CWA Extends Condolences to the Family of Congressman Tom Lantos     2/11/2008

Washington, D.C. — The family of Representative Tom Lantos (D-California) announced today that the congressman has passed away. Last month, Rep. Lantos stated that he was suffering from cancer of the esophagus and would not run for re-election. Concerned Women for America (CWA) extends our condolences to his family and friends.

Rep. Lantos was the only Holocaust survivor to serve in Congress. He was 16 years old when Nazi Germany occupied Hungary. In 1947, he came to the U.S. on an academic scholarship. He was elected to Congress in 1980 and completed 14 terms. As Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, he worked on foreign policy issues and was the founder and co-chairman of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus.

“Rep. Lantos represents the American dream of a refugee finding success in this great country,” said Wendy Wright, President of CWA. “A victim of Nazi terror in Hungary, he escaped twice from a forced labor camp. He was a living reminder of ‘man’s inhumanity to man’ and our responsibility to help the oppressed.”

Dr. Janice Crouse, Director and Senior Fellow of CWA’s Beverly LaHaye Institute, said, “Mr. Lantos was at the forefront of Representatives working to end human trafficking. He knew firsthand the necessity for reaching out to help vulnerable people. The cause of human rights, religious freedom and equality has lost a powerful voice.”

For Information Contact:
Valerie Mosher
(202) 488-7000
media.cwfa.org

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