Calif. Rep. Tom Lantos Dies

Calif. Rep. Tom Lantos Dies

ERICA WERNER | February 11, 2008 10:10 AM EST |

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WASHINGTON — Rep. Tom Lantos of California, the only Holocaust survivor to serve in Congress, has died. He was 80.

Spokeswoman Lynne Weil said Lantos died early Monday at the Bethesda Naval Medical Center in suburban Maryland. He was surrounded by his wife, Annette, two daughters, and many of his 18 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Annette Lantos said in a statement that her husband's life was "defined by courage, optimism, and unwavering dedication to his principles and to his family."

Lantos, a Democrat who chaired the House Foreign Affairs Committee, disclosed last month that he had been diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus. He said at the time that he would serve out his 14th term but would not seek re-election in his Northern California district, which takes in the southwest portion of San Francisco and suburbs to the south including Lantos' home of San Mateo.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20080211/obit-lantos/

Tom Lantos - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Congressman Tom Lantos to Complete his Congressional Service at the End of Current Term ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Lantos

Lantos had announced in early January that he would not run for reelection in 2008 due to cancer of the esophagus.

Personal and family life

Born to a Jewish family in Budapest, Hungary, Lantos was part of a resistance movement against the Nazis during the German occupation of Hungary. In his floor speeches, he sometimes referred to himself as one of the few living members of Congress who fought against fascism.

He sought refuge in a safe house established by Raoul Wallenberg; in 1981 Lantos sponsored a bill making Wallenberg an Honorary Citizen of the United States. He moved to the United States in 1947, and spoke with a pronounced Hungarian accent.

Lantos considered himself a secular Jew. He was the only Holocaust survivor ever to serve in Congress.<4> Upon immigrating to the United States he attended the University of Washington and the University of California, Berkeley, receiving his Ph.D in 1953.

For three decades prior to his service in Congress (1950–1980), Lantos was a professor of economics, an international affairs analyst for public television, and a consultant to a number of businesses. He also served as a senior advisor to several U.S. Senators.

Lantos made his first run for office in 1980, when he defeated one-term Republican congressman Bill Royer by 5,700 votes. He never faced another contest nearly that close, and was reelected 13 times.

Crooks and Liars » BREAKING: Rep. Tom Lantos Passes Away
Rep. Tom Lantos has succumbed to his battle with cancer early this morning according to a reports on MSNBC. He was the only surviving Holocaust member ...
www.crooksandliars.com/2008/02/11/breaking-rep-tom-lantos-passes-away/

:eyes:

;)

:dunce:

Regardez, s’il vous plaît.
Recharge, s’il vous plaît.

The coyote works hard around here.

How ya doin 'Nut? You seem to have your spunky back.

i knew this wonderful man..and just awoke and see this..i am so sad...

Rest In peace Dear man!!

and my heart goes out to his family.

fly

It's a great loss for Congress, California, and the Democratic Party

He was such a crusader for animal rights, as well as a beloved CA representative of the people.

:-(

n/t

a great champion of human rights and justice for all...:cry:

how my dad had a burned esophagus during his radiation therapy, not surprising that he went so fast. Infection, hunger and pneumonia are by-products that are usually the cause of death. I am happy he is free of his misery and among the family he lost so long ago. RIP, good man.

My sincerest sympathies to your grieving family.