Tom Lantos

Thomas Peter Lantos born Tamás Péter Lantos February 1 1928 February 11 2008 was a Hungarianborn American politician who served as a US representative from California from 1981 until his death in 2008 A member of the Democratic Party he represented the states 11th congressional district until 1993 and from then the 12th congressional district which both included the northern twothirds of San Mateo County and a portion of the southwestern part of San Francisco after redistricting Lantos who served as Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee in his last term announced in early January 2008 that he would not run for reelection because of cancer of the esophagus He died before finishing his term A Hungarian Jew Lantos was the only Holocaust survivor to have served in the United States Congress he survived the genocide with help from Raoul Wallenberg In speaking before the House of Representatives after his death Speaker Nancy Pelosi stated that Lantos devoted his public life to shining a bright light on the dark corners of oppression He used his powerful voice to stir the consciousness of world leaders and the public alike U2 lead singer Bono called him a prizefighter whose stamina would make him go any amount of rounds with anyone anywhere to protect human rights and common decency In 2008 after his death the Congressional Human Rights Caucus which he founded in 1983 was renamed the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission Its mission is partly to promote defend and advocate internationally recognized human rights In the final weeks of his life Lantos asked that a nonprofit be established to carry on the work he felt so passionately about The Lantos Foundation for Human Rights Justice was founded later that year to carry out that wish In 2011 the Tom Lantos Institute was set up in Budapest to promote tolerance and support minority issues in Central Europe and Eastern Europe as well as around the world