Statement of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and Former President William Jefferson Clinton on the Death of Congressman Tom Lantos

Statement

Statement of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and Former President William Jefferson Clinton on the Death of Congressman Tom Lantos

"We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Congressman Tom Lantos. The courageous and improbable journey of his life was an inspiration to his constituents and to all of us who knew him. Tom was just sixteen years old when the Nazis occupied his native Hungary and he lost much of his family to the Holocaust. In those dark days, Tom bore witness to the worst of human cruelty and devoted his life to stopping it. And so he came to America with nothing but the clothes on his back and the ideals he described in an essay that won him a college scholarship. Those ideals, combined with his optimism, intelligence, and hard work, would eventually lead this self-described 'penniless immigrant' to the halls of the United States Congress. Despite all that Tom experienced - or perhaps because of it - he understood in his bones that we have a profound duty to one another. Tom taught us to stand up for what's right especially when it was hard. We will always cherish our memories of him and our thoughts are with his wife, Annette, his daughters, and all those who knew and loved him."

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