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{{short description|American politician (1928-2008)}}
{{Recent death|date=February 2008}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{eastern name order|Lantos Tamás Péter}} {{eastern name order|Lantos Tamás Péter}}
{{Infobox officeholder
{{Infobox_Congressman
| name =Tom Lantos |name = Tom Lantos
| image name = Rep. Tom Lantos (D-CA).jpg |image = Tom Lantos.jpg
|office = Chair of the ]
| birth_date= {{birth date|1928|02|01}}
|term_start = January 3, 2007
| birth_place= ], ]
|term_end = February 11, 2008
| death_date = {{death date and age|2008|02|11|1928|02|01}}
|predecessor = ]
| death_place =], ]
| state = ] |successor = ]
|office1 = Member of the<br />]<br />from ]
| district = ]
| term_start = ] ] |term_start1 = January 3, 1981
| term_end = ] ] |term_end1 = February 11, 2008
| preceded = ] |predecessor1 = ]
|successor1 = ]
| succeeded = TBD
|constituency1= {{ushr|CA|11|11th district}} {{nowrap|(1981–1993)}}<br />{{ushr|CA|12|12th district}} {{nowrap|(1993–2008)}}
| party = ]
|birth_name = Tamás Péter Lantos
| religion = ] (non practicing){{fact}}
|birth_date = {{birth date|1928|2|1}}
| spouse = Annette Lantos
|birth_place = ], ]
| residence = ]
|death_date = {{death date and age|2008|2|11|1928|2|1}}
|death_place = ], U.S.
|party = ]
|spouse = {{marriage|Annette Tillemann|1950}}
|children = 2 daughters, including ]
|relatives = Tomicah Tillemann (grandson)<br />] (grandson)<br />] (granddaughter)
|education = ]<br />] (], ])<br />] (])
|module = {{Listen|pos=center|embed=yes|filename=Rep. Tom Lantos on Soviet Oppression of the Baltic States and 10th Anniversary of Latvia's Independence from the Soviet Union.ogg|title=Tom Lantos's voice|type=speech|description=Lantos speaks on the 10th anniversary of ]<br/>Recorded July 17, 2000}}
}} }}
'''Thomas Peter Lantos''' (born '''Tamás Péter Lantos'''; February 1, 1928 – February 11, 2008)<ref>{{cite news|agency=Associated Press|title=Tom Lantos Dies|url=http://www.legacy.com/ns/obituary.aspx?n=tom-lantos&pid=103197514|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129042741/http://www.legacy.com/ns/obituary.aspx?n=tom-lantos&pid=103197514|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 29, 2014|quote=Rep. Tom Lantos of California, the only Holocaust survivor ever to serve in Congress, died early Monday morning, his spokeswoman said.|date=February 11, 2008}}</ref> was a Hungarian- American politician who served as a ] from ] from 1981 until his death in 2008. A member of the ], he represented the state's ] until 1993. After redistricting, he served from the ], which included both the northern two-thirds of ] and a portion of the southwestern part of ].


Lantos, who served as Chair of the ] in his last term, announced in early January 2008 that he would not run for re-election because of ]. He died before finishing his term.<ref> ''San Francisco Chronicle'', January 2, 2008; retrieved January 2, 2008.</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=California's Lantos says cancer will prevent another House run|newspaper=]|url=https://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-lantos3jan03,1,6382612.story?ctrack=1&cset=true|date=January 3, 2008|access-date=January 29, 2008|first=Richard|last=Simon|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216025244/http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-lantos3jan03,1,6382612.story?ctrack=1&cset=true|archive-date=February 16, 2008}}</ref> A ], Lantos was the only ] to have served in the United States Congress; he survived the ] with help from ].<ref>{{cite book|editor-last1=Maisel|editor-first1=L. Sandy|editor-link1=L. Sandy Maisel|editor-last2=Forman|editor-first2=Ira N.|editor-link2=Ira Forman|title=Jews in American Politics|year=2001|publisher=]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7g1jaWlsY24C&pg=PA370|isbn=9780742501812|access-date=May 21, 2011}} "The only Holocaust survivor to serve in the United States Congress, Tom Lantos was born February 1, 1928, in Budapest. Just 16 years old when the Nazis invaded Hungary, Lantos was active in the underground resistance, before he was imprisoned in a Nazi labor camp in Hungary."</ref> In speaking before the House of Representatives after his death, Speaker ] 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."<ref>Representative Nancy Pelosi, {{YouTube|id=BlSGGm-zz9Y#at=110|title="The World Lost One Of Its Greatest Champions Of Human Rights"}} video, 7 min.</ref> ] lead singer ] called him a "prizefighter", whose stamina would make him go "any amount of rounds, with anyone, anywhere, to protect human rights and common decency".<ref>{{YouTube|id=t000KQk3O0I#at=26|title="Bono Remembers the Honorable Tom Lantos"}} video clip, 2 minutes</ref>
'''Thomas Peter Lantos''' (] ]&nbsp;&ndash; ] ])<ref>{{cite news |work=Associated Press |title=AP News Alert |url=http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ijDA5bgxiHlTvS_r-SSjskS1Tq1wD8UO5ODO0 |quote=Rep. Tom Lantos of California, the only Holocaust survivor ever to serve in Congress, died early Monday morning, his spokeswoman said.|date=2008-02-11}}</ref> was a ] member of the ] from 1981 until his death, representing the northern two-thirds of ] and a small portion of southwest ].


In 2008, after his death, the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, which he founded in 1983, was renamed the ]. Its mission is partly "to promote, defend, and advocate internationally recognized human rights". In the final weeks of his life, Lantos asked that a non-profit 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 ] to promote tolerance and support minority issues in ] and ], as well as around the world.<ref name=Institute>, Politics.hu, May 2, 2011</ref>
Lantos had announced in early January that he would not run for reelection in 2008 because of ].<ref> ''San Francisco Chronicle'', January 2, 2008. Accessed online 2 January, 2008</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=California's Lantos says cancer will prevent another House run|publisher=''Los Angeles Times''|url=http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-lantos3jan03,1,6382612.story?ctrack=1&cset=true|date=January 3, 2008}} Retrieved on ] ]</ref>


==Personal and family life== ==Early life==
Lantos was born Tamás Péter Lantos ({{IPA-hu|ˈtɒmaːʃ ˈpeːtɛr ˈlɒntoʃ|lang}}) into a ] family in ], ], the son of Anna, a high school English teacher, and Pál Lantos, a banker.<ref>{{cite web|author=Thomas Fields-Meyer |url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20127869,00.html |title=Second Start |publisher=People.com |access-date=October 8, 2016}}</ref> His family was heavily involved in education, and included an uncle who was a professor at the ] and a grandmother who was a high school principal.
Born as '''Lantos Tamás Péter''' to a ]ish family in ], ], Lantos was part of a ] against the ] during the ]. In his floor speeches, he sometimes referred to himself as one of the few living members of Congress who fought against ].


=== World War II ===
He sought refuge in a safe house established by ]; in 1981 Lantos sponsored a bill making Wallenberg an ]. He moved to the United States in 1947, and spoke with a pronounced ] accent.
His life in Hungary would change after the ] by ] in 1938, with the Austrian border just {{Convert|100|mi|km|spell=|abbr=}} from Budapest. Lantos remembered this period and a newspaper headline he read when he was ten years old, "] Marches into Austria". Even at a young age, he understood the significance of this invasion, recalling in a 1999 interview with ], "I sensed that this historic moment would have a tremendous impact on the lives of ], my family, and myself".<ref name="Bio">, biography.com; accessed May 27, 2015.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Marmor |first=Jon |date=September 1999 |title=Holocaust survivor and statesman Tom Lantos, '49, '50, keeps bucking the odds |url=https://magazine.washington.edu/feature/holocaust-survivor-and-statesman-tom-lantos-49-50-keeps-bucking-the-odds/ |access-date=June 21, 2023 |website=UW Magazine — University of Washington Magazine}}</ref>


Six years later, in March 1944, the German military ] and occupied Budapest, its capital. As he was Jewish, Lantos, then 16, was arrested and sent to a ] outside of Budapest. He escaped, but was soon caught by the Germans and beaten severely, then returned to the labor camp. He again escaped, this time making his way back to Budapest, {{Convert|40|mi|km|spell=|abbr=}} away. There, he hid with an aunt in a ] set up by ], a ] diplomat.<ref name="Bio" />
Lantos considered himself a ]. Upon ] under the auspices of ] he attended the ] and the ], receiving his ] in 1953.


Lantos joined Wallenberg's network; his fair hair and blue eyes, which to the Nazis were physical signs of "]", enabled him to serve as a courier and deliver food and medicine to Jews living in other safe houses.<ref>, USC Shoah Foundation; accessed August 26, 2016.</ref> In January 1945, less than a year later, Soviet military forces fought door-to-door battles and liberated Hungary from German occupation. However, Lantos, then 17, returned home only to discover that his mother and other family members had all been murdered by the Germans, along with ], during the preceding 10 months of their occupation.<ref name="Bio" /> Wallenberg, for his part, was later credited with saving the lives of thousands of other Hungarian Jews.<ref>{{cite news|author=Janine Zacharia|url=http://info.jpost.com/C001/Supplements/Shoah/hol_LantosList.html|title=Lantos's list|quote=Born in Hungary in 1928 to assimilated Jewish parents, he escaped from a forced-labor brigade, joined the resistance, and was eventually, with his later-to-be-wife Annette, among the tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews rescued by the Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg.|access-date=February 15, 2007|newspaper=]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070121143916/http://info.jpost.com/C001/Supplements/Shoah/hol_LantosList.html|archive-date=January 21, 2007}}</ref>
For three decades prior to his service in Congress (1950–1980), Lantos was a professor of ], an ] analyst for ], and a ] to a number of businesses. He also served as a senior advisor to several ].


Lantos described some of his experiences in the ]-winning documentary film '']'' (1998), produced by ]'s ]. In his floor speeches as a congressman, he sometimes referred to himself as one of the few living members of Congress who had fought against ]. In 1981, Lantos sponsored a bill making Wallenberg an ], and became a member of the ]. In January 2006, he traveled to Hungary and attended a ceremony commemorating the 61st anniversary of the liberation of the ]. The event was held at the ] in Budapest.<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111016020759/http://hungary.usembassy.gov/ghetto_commemoration.html |date=October 16, 2011 }}, U.S. Dept. of State, 2006</ref>
Lantos made his first run for office in 1980, when he defeated one-term ] congressman ] by 5,700 votes. He never faced another contest nearly that close, and was reelected 13 times. He was the only ] ever to serve in Congress.<ref>Janine Zacharia, , '']'', dated 13 April but year not given, presumably 2001. Janine Zacharia, , originally from ''Jewish Bulletin of Northern California'' (credited as a ''Jerusalem Post Service'' story, and appears to be a reworking of the previous story), April 20, 2001; reproduced on Lantos's congressional web site. Aleza Goldsmith, , '']'' (formerly ''Jewish Bulletin of Northern California''), October 4, 2002. All accessed 25 September 2006.</ref>


===Education===
Lantos and his wife Annette have two daughters, Annette and Katrina, and 17 grandchildren. Lantos' wife is a member of ] (the ] church). Annette Lantos is a first cousin of the sisters ], ], and ].<ref>Mark Simon, , ''San Francisco Chronicle'', June 22, 2000. Accessed 25 September 2006.</ref> ], who married ] and former U.S. Representative from ] ], was a candidate for Congress in New Hampshire, running for the House of Representative in 2002 against ] and in 2008 for the U.S. Senate against ]. His daughter Annette is married to Timber Dick, "an independent businessman in Colorado."<ref>http://www.lantos.org/biography.php</ref>
In 1946, Lantos enrolled at the ]. As a result of his fluent English,{{citation needed|date=August 2021}} he wrote an essay about ], and he was awarded a scholarship by the ] to study in the United States. He then emigrated to the U.S., and studied economics at the ] in ], where he earned a ] in 1949 and an ] in 1950. He continued his post-graduate education at the ], and received a ] in economics in 1953.<ref>, cnn.com, February 11, 2008; accessed November 19, 2014.</ref>


===Early career===
Lantos appeared in the ]-winning film ''The Last Days'', a documentary of the Holocaust's effect on Hungarian Jews, and "To Bear Witness", another documentary.<ref>{{imdb name|id=0487192|name=Tom Lantos}}. Accessed 25 September 2006.</ref>
After graduation from Berkeley, Lantos became a professor of economics at ]. In subsequent years, he worked as a business consultant and television commentator on subjects of foreign policy. He eventually became a senior advisor to various U.S. Senators, and in 1980, he was elected to the ], where he remained until his death in February 2008. Recalling his early life, he announced his retirement by stating to Congress, "I will never be able to express fully my profoundly felt gratitude to this great country."<ref name=Bio/>


==Personal and family life==
Lantos often brought a small white terrier named Mackó (little bear in Hungarian, pronounced {{IPA|mɒtskoː}}) to his Capitol Hill office. Lantos' previous dog, a small poodle named Gigi, was also a fixture in Washington.
Despite becoming fluent in English, Lantos never lost his Hungarian accent. During his childhood, he met his future wife, Annette Tillemann (or Tilleman; born June 27, 1931), then using the name Agnes Ethel Seymour. Her family had managed to escape to Switzerland, using Swedish passports issued by ]. After Hungary was liberated, she and her family returned to Budapest, where she and Lantos met again. After emigrating to the United States, they married on July 13, 1950. They remained married until his death in 2008. Agnes Ethel Lantos became a naturalized United States citizen on May 17, 1954, under that name.<ref>, ancestry.com; accessed June 28, 2016.</ref><ref name=Timmerman>Timmerman, Kenneth R. , Random House (2005)<!-- ISBN needed --></ref> Annette's father Sebastian was the brother of ], with Jolie's daughters ], ], and ] being first cousins to Annette Lantos.<ref>{{cite news|author=Edward Epstein|url=http://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Lantos-the-master-storyteller-communicator-2626195.php|title=Lantos the master storyteller, communicator|newspaper=]|date=January 1, 2007|access-date=October 5, 2014}}</ref>


Lantos and his wife had two daughters, Annette Marie and ], and 18 grandchildren, including ], an author and energy expert; Tomicah Tillemann, a former Democratic political speechwriter; and ], an opera singer and activist. The Lantoses' daughter Annette was married to Timber Dick, an independent businessman in Colorado,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lantos.org/biography.php|title=Tom Lantos for Congress|access-date=April 19, 2009|archive-date=December 27, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071227055137/http://www.lantos.org/biography.php}}</ref> until his accidental death in 2008.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.denverpost.com/obituaries/ci_8891919|title=Denver inventor Dick dies after crash|work=]|date=April 11, 2008|first=Howard|last=Pankratz}}
Tom Lantos was an honorary member of the ].
</ref><ref>, ''Rocky Mountain News'', April 11, 2008.</ref>


Lantos's younger daughter, Katrina, is married to ] and former U.S. Representative from ] ], and was herself a candidate for Congress in New Hampshire. Lantos considered himself a ].<ref name="ProjVote">{{cite web|url=http://www.votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=26739|title=Project Vote Smart: Tom Lantos|publisher=Votesmart.org|access-date=June 15, 2010}}</ref>
==Political positions==
]]]
Lantos was a strong supporter of the ] from the start, but from 2006 onward made increasingly critical statements about the conduct of the war, and as the ] of the ] he held 20 oversight hearings on the war in 2007. (See separate section below about the war in Iraq.)


==Political career and positions==
Lantos was a member of the ]<ref> , accessed 25 September 2006.</ref> and repeatedly called for reforms to the nation's ], reduction of the ] and the ], repeal of the ], and has opposed ] efforts. He supported ] and ], was a strong proponent of ]<ref>, accessed 25 September 2006.</ref> and was adamantly ].<ref>, accessed 25 September 2006.</ref>
{{seealso|Criticism of Yahoo!}}
Lantos made his first run for office in 1980, challenging ] Congressman ], who had won a 1979 special election after ] ] was killed in the ]. Lantos defeated Royer by 5,700 votes. He never again faced such a close contest, and was re-elected 13 times. Lantos earned a reputation as a champion for various ] causes, such as having ] CEO ] testify at a congressional hearing after the company turned over the email records of two Chinese dissidents to the Chinese government, allowing them to be traced and one sentenced to jail.<ref>{{cite news|agency=Associated Press|title=Yahoo Criticized in Case of Jailed Dissident|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/07/technology/07yahoo.html?_r=1|work=]|date=November 7, 2007|access-date=April 19, 2009|quote='While technologically and financially you are giants, morally you are pygmies', Tom Lantos, Democrat of California and chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said angrily after hearing from the two executives, Jerry Yang, the chief executive, and Michael J. Callahan, the general counsel.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Aleza Goldsmith|url=http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/18552/arab-american-challenges-lantos-in-three-way-race|title=Arab-American challenges Lantos in three-way race|work=Jewish Bulletin of Northern California|date=October 4, 2002|access-date=October 5, 2014}}</ref>


] that Lantos served from 1981 until 1993 included a small portion of ], as well as ] and ].]]Lantos was a member of the ], and repeatedly called for reforms to the nation's ], reduction of the ] and the ], repeal of the ]. He opposed ] efforts. He supported ] and ], was a strong proponent of ] and adamantly ].<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160808044109/http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/media/press-releases/2008/pr02112008_lantos.html?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F |date=August 8, 2016 }}, NARAL: Pro-Choice America, February 11, 2008.</ref>
Lantos was a well-known advocate on behalf of the ], receiving consistently high ratings from the ] and other ] for his legislative record.<ref>, accessed 25 September 2006. </ref> His long-standing efforts to protect open space brought thousands of acres under the protection of the ], including Mori Point, Sweeney Ridge and — most recently — Rancho Corral de Tierra, which will keep its watersheds and delicate habitats free from development permanently.<ref>Edward Epstein, , ''San Francisco Chronicle'', December 7, 2005. Accessed online 25 September 2006.</ref><ref>, ''San Mateo Daily Journal, December 22, 2005. Accessed online 25 September 2006.</ref> In 2005 he opposed an effort to expand public use of the ], a protected wildlife haven.


Lantos was an advocate on behalf of the ], receiving consistently high ratings from the ] and other ] for his legislative record. His long-standing efforts to protect open space brought thousands of acres under the protection of the ], including ], ], and ], which will keep its ]s and delicate habitats free from development permanently.<ref>{{cite news|author=Edward Epstein|url=http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/BAY-AREA-Recreation-area-about-to-get-bigger-2558066.php|title=Bay Area: Recreation area about to get bigger: Historic rancho near Devil's Slide a deal at $15 million|newspaper=]|date=December 7, 2005|access-date=October 5, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://archives.smdailyjournal.com/article_preview.php?id=52546|title=Bush signs Lantos' open space bill|newspaper=]|date=December 22, 2005|access-date=October 5, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006123418/http://archives.smdailyjournal.com/article_preview.php?id=52546|archive-date=October 6, 2014}}</ref>
Lantos consistently championed local ] projects that need federal funds and, given his seniority in Congress, proved successful at delivering this support.
] and Lantos]]
While Lantos was an early supporter of the ],<ref>{{Cite news |last=Cowan |first=Richard |date=February 11, 2008 |title=U.S. Rep. Lantos, Holocaust survivor, dies |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-lantos-idUSN1163368120080211 |access-date=June 21, 2023}}</ref> from 2006 onward, he acknowledged public criticism about the conduct of the war<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rainwater |first=Jon |date=September 17, 2007 |title=Rep. Lantos: the Iraq war is about oil |url=https://www.peaceaction.org/2007/09/17/rep-lantos-the-iraq-war-is-about-oil/ |access-date=June 21, 2023 |website=Peace Action |language=en-EN}}</ref> and called for a diplomatic approach toward ceasing hostilities.<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 3, 2007 |title=Iraq needs a political solution: Lantos |work=The Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/iraq-needs-a-political-solution-lantos/articleshow/1558099.cms |access-date=June 21, 2023 |issn=0971-8257}}</ref>


==Foreign affairs issues== ==Foreign affairs issues==
] ] with Lantos and his wife, Annette Lantos]] ] ] with Tom and Annette Lantos]]
Lantos served as the chairman of the ]. Through its more than 20 years of work, the ]—of which Lantos was co-chair with Representative ]—covered a wide range of human rights issues. They included speaking for Christians in ] and ] to practice their faith, helping ]ans to retain their culture and religion in Tibet, and advocating for other minorities worldwide.
Lantos served as the chairman of the ].


Among his other efforts was a demand that ] apologize for ] during World War II.<ref name=NYT2>{{cite news|title = Tom Lantos, 80, Is Dead; Longtime Congressman|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/12/washington/12lantos.html|last = Herszenhorn|first = David L.|date = February 12, 2008|page = D6|newspaper = ]|url-access = limited}}</ref> He declared Turkey's mass killings of Armenians during World War I to be ].<ref name=NYT2 /> In more recent times, he supported democracy in ] and pressed for sanctions on Iran for supporting terrorism.<ref name=NYT2 /> In 2004, he sponsored a bill to stop the spread of ].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Bush-inks-Jewish-bill-by-Lantos-2642014.php|title=Bush inks Jewish bill by Lantos|newspaper=]|date=October 19, 2004|access-date=October 5, 2014}}</ref>
Through its more than 20 years of work, the Congressional Human Rights Caucus<ref> on Lantos's congressional site. Accessed 25 September 2006.</ref> — of which Lantos was co-chair with Representative ] — has covered a wide range of human rights issues, speaking out for Christians who want to practice their faith in ] and ], fighting for Tibetans to be able to retain their culture and religion in Tibet and advocating for other oppressed minorities worldwide. Lantos’ efforts to protect religious freedom in 2004 resulted in a bill to halt the global spread of ].<ref>Chronicle Washington Bureau, , ''San Francisco Chronicle'', October 19, 2004. Accessed 25 September 2006.</ref>


Lantos was involved with his colleagues on the International Relations Committee on many decisions that affect other aspects of ]. Lantos spoke out strongly against waste, fraud and abuse in the multi-billion dollar U.S. reconstruction program in Iraq, and has warned that the U.S. may lose Afghanistan to the ] if the ] fails to take decisive action to halt the current decline in political stability there. On other aspects of ], Lantos spoke out against waste, fraud and abuse in the multi-billion dollar U.S. reconstruction program in Iraq, and warned that the U.S. could lose Afghanistan to the ] if the ] failed to take decisive action to halt the current decline in political stability there. Lantos was against U.S. military aid to ] as the Egyptian military had failed to stop the flow of money and weapons across the Egyptian border to ] in ], and Egypt had not contributed troops to the peacekeeping efforts in ] and elsewhere.<ref name=TranscriptForeignAffairsCommittee />


===1991 Gulf War===
Lantos, then the ranking Democrat on the International Relations Committee, tried to disrupt U.S. military aid to Egypt. Lantos argued that the Egyptian military had made insufficient efforts to stop the flow of money and weapons across the Egyptian border to ] in Gaza, and had not contributed troops to internationally-supported peacekeeping efforts in Afghanistan and elsewhere. Lantos was a strong advocate of ]
{{See also|Nurse Nayirah}}
Lantos was a strong supporter of the 1991 ]. During the run-up to the war in 1990, the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, of which Lantos was co-chairman, hosted a 15 year old ]i girl, then identified only as "]", who told of horrific abuses by Iraqi soldiers following the ], including the killing of Kuwaiti babies by taking them out of their incubators and leaving them to die on the floor of the hospital. These alleged atrocities figured prominently in the rhetoric at the time about Iraqi abuses in Kuwait. Her witness account was later challenged by independent human rights monitors.<ref name=nyt1992>{{cite news|author=Clifford Krauss|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/01/12/world/congressman-says-girl-was-credible.html|title=Congressman Says Girl Was Credible|newspaper=]|date=January 12, 1992|access-date=October 5, 2014}}</ref>


"Nurse Nayirah" later turned out to be the daughter of Kuwaiti politician ], who serve as ] at the time. Asked about having allowed the girl to give testimony without identifying herself, and without her story having been corroborated, Lantos replied, "The notion that any of the witnesses brought to the caucus through the Kuwaiti Embassy would not be credible did not cross my mind... I have no basis for assuming that her story is not true, but the point goes beyond that. If one hypothesizes that the woman's story is fictitious from A to Z, that in no way diminishes the avalanche of human rights violations."<ref name=nyt1992 />
===1991 Persian Gulf War===
{{see also|Nurse Nayirah}}
Lantos was a strong supporter of the 1991 ]. During the run-up to the war, the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, of which Lantos was co-chairman, hosted a young ]i woman identified only as "]", who told of horrific abuses by Iraqi soldiers, including the killing of Kuwaiti babies by taking them out of their incubators and leaving them to die on the cold floor of the hospital. These alleged atrocities figured prominently in the rhetoric at the time about Iraqi abuses in Kuwait.


The ] sent investigators to Kuwait who went through the hospital and counted the incubators and they found that "except for one or two that may have been misplaced" all of the incubators were still in the hospital. The investigators concluded that there were no deaths resulting from stolen equipment. And the doctor who provided ] with the number of babies killed dropped from 312 to 72 and then 30, 19 of which died before the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq. After the war, ''The New York Times'' wrote, "It's plainly wrong for a member of congress to collaborate with a public relations firm to produce knowingly deceptive testimony on an important issue.<ref name=Deception>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/01/15/opinion/deception-on-capitol-hill.html|title=Deception on Capitol Hill|newspaper=]|date=January 15, 1992|access-date=October 5, 2014}}</ref> Yet Representative Tom Lantos has been caught doing exactly that. His behavior warrants a searching inquiry by the House Ethics Committee."<ref>ProQuest Historical Newspapers, ''The New York Times '', p. A-20)<!--date needed--></ref>
The girl's account was later challenged by independent human rights monitors.<ref name=nyt1992>, ''The New York Times''. January 12, 1992</ref> "Nurse Nayirah" later turned out to be the daughter of the Kuwaiti ambassador to the United States.<ref name=nyt1992 /> Asked about his having allowed the girl to give testimony without identifying herself, and without her story having been corroborated, Lantos replied, "The notion that any of the witnesses brought to the caucus through the Kuwaiti Embassy would not be credible did not cross my mind... I have no basis for assuming that her story is not true, but the point goes beyond that. If one hypothesizes that the woman's story is fictitious from A to Z, that in no way diminishes the avalanche of human rights violations."<ref name=nyt1992 />

Lantos and ], the foremost critic of the Nayirah issue, each had op-eds features in ''The New York Times'', in which each accused the other of distortion.<ref>, ''The New York Times''. January 27, 1992</ref> MacArthur suggested that Lantos may have materially benefited from his having accommodated Nayirah.<ref name=Deception>, ''The New York Times''. January 15, 1992</ref> Nayirah was later revealed to have connections to a lobbying firm in the employ of a ], and her story has since come to be regarded as baseless propaganda.<ref name=Deception />


===War in Iraq=== ===War in Iraq===
By September 2002, Lantos had shown himself to be a supporter of the White House position on the war. On ] ], Lantos led a narrow majority of Democrats on the House International Relations Committee to a successful vote in support of the President's path toward war, seeking the approval of the United Nations, but allowing the President to strike out on his own if necessary. The resolution later passed the House and the Senate with a total of 373 members of Congress supporting it. "The train is now on its way," said Lantos after his and the President's victory.<ref>"THREATS AND RESPONSES: THE CONGRESSIONAL RESOLUTION; LAWMAKERS BEGIN PUSH TO GIVE BUSH AUTHORITY ON IRAQ," by Alison Mitchell, ''The New York Times'', October 4, 2002</ref> In later hearings on the war, Lantos continued his enthusiastic support. At one point he was confronted by witnesses who questioned the likelihood of enthusiastic Baghdadis welcoming the invading Americans; Lantos called this a kind of racism, to suggest the Iraqis might be so ungrateful. On October 4, 2002, Lantos led a narrow majority of Democrats on the House International Relations Committee to a successful vote in support of the Resolution for the Use of Force, seeking the approval of the United Nations and under the condition that President ] would allow UN weapons inspectors to finish their work and that Bush would need to return to Congress for an actual declaration of war before invading Iraq. The resolution later passed the House and the Senate with a total of 373 of 435 members of Congress supporting it. "The train is now on its way", said Lantos after the resolution successfully passed both houses of Congress.<ref>{{cite news|title=Threats and Responses: the Congressional Resolution; Lawmakers Begin Push to Give Bush Authority on Iraq|author=Alison Mitchell|newspaper=]|date=October 4, 2002}}</ref> In later hearings on the war, Lantos continued his enthusiastic support.


Starting in early 2006, Lantos has distanced himself from the Bush Administration's Iraq policy, making critical statements at hearings, on the House floor and in published media interviews about the conduct of the war. During hearings of the House International Relations Committee, where he was then the ranking member, Lantos repeatedly praised the investigative work of the office of the Special Inspector of Iraq Reconstruction General Stuart Bowen, which uncovered evidence of waste, fraud and abuse in the use of U.S. taxpayer dollars intended to help secure and rebuild Iraq. Starting in early 2006, Lantos distanced himself from the ]'s Iraq policy, making critical statements at hearings, on the House floor and in published media interviews about the conduct of the war. During hearings of the House International Relations Committee, where he was then the ranking member, Lantos repeatedly praised the investigative work of the office of the Special Inspector of Iraq Reconstruction General ], which uncovered evidence of waste, fraud and abuse in the use of U.S. taxpayer dollars intended to help secure and rebuild Iraq. Lantos was an immediate and consistent critic of the troop surge advocated by President Bush. On the night in January 2007 that Bush announced his plan, Lantos responded, "I oppose the so-called surge that constitutes the centerpiece of the President's plan. Our efforts in Iraq are a mess, and throwing in more troops will not improve it."<ref name=thehill>Lantos, Tom. , ''The Hill'', January 12, 2007</ref>


During a joint House hearing on September 10, 2007, featuring General ] and Ambassador ], Lantos said:
Lantos was an immediate and consistent critic of the troop surge advocated by President Bush. On the night in January 2007 that Bush announced his plan, Lantos responded, "I oppose the so-called surge that constitutes the centerpiece of the President's plan. Our efforts in Iraq are a mess, and throwing in more troops will not improve it." And during a joint House hearing on ] ] featuring General ] and Ambassador ], Lantos said, "The Administration’s myopic policies in Iraq have created a fiasco. Is it any wonder that on the subject of Iraq, more and more Americans have little confidence in this Administration? We can not take ANY of this Administration's assertions on Iraq at face value anymore, and no amount of charts or statistics will improve its credibility. This is not a knock on you, General Petraeus, or on you, Ambassador Crocker. But the fact remains, gentlemen, that the Administration has sent you here today to convince the members of these two Committees and the Congress that victory is at hand. With all due respect to you, I must say … I don't buy it." At the same hearing, Lantos drew comparisons between some of the current U.S. activities in Iraq to U.S. support two decades ago of Islamic militants in Afghanistan: "America should not be in the business of arming, training and funding both sides of a religious civil war in Iraq. Did the Administration learn nothing from our country’s actions in Afghanistan two decades ago, when by supporting Islamist militants against the Soviet Union, we helped pave the way for the rise of the Taliban? Why are we now repeating the short-sighted patterns of the past?"<ref name=TranscriptForeignAffairsCommittee>, Opening Statement by Chairman Lantos at hearing With General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker. September 10, 2007</ref>

{{blockquote|The Administration's myopic policies in Iraq have created a fiasco. Is it any wonder that on the subject of Iraq, more and more Americans have little confidence in this Administration? We can not take ANY of this Administration's assertions on Iraq at face value anymore, and no amount of charts or statistics will improve its credibility. This is not a knock on you, General Petraeus, or on you, Ambassador Crocker. But the fact remains, gentlemen, that the Administration has sent you here today to convince the members of these two Committees and the Congress that victory is at hand. With all due respect to you, I must say ... I don't buy it.}}

At the same hearing, Lantos drew comparisons between some of the current U.S. activities in Iraq to U.S. support two decades earlier of ]ic militants in Afghanistan:

{{blockquote|America should not be in the business of arming, training and funding both sides of a religious civil war in Iraq. Did the Administration learn nothing from our country's actions in Afghanistan two decades ago, when by supporting Islamist militants against the ], we helped pave the way for the rise of the ]? Why are we now repeating the short-sighted patterns of the past?<ref name=TranscriptForeignAffairsCommittee> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018230531/http://democrats.hcfa.house.gov/press_display.asp?id=413, |date=2015-10-18 }}, September 10, 2007; accessed November 18, 2014.</ref>}}

==Human rights advocate==
] with the ], 2007}}]]

===Tibet===
As co-founder of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus in 1983 and as Chairman of the ], Lantos would "stir the consciousness of world leaders and the public alike", according to Representative ]. She added: "Wherever there was injustice or oppression, he used his expertise and moral authority to put the United States on the side of justice and human rights". In 2007, in his effort to help the people of China and Tibet, he presented the ] with the ].<ref>, Nancy Pelosi, at ''Democraticleader.gov'' February 12, 2008</ref>


===Darfur=== ===Darfur===
On ] ], Lantos and four other Democratic U.S. Representatives (], ], ], and ]), along with six other activists, took part in a ] action in front of the ] in ] They were protesting the role of the ] in carrying out ] in the ] and were arrested for ].<ref>Jim Doyle, , ''San Francisco Chronicle'', April 28, 2006. Accessed September 25, 2006.</ref> On April 28, 2006, Lantos and four other Democratic U.S. Representatives, along with six other activists, took part in a ] action in front of the ] in ] They were protesting the role of the ] in carrying out ] in the ] and were arrested for ].<ref>{{cite news|author=Jim Doyle|url=http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Five-members-of-Congress-arrested-over-Sudan-2498797.php|title=Five members of Congress arrested over Sudan protest|newspaper=]|date=April 28, 2006|access-date=October 5, 2014}}</ref>

===Hungarian minorities===
Lantos was an activist for the rights of ] minorities;<ref>{{cite web|title=Letter of Lantos, titled "The Arrest Of Hungarian Intellectual Miklós Duray By The Government Of Czechoslovakia"|publisher=US Congressional Record|url=http://www.duray.sk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=230&Itemid=2|access-date=March 25, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Official Letter from Tom Lantos to Vojislav Kostunica|publisher=Congress of the United States, Committee on International Relations|url=http://www.hhrf.org/hhrf/en/lantosltr.htm#english|access-date=March 25, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051119135026/http://www.hhrf.org/hhrf/en/lantosltr.htm#english|archive-date=November 19, 2005}}</ref> as a member of the US House of Representatives. In a 2007 letter he asked ], the Prime Minister of Slovakia to distance themselves from the ], a reasonable process in the ] case, and to treat members of the ] as equal.<ref>{{cite web|title=Official Letter from Tom Lantos to Robert Fico|publisher=Congress of the United States, Committee on Foreign affairs|url=http://www.hacusa.org/press/lantos_letter.pdf|access-date=March 25, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409121818/http://www.hacusa.org/press/lantos_letter.pdf|archive-date=April 9, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Chairman of U.S. Foreign Affairs Committee Calls on Slovakian Prime Minister to disavow Beneš decrees, ensure justice for Hungarian minority|publisher=Hungarian-American Coalition|date=October 22, 2007|location=]|url=http://www.hacusa.org/press/lantos_102207.html|access-date=April 19, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081013132822/http://www.hacusa.org/press/lantos_102207.html|archive-date=October 13, 2008}}</ref>

The American Hungarian Federation recognized Congressman Lantos for his "Leadership in Support of Democracy, Human Rights and Minority Rights in Central and Eastern Europe", awarding him the organization's highest award, the "Col. Commandant Michael Kovats Medal of Freedom", at the October 19, 2005, Congressional Reception commemorating the 49th Anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution.<ref>{{cite web|title=Honoring Congressman Tom Lantos|url=http://www.americanhungarianfederation.org/news_Tom_Lantos.htm|publisher=The American Hungarian Federation|date=June 12, 2008|access-date=September 30, 2008}}</ref>


===Lebanon=== ===Lebanon===
On ] ], at the ] building in ], Lantos said he would block a ] package promised by President ] to ] and free the funds only when Beirut agreed to the deployment of international troops on the border with ]. Lantos was meeting at the time with ] ] after talks with ] ]. On August 27, 2006, at the ] building in ], Lantos said he would block a ] package promised by President ] to ] unless and until Beirut agreed to the deployment of international troops on the border with ] and Lebanon takes control of its borders with Syria to prevent arms smuggling to Hezbollah guerrillas.<ref>, ''Haaretz'', August 27, 2006.</ref>

===Morocco and Western Sahara===
Lantos supported ]'s demand to gain sovereignty over ], and criticized the ], which demands independence for the disputed region. In 2007, he backed Morocco's proposal to make the region autonomous under Moroccan rule, saying: "I urge the leadership of the Polisario to realize that they will never again get such a good deal for the population they purport to represent."<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121213215438/http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/110/35873.pdf |date=December 13, 2012 }}. Serial No. 110-76, June 6, 2007, pp. 1–2; accessed March 21, 2010.</ref>

==Death and legacy==
], ] The letters at the bottom are a Hebrew acronym for ''May his soul be bound up in the bond of eternal life''.]]
On January 2, 2008, after having been diagnosed with ], Lantos announced he would not run for a 15th term in the House, but planned to complete his final term. In his statement, he said:

{{blockquote|It is only in the United States that a penniless survivor of the Holocaust and a fighter in the anti-] underground could have received an education, raised a family, and had the privilege of serving the last three decades of his life as a Member of Congress. I will never be able to express fully my profoundly felt gratitude to this great country."<ref name=NYT2/>}}

Lantos died from complications of esophageal cancer at ] on February 11, 2008, ten days after his 80th birthday, and eleven months before the end of his term.<ref name = NYT2/> Numerous politicians memorialized him; House Minority Whip ] called him "a man of uncommon integrity and sincere moral conviction&nbsp;— and a public servant who never wavered in his pursuit of a better, freer and more religiously tolerant world", and President ] called Lantos "a man of character and a champion of human rights" and "a living reminder that we must never turn a blind eye to the suffering of the innocent at the hands of evil men".<ref name = NYT2/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/02/11/lantos.obit/index.html?iref=newssearch|title=Rep. Tom Lantos of California dies at 80|publisher=CNN|date=February 11, 2008|access-date=June 15, 2010}}</ref> A memorial service was held for Lantos on February 14, 2008, at Statuary Hall in the Capitol. Speakers included Senator ], ] of ], Rep. ], UN Secretary-General ], ]i foreign minister ], Speaker ], ] ], Rep. ] and ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nndb.com/group/640/000168136|title=Funeral: Tom Lantos (2008)|publisher=NNDb.com|access-date=June 15, 2010}}</ref> He was buried in ] in ]

A ] was held to fill his seat on April 8, 2008, and was won by former ] ], whom Lantos had endorsed.<ref>{{cite news|author=Shaun Bishop|url=http://www.insidebayarea.com/search/ci_7996173|title=Lantos endorses Speier as 'our best candidate'|publisher=Insidebayarea.com|date=January 17, 2008|access-date=June 15, 2010}}</ref>

On June 19, 2008, Bush posthumously awarded Lantos the Medal of Freedom. In a ceremony at the White House, Bush stated "We miss his vigorous defense of human rights and his powerful witness for the cause of human freedom. For a lifetime of leadership, for his commitment to liberty, and for his devoted service to his adopted nation, I am proud to award the Presidential Medal of Freedom, posthumously, to Tom Lantos, and proud that his loving wife Annette will receive the award on behalf of his family."<ref>, George W. Bush awards Tom Lantos posthumous freedom medal, georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov; accessed November 18, 2014.</ref>

In 2008, the ], 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." The first Lantos Human Rights Prize was presented to the ] in 2009. In 2011, the institute was set up in Budapest to promote tolerance and support minority issues in central and eastern Europe and in the world.<ref name=Institute/>

In the final weeks of his life, Lantos asked that a non-profit 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lantosfoundation.org/thefoundation/ |title=The Foundation — Lantos Foundation |website=Lantosfoundation.org |access-date=June 28, 2016}}</ref> Lantos's daughter, ], serves as the Foundation's president and CEO.

On September 10, 2011, the ] officially opened the Tom and Annette Lantos Center for Compassion, located at 1450 Rollins Road in ]. The facility was funded with a naming gift in the Lantos's honor by ] founder, ], and his wife, Melanie.<ref>, burlingame.patch.com, September 9, 2011. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322075213/http://burlingame.patch.com/articles/new-peninsula-humane-society-opens-in-burlingame |date=March 22, 2012 }}</ref>

* ] south of ] have been named after the late Congressman, as has a street in ], Israel.
* ] (formerly B'nai B'rith Youth Organization) chapter honored Tom Lantos's legacy by naming the chapter in his honor. Lantos AZA #2539 now thrives in the Rockville, Maryland, area.


Budapest named a promenade in the city in honor of Lantos in 2016.<ref>{{cite news|last=Shmulovich |first=Michal |url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/budapest-names-promenade-for-late-jewish-congressman-tom-lantos/ |title=Budapest names promenade for late Jewish congressman Tom Lantos |newspaper=] |date=February 5, 2016 |access-date=June 28, 2016}}</ref>
==Retirement==
On ] ], Lantos announced he would not run for a 15th term in the House due to his cancer diagnosis. However, he had planned to complete his final term. Lantos was quoted as saying, "It is only in the United States that a penniless survivor of the Holocaust and a fighter in the anti-Nazi underground could have received an education, raised a family, and had the privilege of serving the last three decades of his life as a Member of Congress," he said. "I will never be able to express fully my profoundly felt gratitude to this great country."<ref></ref><ref></ref>


Lantos received the ], Hungary's highest civilian honor.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://qz.com/774556/all-of-a-sudden-nobody-wants-one-of-hungarys-highest-national-honors/ |title=Controversial writer Zsolt Bayer was given one of Hungary's highest national honors, and past recipients are rejecting theirs in protest — Quartz |publisher=Qz.com |date=September 9, 2016 |access-date=October 8, 2016}}</ref>
Lantos had endorsed former ] ] in the primary.<ref></ref>


==Congressional scorecards== ==Congressional scorecards==
See also {{CongLinks | votesmart=26739}} See also {{CongLinks|votesmart=26739}}<sup>''''</sup>


] provides the following results from congressional scorecards.<ref name="Project Vote Smart">{{cite web ] provides the following results from congressional scorecards.<ref name="Project Vote Smart">{{cite web|url=http://votesmart.org/candidate/evaluations/26739/tom-lantos|title=Representative Tom Lantos (CA)|work=vote-smart.org|publisher=]|access-date=October 5, 2014}}</ref>
| url = http://www.vote-smart.org/issue_rating_category.php?can_id=26739
| title = "Representative Tom Lantos (CA)"
| work = vote-smart.org
| publisher = ]
| accessdate = 2007-12-31
| archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20060301222402/http://www.vote-smart.org/issue_rating_category.php?can_id=26739
| archivedate = 2006-03-01
}}</ref>


* ] – 91% for 2005–2006 *] – 91% for 2005–2006
* ] – 100% for 2006 *] – 100% for 2006
* ] – 9% for 2006 *] – 9% for 2006
* ] – 0% for 2006 *] – 0% for 2006
* ] – 100% in 2006 *] Compassion Index – 100% for 2007
* ] – 100% for 2005-2006 *] – 100% in 2006
* ] – 11% for Fall 2004 *] – 100% for 2005–2006
*] – 11% for fall 2004
* ] – 100% for 2006
* ] – 83% for 2006 *] – 100% for 2006
* ] – 100% for 2005 *] – 83% for 2006
* ] – 0% for 2006 *] – 100% for 2005
* ] – 0% for 2006 *] – 0% for 2006
* ] – 0% for 2006 *] – 0% for 2006
* ] – 100% for 2005-2006 *] – 0% for 2006
* ] – 92% for 2006 *] – 100% for 2005–2006
* ] – 100% for 2006 *] – 92% for 2006
* ] – 37% for 2005 *] – 100% for 2006
* ] – 100% for 2005-2006 *] – 37% for 2005
* ] – 14% for 2005-2006 *] – 100% for 2005–2006
* ] – Composite liberal score of 86.2% for 2006 *] – 14% for 2005–2006
* ] – 20 for 2006 *'']'' Composite liberal score of 86.2% for 2006
* ] – 95% for 2005-2006 *] – 20 for 2006
* ] – F for 2006 *] – 95% for 2005–2006
* ] – 0% for 2005-2006 *] – F for 2006
* ] – 10% for 2006 *] – 0% for 2005–2006
* ] – 100% for 2006 *] – 10% for 2006
* ] – 16% for 2005 *] – 100% for 2006
*] – 16% for 2005
* ] – 70% on 2006 scorecards<ref name="SCA">{{cite web
*] – 70% on 2006 scorecards<ref name="SCA">{{cite web|url=http://www.secular.org/scorecard/2006/house.html|title=Scorecard for the 109th Congress U.S. House of Representatives|publisher=Secular Coalition for America|access-date=December 31, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928021433/http://www.secular.org/scorecard/2006/house.html|archive-date=September 28, 2007}}</ref>
| url = http://www.secular.org/scorecard/2006/house.html
*] – 33% for 2006
| title = "Scorecard for the 109th Congress U.S. House of Representatives"
| work = Secular.org
| publisher = Secular Coalition for America
| accessdate = 2007-12-31
}}</ref>
* ] – 33% for 2006


==Controversies== ==Controversies==
During a 1996 Congressional inquiry into the ], Rep. Lantos told witness Craig Livingstone that "with an infinitely more distinguished public record than yours, ] committed suicide when he may have committed a minor mistake." Boorda, the ], had recently taken his own life after his right to wear ] decorations had been questioned. Lantos was criticized by some (including fellow Congressman ]) who interpreted the remark as a suggestion that Livingstone too should kill himself.<ref>George Lardner, Jr, , ''The Washington Post'', May 14, 1998. Accessed ] ].</ref> During a 1996 congressional inquiry into the ], Lantos told witness Craig Livingstone that "with an infinitely more distinguished public record than yours, ] committed ] when he may have committed a minor mistake". Boorda, the ], had taken his own life after his right to wear ] decorations had been questioned. Lantos was criticized by some (including fellow Congressman ]) for this comment.<ref>George Lardner, Jr, , ''The Washington Post'', May 14, 1998; retrieved September 11, 1997.</ref>


On ] ], Lantos was involved in an automobile accident while driving on Capitol Hill. Lantos drove over a young boy's foot and then failed to stop his vehicle. He was later fined over the incident for inattentive driving.{{Fact|date=February 2008}} On May 3, 2000, Lantos was involved in an automobile accident while driving on ]. He drove over a young boy's foot and then failed to stop his vehicle and was later fined over the incident for inattentive driving.<ref>Jackie Kucinich, {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630090826/http://hill6.thehill.com/leading-the-news/in-trouble-with-the-law-run-ins-with-police-are-fact-of-capitol-life-2006-05-11.html |date=June 30, 2017 }}, ''The Hill'', May 11, 2006; accessed February 15, 2008.</ref>


In 2002, Lantos, who was on the House Committee on International Affairs, took Colette Avital, a ] member of the Israeli ], by the hand and, according to Ha'aretz, tried to reassure her with these words: "My dear Colette, don't worry. You won't have any problem with ]. We'll be rid of the bastard soon enough. And in his place we'll install a pro-Western dictator, who will be good for us and for you."<ref></ref> He later denied saying this, but Avital confirmed it.<!--<ref></ref>-->{{fact|date=February 2008}} In 2002, Lantos, who was on the House Committee on International Affairs, took ], a ] member of the Israeli ], by the hand and, according to '']'', tried to reassure her with these words: "My dear Colette, don't worry. You won't have any problem with ]. We'll be rid of the bastard soon enough. And in his place we'll install a pro-Western dictator, who will be good for us and for you."<ref>{{cite news|author=]|url=http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/they-re-jumping-in-head-first-1.32928|title=They're jumping in head first|newspaper=]|date=September 30, 2002|access-date=October 5, 2014}}</ref> He later denied saying this, but Avital confirmed it, according to Ben Terrall, an adviser to Maad H. Abu-Ghazalah, a ] candidate who ran against Lantos that year.{{citation needed|date=January 2022}}


In ], Lantos called former German Chancellor ] a "political prostitute" at the dedication ceremony of the ], which caused a political backlash from the German government. Lantos was referring to Schröder's ] in ], and remarked that this appellation would offend prostitutes.<ref></ref> In June 2007, Lantos called former German Chancellor ] a "political prostitute" at the dedication ceremony of the ], which caused a political backlash from the ]. Lantos was referring to Schröder's ] in ], and remarked that this appellation would offend prostitutes.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dw.de/us-lawmakers-prostitute-remarks-provokes-germany/a-2607360|title=US Lawmaker's "Prostitute" Remarks Provokes Germany|publisher=]|date=June 13, 2007|access-date=October 5, 2014}}</ref>


In ], Dutch parliament members said Lantos insulted them while discussing the War on Terrorism by stating that the ] had to help the United States, because they liberated them in the Second World War, while adding that the upheaval over ] in Europe was bigger than over ] at the time.<ref>The Associated Press, , ''International Herald Tribune'', October 27, 2007. Accessed ] ].</ref> In October 2007, Dutch parliamentarians said Lantos insulted them while discussing the ] by stating that the ] had to help the United States because it liberated them in ], while adding that "Europe was not as outraged by ] as by ]."<ref>, ''USA Today'', October 27, 2007</ref>

On January 6, 2008, ] whistleblower ] included Lantos's photograph among others featured in the "] Gallery" posted on her website, composing images of figures considered to be relevant to her case.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a010608SibelGallery#a010608SibelGallery|title=Sibel Edmonds Launches 'State Secrets Privilege Gallery'|publisher=]|access-date=October 6, 2014|archive-date=April 10, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140410123046/http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a010608SibelGallery#a010608SibelGallery|url-status=dead}}</ref> On August 8, 2009, she gave sworn testimony about Lantos and others during a witness deposition before the Ohio Elections Commission in the ''] v. ]'' case, in which she alleged that he had engaged in "ot only ... bribe, but also ... disclosing highest level protected U.S. intelligence and weapons technology information both to ] and to ]. ... other very serious criminal conduct."<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.whistleblowers.org/storage/documents/edmondsdepositiontranscript.pdf |title= Case No. 2009E-003 |access-date= November 28, 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20161209233055/http://www.whistleblowers.org/storage/documents/edmondsdepositiontranscript.pdf |archive-date= December 9, 2016 |url-status= dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Brad Friedman|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/brad-friedman/fbi-whistleblower-hastert_b_277704.html|title=FBI Whistleblower: Hastert, Burton, Blunt, Other Members of Congress 'Bribed, Blackmailed'|publisher=Huffington Post|date=October 21, 2009|access-date=October 6, 2014}}</ref>


==Electoral history== ==Electoral history==
{{listdev}}
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em ; font-size:95%" {| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em ; font-size:95%"
|+ {{ushr|California|11|}}: Results 1980&ndash;1990<ref name="clerkresults">{{cite web |url=http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/index.html |title=Election Statistics |accessdate=2008-01-10 |publisher=Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives }}</ref> |+ {{ushr|California|11|}}: Results 1980–1990<ref name="clerkresults">{{cite web|url=http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/index.html |title=Election Statistics |access-date=January 10, 2008 |publisher=Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080730201058/http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/index.html |archive-date=July 30, 2008 }}</ref>
!|Year ! Year
! !
! Democratic
!|Democrat
!|Votes ! Votes
!|Pct ! Pct
! !
!|Republican ! Republican
!|Votes ! Votes
!|Pct ! Pct
! !
!|3rd Party ! 3rd Party
!|Party ! Party
!|Votes ! Votes
!|Pct ! Pct
! !
!|3rd Party ! 3rd Party
!|Party ! Party
!|Votes ! Votes
!|Pct ! Pct
! !
|- |-
|] |]
|
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |{{nowrap|'''Tom Lantos'''}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} align="right" | 85,823
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 46%
|
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |Bill Royer
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="right" | 80,100
|{{Party shading/Republican}} | 43%
|
|{{Party shading/Peace and Freedom}} |Wilson Branch
|{{Party shading/Peace and Freedom}} |]
|{{Party shading/Peace and Freedom}} align="right" | 13,723
|{{Party shading/Peace and Freedom}} align="right" | 7%
|
|{{Party shading/Libertarian}} |{{nowrap|William S.}} {{nowrap|Wade, Jr.}}
|{{Party shading/Libertarian}} |]
|{{Party shading/Libertarian}} align="right" | 3,816
|{{Party shading/Libertarian}} align="right" | 2%
| |'''*'''
|-
|]
|
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |{{nowrap|'''Tom Lantos'''}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} align="right" | 109,812
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 57%
|
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |Bill Royer
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="right" | 76,462
|{{Party shading/Republican}} | 40%
|
|{{Party shading/Libertarian}} | Chuck Olson
|{{Party shading/Libertarian}} |]
|{{Party shading/Libertarian}} align="right" | 2,920
|{{Party shading/Libertarian}} align="right" | 2%
|
|{{Party shading/Peace and Freedom}} |Wilson Branch
|{{Party shading/Peace and Freedom}} |]
|{{Party shading/Peace and Freedom}} align="right" | 1,928
|{{Party shading/Peace and Freedom}} align="right" | 1%
| |'''*'''
|-
|]
|
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |{{nowrap|'''Tom Lantos'''}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} align="right" | 147,607
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 70%
|
|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Jack Hickey
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="right" | 59,625
|{{Party shading/Republican}} | 28%
|
|{{Party shading/American Independent}} | {{nowrap|Nicholas W.}} Kudrovzeff
|{{Party shading/American Independent}} |]
|{{Party shading/American Independent}} align="right" | 3,883
|{{Party shading/American Independent}} align="right" | 2%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|]
|
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |{{nowrap|'''Tom Lantos'''}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} align="right" | 112,380
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 74%
|
|{{Party shading/Republican}} | Bill Quraishi
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="right" | 39,315
|{{Party shading/Republican}} | 26%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|]
| |
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |{{nowrap|'''Tom Lantos'''}} |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |{{nowrap|'''Tom Lantos'''}}
Line 195: Line 322:
| |'''*''' | |'''*'''
|- |-
|] |]
| |
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |{{nowrap|'''Tom Lantos'''}} |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |{{nowrap|'''Tom Lantos'''}}
Line 214: Line 341:
| |
| |
|
{{end box}}
|}
<div class="references-small"><nowiki>*</nowiki>Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 1988, Nicholas W. Kudrovzoff received 1,893 votes (1%).
<nowiki>*</nowiki>Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 1980, Nicholas W. Kudrovzeff, ], received 1,550 votes (1%). In 1982, Nicholas W. Kudrovzeff, ], received 1,250 votes (1%). In 1988, Nicholas W. Kudrovzeff, ], received 1,893 votes (1%).
</div>


{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em ; font-size:95%" {| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em ; font-size:95%"
|+ {{ushr|California|12|}}: Results 1992&ndash;2006<ref name="clerkresults">{{cite web |url=http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/index.html |title=Election Statistics |accessdate=2008-01-10 |publisher=Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives }}</ref> |+ {{ushr|California|12|}}: Results 1992–2006<ref name="clerkresults"/>
!|Year !|Year
! !
!|Democratic
!|Democrat
!|Votes !|Votes
!|Pct !|Pct
! !
!|Republican ! Republican
!|Votes ! Votes
!|Pct ! Pct
! !
!|3rd Party ! 3rd Party
!|Party ! Party
!|Votes ! Votes
!|Pct ! Pct
! !
!|3rd Party ! 3rd Party
!|Party ! Party
!|Votes ! Votes
!|Pct ! Pct
! !
|- |-
|] |]
| |
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |{{nowrap|'''Tom Lantos'''}} |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |{{nowrap|'''Tom Lantos'''}}
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|] |]
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|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''Tom Lantos''' |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''Tom Lantos'''
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|] |]
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|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''Tom Lantos''' |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''Tom Lantos'''
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|] |]
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|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''Tom Lantos''' |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''Tom Lantos'''
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|- |-
|] |]
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|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''Tom Lantos''' |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''Tom Lantos'''
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|] |]
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|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''Tom Lantos''' |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''Tom Lantos'''
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|- |-
|] |]
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|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''Tom Lantos''' |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''Tom Lantos'''
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|] |]
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|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''Tom Lantos''' |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''Tom Lantos'''
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| |
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|}
{{end box}}

==References==
{{reflist|2}}


==See also== ==See also==
{{Portal|Biography}}
{{wikisource|Author:Tom Lantos}}
* ]
{{wikisource|Congressman Tom Lantos' Remarks on the 25th Anniversary of the Tragedy at Jonestown and the Death of Congressman Leo Ryan}}
* ]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}


==External links== ==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* '''official House site'''
*{{CongBio|l000090}} *{{C-SPAN|545}}
{{Wikisource|Author:Tom Lantos}}
* campaign finance reports and data
{{Wikisource|Congressman Tom Lantos' Remarks on the 25th Anniversary of the Tragedy at Jonestown and the Death of Congressman Leo Ryan}}
*
{{Wikiquote}}
* issue positions and quotes
* campaign contributions
* profile
* profile
* voting record
* '''official campaign site
* Akiva Eldar, ''Ha'aretz'', September 30, 2002
* Janine Zacharia, ''Jewish News Weekly of Northern California'', April 20, 2001
*
*


*{{cite web|url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/59737086/LarsonFOIA-LantosTom-FBI-2010-10-21|publisher=Federal Bureau of Investigation|date=October 21, 2010|title=Lantos, Thomas Peter|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141013023717/https://www.scribd.com/doc/59737086/LarsonFOIA-LantosTom-FBI-2010-10-21|archive-date=October 13, 2014}} Freedom of Information request on death threats against Tom Lantos.
{{start box}}
*{{YouTube|hOYhgnLTUgk|"Congressman Tom Lantos Dies"}}, video, Associated Press News, February 11, 2008
{{s-off|us}}
* 15 video clips
{{USRepSuccessionBox
*{{IMDb name|0487192}}
| state=California
*{{webarchive |url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20080814224354/http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Tom_Lantos |title=Profile, SourceWatch.org |date=August 14, 2008}}
| district=11
*{{cite news|author=]|url=http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/they-re-jumping-in-head-first-1.32928|title=They're jumping in head first|newspaper=]|date=September 30, 2002}}
| before=]
*{{cite news|url=http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/15500/lantos-d-c-office-is-a-living-tribute-to-wallenberg|title=Lantos' D.C. office is a living tribute to Wallenberg|author=Janine Zacharia|agency=Jerusalem Post Service|newspaper=Jewish Bulletin of Northern California|date=April 20, 2001}}
| years=1981–1993
*, Canadian Hungarian Journal
| after=]
*, ]
}}

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| state=California
{{s-par|us-hs}}
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{{s-bef|before=]}}
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| years=1993–2008|
| after=TBD {{s-aft|after=]}}
|-
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{{US House Foreign Affairs chairs |state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Lantos, Tom}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Lantos, Tom}}
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Latest revision as of 11:18, 21 December 2024

American politician (1928-2008)

The native form of this personal name is Lantos Tamás Péter. This article uses Western name order when mentioning individuals.
Tom Lantos
Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee
In office
January 3, 2007 – February 11, 2008
Preceded byHenry Hyde
Succeeded byHoward Berman
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from California
In office
January 3, 1981 – February 11, 2008
Preceded byWilliam Royer
Succeeded byJackie Speier
Constituency11th district (1981–1993)
12th district (1993–2008)
Personal details
BornTamás Péter Lantos
(1928-02-01)February 1, 1928
Budapest, Kingdom of Hungary
DiedFebruary 11, 2008(2008-02-11) (aged 80)
Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse Annette Tillemann ​(m. 1950)
Children2 daughters, including Katrina Swett
RelativesTomicah Tillemann (grandson)
Levi Tillemann (grandson)
Charity Tillemann-Dick (granddaughter)
EducationEötvös Loránd University
University of Washington, Seattle (BA, MA)
University of California, Berkeley (PhD)
Tom Lantos's voice Lantos speaks on the 10th anniversary of Latvia's independence from the Soviet Union
Recorded July 17, 2000

Thomas Peter Lantos (born Tamás Péter Lantos; February 1, 1928 – February 11, 2008) was a Hungarian- American politician who served as a U.S. representative from California from 1981 until his death in 2008. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented the state's 11th congressional district until 1993. After redistricting, he served from the 12th congressional district, which included both the northern two-thirds of San Mateo County and a portion of the southwestern part of San Francisco.

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 re-election 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 non-profit 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.

Early life

Lantos was born Tamás Péter Lantos (Hungarian: [ˈtɒmaːʃ ˈpeːtɛr ˈlɒntoʃ]) into a Jewish family in Budapest, Hungary, the son of Anna, a high school English teacher, and Pál Lantos, a banker. His family was heavily involved in education, and included an uncle who was a professor at the University of Budapest and a grandmother who was a high school principal.

World War II

His life in Hungary would change after the annexing of Austria by Nazi Germany in 1938, with the Austrian border just 100 miles (160 km) from Budapest. Lantos remembered this period and a newspaper headline he read when he was ten years old, "Hitler Marches into Austria". Even at a young age, he understood the significance of this invasion, recalling in a 1999 interview with University of Washington Magazine, "I sensed that this historic moment would have a tremendous impact on the lives of Hungarian Jews, my family, and myself".

Six years later, in March 1944, the German military invaded Hungary and occupied Budapest, its capital. As he was Jewish, Lantos, then 16, was arrested and sent to a forced labor camp outside of Budapest. He escaped, but was soon caught by the Germans and beaten severely, then returned to the labor camp. He again escaped, this time making his way back to Budapest, 40 miles (64 km) away. There, he hid with an aunt in a safe house set up by Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish diplomat.

Lantos joined Wallenberg's network; his fair hair and blue eyes, which to the Nazis were physical signs of "Aryanism", enabled him to serve as a courier and deliver food and medicine to Jews living in other safe houses. In January 1945, less than a year later, Soviet military forces fought door-to-door battles and liberated Hungary from German occupation. However, Lantos, then 17, returned home only to discover that his mother and other family members had all been murdered by the Germans, along with 440,000 other Hungarian Jews, during the preceding 10 months of their occupation. Wallenberg, for his part, was later credited with saving the lives of thousands of other Hungarian Jews.

Lantos described some of his experiences in the Academy Award-winning documentary film The Last Days (1998), produced by Steven Spielberg's Shoah Foundation. In his floor speeches as a congressman, he sometimes referred to himself as one of the few living members of Congress who had fought against fascism. In 1981, Lantos sponsored a bill making Wallenberg an Honorary Citizen of the United States, and became a member of the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation. In January 2006, he traveled to Hungary and attended a ceremony commemorating the 61st anniversary of the liberation of the Budapest Ghetto. The event was held at the Great Synagogue in Budapest.

Education

In 1946, Lantos enrolled at the University of Budapest. As a result of his fluent English, he wrote an essay about Franklin D. Roosevelt, and he was awarded a scholarship by the Hillel Foundation to study in the United States. He then emigrated to the U.S., and studied economics at the University of Washington in Seattle, where he earned a B.A. in 1949 and an M.A. in 1950. He continued his post-graduate education at the University of California, Berkeley, and received a Ph.D. in economics in 1953.

Early career

After graduation from Berkeley, Lantos became a professor of economics at San Francisco State University. In subsequent years, he worked as a business consultant and television commentator on subjects of foreign policy. He eventually became a senior advisor to various U.S. Senators, and in 1980, he was elected to the U.S. Congress, where he remained until his death in February 2008. Recalling his early life, he announced his retirement by stating to Congress, "I will never be able to express fully my profoundly felt gratitude to this great country."

Personal and family life

Despite becoming fluent in English, Lantos never lost his Hungarian accent. During his childhood, he met his future wife, Annette Tillemann (or Tilleman; born June 27, 1931), then using the name Agnes Ethel Seymour. Her family had managed to escape to Switzerland, using Swedish passports issued by Raoul Wallenberg. After Hungary was liberated, she and her family returned to Budapest, where she and Lantos met again. After emigrating to the United States, they married on July 13, 1950. They remained married until his death in 2008. Agnes Ethel Lantos became a naturalized United States citizen on May 17, 1954, under that name. Annette's father Sebastian was the brother of Jolie Gabor, with Jolie's daughters Magda, Zsa Zsa, and Eva Gabor being first cousins to Annette Lantos.

Lantos and his wife had two daughters, Annette Marie and Katrina, and 18 grandchildren, including Levi Tillemann, an author and energy expert; Tomicah Tillemann, a former Democratic political speechwriter; and Charity Tillemann-Dick, an opera singer and activist. The Lantoses' daughter Annette was married to Timber Dick, an independent businessman in Colorado, until his accidental death in 2008.

Lantos's younger daughter, Katrina, is married to ambassador and former U.S. Representative from New Hampshire Richard Swett, and was herself a candidate for Congress in New Hampshire. Lantos considered himself a secular Jew.

Political career and positions

See also: Criticism of Yahoo!

Lantos made his first run for office in 1980, challenging Republican Congressman Bill Royer, who had won a 1979 special election after Democrat Leo Ryan was killed in the Jonestown massacre. Lantos defeated Royer by 5,700 votes. He never again faced such a close contest, and was re-elected 13 times. Lantos earned a reputation as a champion for various human rights causes, such as having Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang testify at a congressional hearing after the company turned over the email records of two Chinese dissidents to the Chinese government, allowing them to be traced and one sentenced to jail.

The 11th district that Lantos served from 1981 until 1993 included a small portion of San Francisco, as well as Daly City and San Mateo.

Lantos was a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and repeatedly called for reforms to the nation's health-care system, reduction of the national budget deficit and the national debt, repeal of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001. He opposed Social Security privatization efforts. He supported same-sex marriage rights and marijuana for medical use, was a strong proponent of gun control and adamantly pro-choice.

Lantos was an advocate on behalf of the environment, receiving consistently high ratings from the League of Conservation Voters and other environmental organizations for his legislative record. His long-standing efforts to protect open space brought thousands of acres under the protection of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, including Mori Point, Sweeney Ridge, and Rancho Corral de Tierra, which will keep its watersheds and delicate habitats free from development permanently.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and Lantos

While Lantos was an early supporter of the Iraq War, from 2006 onward, he acknowledged public criticism about the conduct of the war and called for a diplomatic approach toward ceasing hostilities.

Foreign affairs issues

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with Tom and Annette Lantos

Lantos served as the chairman of the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Through its more than 20 years of work, the Congressional Human Rights Caucus—of which Lantos was co-chair with Representative Frank Wolf—covered a wide range of human rights issues. They included speaking for Christians in Saudi Arabia and Sudan to practice their faith, helping Tibetans to retain their culture and religion in Tibet, and advocating for other minorities worldwide.

Among his other efforts was a demand that Japan apologize for sex slavery during World War II. He declared Turkey's mass killings of Armenians during World War I to be genocide. In more recent times, he supported democracy in Burma and pressed for sanctions on Iran for supporting terrorism. In 2004, he sponsored a bill to stop the spread of antisemitism.

On other aspects of American foreign policy, Lantos spoke out against waste, fraud and abuse in the multi-billion dollar U.S. reconstruction program in Iraq, and warned that the U.S. could lose Afghanistan to the Taliban if the Bush administration failed to take decisive action to halt the current decline in political stability there. Lantos was against U.S. military aid to Egypt as the Egyptian military had failed to stop the flow of money and weapons across the Egyptian border to Hamas in Gaza, and Egypt had not contributed troops to the peacekeeping efforts in Afghanistan and elsewhere.

1991 Gulf War

See also: Nurse Nayirah

Lantos was a strong supporter of the 1991 Persian Gulf War. During the run-up to the war in 1990, the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, of which Lantos was co-chairman, hosted a 15 year old Kuwaiti girl, then identified only as "Nurse Nayirah", who told of horrific abuses by Iraqi soldiers following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, including the killing of Kuwaiti babies by taking them out of their incubators and leaving them to die on the floor of the hospital. These alleged atrocities figured prominently in the rhetoric at the time about Iraqi abuses in Kuwait. Her witness account was later challenged by independent human rights monitors.

"Nurse Nayirah" later turned out to be the daughter of Kuwaiti politician Saud Nasser Al-Saud Al-Sabah, who serve as Kuwait's ambassador to the United States at the time. Asked about having allowed the girl to give testimony without identifying herself, and without her story having been corroborated, Lantos replied, "The notion that any of the witnesses brought to the caucus through the Kuwaiti Embassy would not be credible did not cross my mind... I have no basis for assuming that her story is not true, but the point goes beyond that. If one hypothesizes that the woman's story is fictitious from A to Z, that in no way diminishes the avalanche of human rights violations."

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation sent investigators to Kuwait who went through the hospital and counted the incubators and they found that "except for one or two that may have been misplaced" all of the incubators were still in the hospital. The investigators concluded that there were no deaths resulting from stolen equipment. And the doctor who provided Amnesty International with the number of babies killed dropped from 312 to 72 and then 30, 19 of which died before the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq. After the war, The New York Times wrote, "It's plainly wrong for a member of congress to collaborate with a public relations firm to produce knowingly deceptive testimony on an important issue. Yet Representative Tom Lantos has been caught doing exactly that. His behavior warrants a searching inquiry by the House Ethics Committee."

War in Iraq

On October 4, 2002, Lantos led a narrow majority of Democrats on the House International Relations Committee to a successful vote in support of the Resolution for the Use of Force, seeking the approval of the United Nations and under the condition that President George W. Bush would allow UN weapons inspectors to finish their work and that Bush would need to return to Congress for an actual declaration of war before invading Iraq. The resolution later passed the House and the Senate with a total of 373 of 435 members of Congress supporting it. "The train is now on its way", said Lantos after the resolution successfully passed both houses of Congress. In later hearings on the war, Lantos continued his enthusiastic support.

Starting in early 2006, Lantos distanced himself from the Bush Administration's Iraq policy, making critical statements at hearings, on the House floor and in published media interviews about the conduct of the war. During hearings of the House International Relations Committee, where he was then the ranking member, Lantos repeatedly praised the investigative work of the office of the Special Inspector of Iraq Reconstruction General Stuart Bowen, which uncovered evidence of waste, fraud and abuse in the use of U.S. taxpayer dollars intended to help secure and rebuild Iraq. Lantos was an immediate and consistent critic of the troop surge advocated by President Bush. On the night in January 2007 that Bush announced his plan, Lantos responded, "I oppose the so-called surge that constitutes the centerpiece of the President's plan. Our efforts in Iraq are a mess, and throwing in more troops will not improve it."

During a joint House hearing on September 10, 2007, featuring General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker, Lantos said:

The Administration's myopic policies in Iraq have created a fiasco. Is it any wonder that on the subject of Iraq, more and more Americans have little confidence in this Administration? We can not take ANY of this Administration's assertions on Iraq at face value anymore, and no amount of charts or statistics will improve its credibility. This is not a knock on you, General Petraeus, or on you, Ambassador Crocker. But the fact remains, gentlemen, that the Administration has sent you here today to convince the members of these two Committees and the Congress that victory is at hand. With all due respect to you, I must say ... I don't buy it.

At the same hearing, Lantos drew comparisons between some of the current U.S. activities in Iraq to U.S. support two decades earlier of Islamic militants in Afghanistan:

America should not be in the business of arming, training and funding both sides of a religious civil war in Iraq. Did the Administration learn nothing from our country's actions in Afghanistan two decades ago, when by supporting Islamist militants against the Soviet Union, we helped pave the way for the rise of the Taliban? Why are we now repeating the short-sighted patterns of the past?

Human rights advocate

Presenting the Dalai Lama with the Congressional Gold Medal, 2007

Tibet

As co-founder of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus in 1983 and as Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Lantos would "stir the consciousness of world leaders and the public alike", according to Representative Nancy Pelosi. She added: "Wherever there was injustice or oppression, he used his expertise and moral authority to put the United States on the side of justice and human rights". In 2007, in his effort to help the people of China and Tibet, he presented the Dalai Lama with the Congressional Gold Medal.

Darfur

On April 28, 2006, Lantos and four other Democratic U.S. Representatives, along with six other activists, took part in a civil disobedience action in front of the Sudanese embassy in Washington, D.C. They were protesting the role of the Sudanese government in carrying out genocide in the Darfur conflict and were arrested for disorderly conduct.

Hungarian minorities

Lantos was an activist for the rights of Hungarian minorities; as a member of the US House of Representatives. In a 2007 letter he asked Robert Fico, the Prime Minister of Slovakia to distance themselves from the Beneš decrees, a reasonable process in the Hedvig Malina case, and to treat members of the Hungarian minority as equal.

The American Hungarian Federation recognized Congressman Lantos for his "Leadership in Support of Democracy, Human Rights and Minority Rights in Central and Eastern Europe", awarding him the organization's highest award, the "Col. Commandant Michael Kovats Medal of Freedom", at the October 19, 2005, Congressional Reception commemorating the 49th Anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution.

Lebanon

On August 27, 2006, at the Israeli Foreign Ministry building in Israel, Lantos said he would block a foreign aid package promised by President George W. Bush to Lebanon unless and until Beirut agreed to the deployment of international troops on the border with Syria and Lebanon takes control of its borders with Syria to prevent arms smuggling to Hezbollah guerrillas.

Morocco and Western Sahara

Lantos supported Morocco's demand to gain sovereignty over Western Sahara, and criticized the Polisario Front, which demands independence for the disputed region. In 2007, he backed Morocco's proposal to make the region autonomous under Moroccan rule, saying: "I urge the leadership of the Polisario to realize that they will never again get such a good deal for the population they purport to represent."

Death and legacy

Lantos's grave in Congressional Cemetery, Washington, D.C. The letters at the bottom are a Hebrew acronym for May his soul be bound up in the bond of eternal life.

On January 2, 2008, after having been diagnosed with esophageal cancer, Lantos announced he would not run for a 15th term in the House, but planned to complete his final term. In his statement, he said:

It is only in the United States that a penniless survivor of the Holocaust and a fighter in the anti-Nazi underground could have received an education, raised a family, and had the privilege of serving the last three decades of his life as a Member of Congress. I will never be able to express fully my profoundly felt gratitude to this great country."

Lantos died from complications of esophageal cancer at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on February 11, 2008, ten days after his 80th birthday, and eleven months before the end of his term. Numerous politicians memorialized him; House Minority Whip Roy Blunt called him "a man of uncommon integrity and sincere moral conviction — and a public servant who never wavered in his pursuit of a better, freer and more religiously tolerant world", and President George W. Bush called Lantos "a man of character and a champion of human rights" and "a living reminder that we must never turn a blind eye to the suffering of the innocent at the hands of evil men". A memorial service was held for Lantos on February 14, 2008, at Statuary Hall in the Capitol. Speakers included Senator Joe Biden, Bono of U2, Rep. Steny Hoyer, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Rep. Christopher Shays and Elie Wiesel. He was buried in Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C.

A special election was held to fill his seat on April 8, 2008, and was won by former State Senator Jackie Speier, whom Lantos had endorsed.

On June 19, 2008, Bush posthumously awarded Lantos the Medal of Freedom. In a ceremony at the White House, Bush stated "We miss his vigorous defense of human rights and his powerful witness for the cause of human freedom. For a lifetime of leadership, for his commitment to liberty, and for his devoted service to his adopted nation, I am proud to award the Presidential Medal of Freedom, posthumously, to Tom Lantos, and proud that his loving wife Annette will receive the award on behalf of his family."

In 2008, 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." The first Lantos Human Rights Prize was presented to the 14th Dalai Lama in 2009. In 2011, the institute was set up in Budapest to promote tolerance and support minority issues in central and eastern Europe and in the world.

In the final weeks of his life, Lantos asked that a non-profit 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. Lantos's daughter, Katrina Lantos Swett, serves as the Foundation's president and CEO.

On September 10, 2011, the Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA officially opened the Tom and Annette Lantos Center for Compassion, located at 1450 Rollins Road in Burlingame, California. The facility was funded with a naming gift in the Lantos's honor by Oracle founder, Larry Ellison, and his wife, Melanie.

  • Tom Lantos Tunnels south of San Francisco have been named after the late Congressman, as has a street in Netanya, Israel.
  • BBYO, Inc. (formerly B'nai B'rith Youth Organization) chapter honored Tom Lantos's legacy by naming the chapter in his honor. Lantos AZA #2539 now thrives in the Rockville, Maryland, area.

Budapest named a promenade in the city in honor of Lantos in 2016.

Lantos received the Grand Cross, Hungary's highest civilian honor.

Congressional scorecards

See also

Project Vote Smart provides the following results from congressional scorecards.

Controversies

During a 1996 congressional inquiry into the Filegate scandal, Lantos told witness Craig Livingstone that "with an infinitely more distinguished public record than yours, Admiral Boorda committed suicide when he may have committed a minor mistake". Boorda, the Chief of Naval Operations, had taken his own life after his right to wear Combat V decorations had been questioned. Lantos was criticized by some (including fellow Congressman Joe Scarborough) for this comment.

On May 3, 2000, Lantos was involved in an automobile accident while driving on Capitol Hill. He drove over a young boy's foot and then failed to stop his vehicle and was later fined over the incident for inattentive driving.

In 2002, Lantos, who was on the House Committee on International Affairs, took Colette Avital, a Labor Party member of the Israeli Knesset, by the hand and, according to Haaretz, tried to reassure her with these words: "My dear Colette, don't worry. You won't have any problem with Saddam. We'll be rid of the bastard soon enough. And in his place we'll install a pro-Western dictator, who will be good for us and for you." He later denied saying this, but Avital confirmed it, according to Ben Terrall, an adviser to Maad H. Abu-Ghazalah, a Libertarian Party candidate who ran against Lantos that year.

In June 2007, Lantos called former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder a "political prostitute" at the dedication ceremony of the Victims of Communism Memorial, which caused a political backlash from the German government. Lantos was referring to Schröder's ties to energy business in Russia, and remarked that this appellation would offend prostitutes.

In October 2007, Dutch parliamentarians said Lantos insulted them while discussing the War on Terror by stating that the Netherlands had to help the United States because it liberated them in World War II, while adding that "Europe was not as outraged by Auschwitz as by Guantanamo Bay."

On January 6, 2008, FBI whistleblower Sibel Edmonds included Lantos's photograph among others featured in the "State Secrets Privilege Gallery" posted on her website, composing images of figures considered to be relevant to her case. On August 8, 2009, she gave sworn testimony about Lantos and others during a witness deposition before the Ohio Elections Commission in the Schmidt v. Krikorian case, in which she alleged that he had engaged in "ot only ... bribe, but also ... disclosing highest level protected U.S. intelligence and weapons technology information both to Israel and to Turkey. ... other very serious criminal conduct."

Electoral history

California's 11th congressional district: Results 1980–1990
Year Democratic Votes Pct Republican Votes Pct 3rd Party Party Votes Pct 3rd Party Party Votes Pct
1980 Tom Lantos 85,823 46% Bill Royer 80,100 43% Wilson Branch Peace and Freedom 13,723 7% William S. Wade, Jr. Libertarian 3,816 2% *
1982 Tom Lantos 109,812 57% Bill Royer 76,462 40% Chuck Olson Libertarian 2,920 2% Wilson Branch Peace and Freedom 1,928 1% *
1984 Tom Lantos 147,607 70% Jack Hickey 59,625 28% Nicholas W. Kudrovzeff American Independent 3,883 2%
1986 Tom Lantos 112,380 74% Bill Quraishi 39,315 26%
1988 Tom Lantos 145,484 71% Bill Quraishi 50,050 24% Bill Wade Libertarian 4,683 2% Victor Martinez Peace and Freedom 2,906 1% *
1990 Tom Lantos 105,029 66% Bill Quraishi 45,818 29% June R. Genis Libertarian 8,518 5%

*Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 1980, Nicholas W. Kudrovzeff, American Independent Party, received 1,550 votes (1%). In 1982, Nicholas W. Kudrovzeff, American Independent Party, received 1,250 votes (1%). In 1988, Nicholas W. Kudrovzeff, American Independent Party, received 1,893 votes (1%).

California's 12th congressional district: Results 1992–2006
Year Democratic Votes Pct Republican Votes Pct 3rd Party Party Votes Pct 3rd Party Party Votes Pct
1992 Tom Lantos 157,205 69% Jim Tomlin 53,278 23% Mary Weldon Peace and Freedom 10,142 4% George O'Brien Libertarian 7,782 3%
1994 Tom Lantos 118,408 67% Deborah Wilder 57,228 33%
1996 Tom Lantos 149,049 72% Storm Jenkins 49,276 24% Christopher V.A. Schmidt Libertarian 6,111 3% Richard Borg Natural Law 3,472 2%
1998 Tom Lantos 128,135 74% Robert Evans, Jr. 36,562 21% Michael J. Moloney Libertarian 8,515 5%
2000 Tom Lantos 158,404 75% Mike Garza 44,162 21% Barbara J. Less Libertarian 6,431 3% Rifkin Young Natural Law 3,559 2%
2002 Tom Lantos 105,597 68% Michael Moloney 38,381 25% Maad H. Abu-Ghazalah Libertarian 11,006 7%
2004 Tom Lantos 171,852 68% Mike Garza 52,593 21% Pat Gray Green 23,038 9% Harland Harrison Libertarian 5,116 2%
2006 Tom Lantos 138,650 76% Michael Moloney 43,674 24%

See also

References

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External links

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded byWilliam Royer Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 11th congressional district

1981–1993
Succeeded byRichard Pombo
Preceded byTom Campbell Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 12th congressional district

1993–2008
Succeeded byJackie Speier
New office Chair of the House Human Rights Commission
1983–1995
Succeeded byJohn Porter
Preceded byJohn Porter Ranking Member of the House Human Rights Commission
1995–2007
Succeeded byFrank Wolf
Preceded bySam Gejdenson Ranking Member of the House International Relations Committee
2001–2007
Succeeded byIleana Ros-Lehtinen
Preceded byHenry Hyde Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee
2007–2008
Succeeded byHoward Berman
Preceded byFrank Wolf Chair of the House Human Rights Commission
2007–2008
Succeeded byJim McGovern
Chairmen of the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs
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