a management consulting firm in Chicago.
He joined the U.S. Navy Reserve and was sworn in as an ensign in naval intelligence. He spent some time deployed to Afghanistan and, among other things, was an armed driver for his commander on more than 100 trips into Kabul. He resigned his commission after eight years.
He was elected Mayor of South Bend, Indiana in 2011, serving two terms (part of which was spent in his Reserve duties in Afghanistan). He was a candidate for the office of President of the United States in the 2020 election, but he withdrew after the South Carolina primary.
He was nominated by President Joe Biden to be Secretary of Transportation, was confirmed by the Senate in an 86-13 vote, and sworn in in early February 2021.
Buttigieg is married to Chasten Glezman. They have no children. He is an Anglican Christian.
In the News…
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is planning to embark on ambitious priorities for electric and automated freight fleet vehicles as part of the Biden Administration’s overall goals for combating climate change.
He plans to have 500,000 electric charging stations across the country by 2030 to provide the public infrastructure to power the expected increase in autonomous electric vehicles.
His plans for automated and electric commercial vehicles are in response to a National Freight Strategic Plan released last September that included supporting the development and adoption of automation and connectivity.
The administration’s agenda includes replacing the government’s fleet with U.S. manufactured electric vehicles.
The Transportation Department will push for bold thinking, the secretary said. “We will continue to prioritize safety as the foundation of everything we do,” said Buttigieg. “At the same time, we will break new ground, ensuring that our economy recovers and rebuilds, in rising to the climate challenge, and in making sure transportation is an engine for equity in this country.”
Contact this Leader…
Did you pray for Secretary Buttigieg today? You can let him know at:
The Honorable Pete Buttigieg
Secretary of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Ave. SE
Washington, DC 20590
