February 11, 2008
Longtime Calif. Rep., Holocaust Survivor Lantos Dies At 80
UPDATED.
House Foreign Affairs Chairman Tom Lantos, the only Holocaust survivor to serve in Congress, died this morning at Bethesda Naval Medical Center from complications of cancer of the esophagus. He was 80.
Lantos' office made the announcement and noted that his wife, Annette, as well as his two daughters and many of his grandchildren were at his side. No date for memorial services or a funeral had been set by this afternoon. Lantos announced in early January he would not seek re-election because of the cancer diagnosis, although he had said he planned to finish out his term.
"The passing of Tom Lantos is a profound loss for the Congress and for the nation and a terrible loss for me personally," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose San Francisco-based district borders the 12th District seat held by Lantos since 1980. "As the only Holocaust survivor ever elected to Congress, Tom Lantos devoted his life to shining a bright light on dark corners of oppression. He used his chairmanship of the Foreign Affairs Committee to empower the powerless and give voice to the voiceless throughout the world."
Foreign Affairs ranking member Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., said, "Our great sorrow is tempered by our admiration for Chairman Lantos and his extraordinary contributions to our beloved country."
Lantos was born in Hungary and as a teenager was twice imprisoned in labor camps by the Nazis, escaping both times. He then lived with his aunt in a building whose occupants were protected by Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg.
Years later, Lantos was active in efforts to determine the fate of Wallenberg, who was ultimately determined to have died in the custody of the former Soviet Union following World War II. Lantos came to the United States in 1947, earned a Ph.D. and taught economics at San Francisco State University before ousting a Republican incumbent to win his House seat in 1980. His son-in-law, former Democratic Rep. Dick Swett, later served two terms in the House from New Hampshire.
It is not clear when a new Foreign Affairs chairman will be chosen. But a Democratic aide said it has been assumed since Lantos' retirement announcement that California Rep. Howard Berman, the second-ranking Democrat on the panel, would succeed him. If Berman does move into the chairmanship, it would create a vacancy in the chairmanship of the House Judiciary Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property Subcommittee, where Berman has tackled many high-profile issues such as a pending overhaul of the U.S. patent system.
Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Va., would be next in line for that job, although he also chairs the Energy and Commerce Committee's Energy and Air Quality Subcommittee. In California, former state Sen. Jackie Speier had emerged as the likely Democratic nominee following Lantos' retirement announcement, and has been a clear favorite to succeed him in the heavily Democratic district. Speier would also be the likely winner of a special election, which could be scheduled for the June 3 California congressional primary.
-CongressDaily
