Rep. who was praised for human rights work dies

Local congressmen mourned Monday’s loss of long-time Democratic Rep. Tom Lantos, who served California’s 12th district for more than 27 years.

Lantos had decided not to run for re-election in 2008 due to esophageal cancer that ultimately ended his life. A Hungarian immigrant who came to America after enduring the horrors of the Holocaust, Lantos was widely praised by colleagues Monday for his work on human rights and dignity as a 15-term Congressman.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, describing himself as a close personal friend of Lantos, relayed a characteristic anecdote from his early days working as a speechwriter in the Reagan White House.

“I worked on several speeches for the president, one of which dealt with Raoul Wallenberg,” he said, referring to the Swedish diplomat and Holocaust hero who freed thousands from Nazi extermination camps during WWII. Reagan named Wallenberg an honorary citizen of the United States in 1981.

“Tom was appreciative of that and he called me aside to his office, and he said, ‘I know you did these remarks for the president.’”

Lantos then handed Rohrabacher a picture of the Swedish diplomat, which Rohrabacher said he has kept on his desk ever since.

— Chris Caesar