Tom Lantos

The only Holocaust survivor to serve in the U.S. Congress, Tom Lantos (1928-2008), born in Budapest, Hungary, served as a Representative of California for 14 terms as well as chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee. Over the course of his career Lantos worked to protect animals and the environment, supported Israel, criticized Communism, and strongly defended human rights, co-founding the Congressional Human Rights Caucus. Prior to his political career he taught economics at San Francisco State University from 1950 to 1980. Updated 2008