Paying Tribute To Chairman Tom Lantos
Jill Jackson is a Capitol Hill field producer for CBS News.
World Leaders, lawmakers and the rock star/activist Bono filled Statuary Hall this morning in the nation's Capitol to pay tribute to Rep. Tom Lantos. The only Holocaust survivor ever to serve in the U.S. Congress, the California Democrat from Hungary was an inspiration to his fellow lawmakers — and clearly to his family as well. His wife, children and grandchildren filled the front row and many spoke of his legacy.
His wife, Annette, told mourners that in the last days of his life he told her that since coming to the United States in 1947, "life has been like a long vacation." But like all vacations, life also must end.
From Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, guests praised his efforts to make the world a better place. Lantos chaired the House Foreign Relations Committee and also co-chaired the Human Rights Caucus. Lantos protested the genocide in Darfur and actively worked to promote religious freedom around the world.
Lantos died from cancer of the esophagus at the age of 80.