Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, is the son of an Indiana native and an immigrant from the Mediterranean island country of Malta. Both of Buttigieg’s parents were professors at the University of Notre Dame.
Buttigieg owns a historic house, located around the block from his mother’s home, that he shares with his husband Chasten Glezman Buttigieg and their two rescue dogs, Truman and Buddy.
Here’s what you need to know about Pete Buttigieg’s family.
1. Pete Buttigieg Married Chasten Glezman, a Teacher, in 2018 in an Episcopalian Ceremony
GettyPete Buttigieg with his husband, Chasten Buttigieg.
Pete Buttigieg waited until he was 33 years old before coming out publicly as a gay man. He shared the news in an op-ed in his hometown’s newspaper in 2015, as he was running for a second term as the mayor of South Bend, Indiana. He went on to win the election with more than 80 percent of the vote.
Just a couple of months later, Buttigieg met the man who would become his husband. He and Chasten Glezman connected over the dating app Hinge and had their first date in September of 2015. Buttigieg shared that he knew the relationship had potential when Glezman was willing to eat a Scotch Egg, Buttigieg’s favorite bar snack.
Glezman and Buttigieg got married on June 16, 2018. The ceremony took place at the Cathedral of Saint James Episcopal Church in downtown South Bend and it was streamed live online. The couple’s respective parents walked them down the aisle.
Glezman has a master’s degree in education from DePaul University. He was teaching humanities to junior high students at Montessori Academy of Edison Lakes but resigned in January of 2019 in order to support his husband on the campaign trail. Glezman now works part-time at the South Bend Civic Theater as the Director of Curriculum. He has spoken publicly about his love of theater and has explained that his high school drama teacher had inspired him to become a teacher himself. His parents, Terry and Sherri Glezman, raised their three sons in Traverse City, Michigan.
Glezman is more than likely the dominant voice when it comes to running the Twitter account devoted to their two dogs, Truman and Buddy. The rescue dogs now have more than 80,000 followers.
2. Pete Buttigieg’s Father, Joseph Buttigieg, Immigrated From Malta as a College Student
Joseph Buttigieg was born and raised in Malta, an island country in the Mediterranean located south of Sicily. After earning a graduate degree from Heythrop College in Oxford, England, Buttigieg moved to the United States for a post-doctoral degree at the State University of New York at Binghamton.
Buttigieg became an American citizen in 1979, shortly before marrying Jennifer Anne Montgomery. He was a professor at the University of Notre Dame for nearly 40 years. His responsibilities included serving as the Chair of the English department.
Conservative news outlets have labeled Buttigieg a “Marxist professor.” During his tenure at Notre Dame, Buttigieg was also a noted translator. He translated and published three volumes of works by the Italian philosopher Antonio Gramsci, who has been remembered as a communist politician and Marxist. Buttigieg also founded the International Gramsci Society, a community created to debate and discuss Gramsci’s ideas.
Buttigieg passed away on January 27, 2019, after battling an illness. His son shared on Facebook that Professor Buttigieg’s last words were, “it’s been a good trip.”
3. Jennifer Anne Montgomery Taught at Notre Dame For 29 Years
Jennifer Anne Montgomery, Pete Buttigieg’s mother, hails from a family of Hoosiers. She was originally from Indiana but moved around often during her childhood due to her father’s job as an Army colonel. She attended high school in Virginia and college at the University of Texas in Austin, accordig to her Facebook page.
Montgomery met her husband, Joseph Buttigieg, while they were both teaching at New Mexico State University. The married in 1980 and soon after relocated to South Bend. They both taught at the University of Notre Dame. Montgomery is a linguist and likely helped to inspire her son’s interest in languages. (He is conversational in 7 languages other than English, including his father’s native tongue, Maltese).
Montgomery has been photographed at various stops along the campaign trail. She was with Buttigieg for the first debates and stood with Chasten Glezman’s mother during the April rally in which Buttigieg confirmed that he was running for president. She did this while recovering from a major operation; Montgomery had emergency heart surgery in the fall of 2018.
4. Pete Buttigieg’s Maternal Grandmother Was a Musician & His Grandfather Was an Army Physician
Pete Buttigieg’s grandparents on his mother’s side were John Willard Montgomery and Zoe Anne Neal Montgomery. His grandmother was born on August 14, 1921, in McAlester, Oklahoma to Maye Louise Rasar and William Caswell Neal. Zoe Anne passed away in 2002.
According to her obituary, Zoe was an accomplished musician from an early age. She performed in recitals and over the radio. She attended the Texas State College for Women, where she studied piano, organ, and voice. As an adult, Zoe Montgomery continued to perform for audiences on the piano, and taught private piano lessons for four decades. She also was a member of the Music Teachers National Association, the Texas Order of Eastern Star and volunteered with the El Paso Police Department.
She married John Montgomery, who was originally from Indiana, in 1944. The family moved around for his career as an Army Air Corps Physician, spending time in Santa Fe, New Mexico, El Paso, Texas, and Hanover, Indiana.
Pete Buttigieg shared in an interview in April 2019 that his maternal grandmother was Methodist. Her obituary included that Zoe Anne’s funeral was held at the Trinity-First United Methodist Church in El Paso, Texas.
5. Pete Buttigieg’s Paternal Grandparents Were Catholic
GettyPete Buttigieg
Pete Buttigieg’s paternal grandparents were Maria Concetta “Cettina” Portelli Buttigieg and Joseph Anthony Buttigieg. They raised 8 children in Malta, and Joseph Buttigieg was their oldest child. At least five of the siblings were still living in Malta as of January 2019, according to Joseph Buttigieg’s obituary.
Pete Buttigieg has explained that his father’s family practiced Roman Catholicism. He told CNN, “My family in Malta, for the most part, remains deeply religious.” His father, however, studied to become a Jesuit before moving to the United States.
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